Tuck’s Take: Effort, Heart Finally Shows Up in Win Column

LARAMIE -- Unacceptable. Embarrassing. Inexcusable.

Those are just a few of the choice words Jay Sawvel used to describe his defense after one forgettable half of football in Fort Collins.

They were warranted, too.

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Colorado State rolled up 184 yards of total offense over the first 15 minutes and took an easy 14-0 lead. Wyoming's Border War rival tacked on 90 more in the following frame, and if not for a red-zone fumble, the rout would've been on.

Remember, this defense, led by first-year coordinator Aaron Bohl, was only two weeks removed from allowing 576 yards, 412 of which came on the ground, courtesy of Devon Dampier and Eli Sanders.

Cowboy Tough? Hardly.

The ultimate challenge came in the halftime locker room inside the bowels of Canvas Stadium. The haranguing continued on the sideline, in film study and the entire week ahead.

"The whole gist of it was belief and believe," Wyoming's rookie head coach said just minutes after his injury-riddled roster took No. 12 Boise State to the deep end before eventually falling 17-13. "The definition, in one part, about belief is what you accept as the truth. So, the challenge I made to everybody is, are you going to accept the fact that you can't tackle this running back? Are you going to accept the fact that someone that you line up across from is better than you? Are you going to accept the fact that you can't get open on this guy, or you can't block this guy, or you can't get off this guy's block?

"Or are you going to accept the fact that, yes, you can draw a line of sand, stand up, and that you're going to fight and you're going to control the line of scrimmage and do those things? Our players did what we asked them to do."

Yes, they have.

The numbers bear that out over the last 10 quarters:

* 38 total points

* Only allowed more than 100 yards in a quarter twice.

* Held opponent under 80 yards in a quarter four times

* Allowed just four third-down conversions on 28 attempts

* Haven't given up more than 77 passing yards in a quarter

* Registered six sacks

* Forced 15 punts, five turnovers on downs, a fumble and an interception

In Saturday night's 15-14 stunner in Pullman, Wyoming limited Washington State's high-powered offense to just 285 total yards. That's nearly 180 below its average. The Cougars have also scored 50 points per night in their six previous games inside Martin Stadium.

Not in this one.

Led by the nation's scoring leader John Mateer (now 44 touchdowns), this unit was only 1-for-10 on third down, matching Ashton Jeanty and Boise State's performance against this defense a week prior. Mateer, the Cougars leading passer and rusher, capped his night with 182 yards through the air. He tacked on just 56 on the ground.

The sophomore did account for both touchdowns. He also coughed up both turnovers, including a game-sealing interception by cornerback Tyrecus Davis.

Surely that offense was going to wake up and find a way to put away this two-win Wyoming team at home, right?

Wrong. So, so wrong.

Meteer and Co. rolled up just 56 yards of total offense in the second half. He didn't complete a single pass in the fourth.

"We played well in all three levels," Sawvel said postgame. "We played well up front and were able to compress the pocket a little bit. I thought we matched up on things. I thought Connor Shay did some really good things in the second half. Once we kind of got settled in, we were able to get them off rhythm and make enough plays to get them in a lot of third-and-longs, which really worked to our advantage."

Shay tied for a team-high with seven tackles in Pullman. Five of those were solo stops. He got to Mateer 1.5 times, too. Davis also finished with the same amount of tackles, including stoning Mateer for a two-yard gain on a 4th-and-3 early in the fourth.

Linebacker Shae Suiaunoa also has seven stops. Safety Isaac White finished with six, including 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Every single one of those guys are seniors.

Wyoming played this one without a pair of edge rushers in Sabastian Harsh and Braden Siders. Fellow defensive end Tyce Westland spent the second half in street clothes. DeVonne Harris got hurt, too. Jordan Bertagnole, a senior tackle, was also playing with an injured foot. Wyett Ekeler isn't fully healthy. Neither is White.

That unit -- and those veterans -- will have to share some of the spotlight in this upset.

Evan Svoboda, who stepped under center in place of an injured Kaden Anderson, led this team on a 14-play, 90-yard game-winning drive with just 3:39 remaining in regulation.

Twice he fumbled in the second half. He overthrew passes. He missed wide-open receivers downfield. Those issues eventually got him benched after eight straight starts.

In what could be his final appearance as a Cowboy quarterback. Svoboda connected on eight passes, including an 18-yard touchdown strike to tight end John Michael Gyllenborg down the seam on a 4th-and 14 with 28 ticks on the clock.

If that was his final moment as a signal caller, he went out on top.

"My guys, you know, they believe in me. I believe in them," said Svoboda, who completed 21-of-34 passes for 206 yards and added 33 more on the ground. "So, just that overall belief. There's nothing you can't do without it."

Svoboda has been jeered. He's been ridiculed. He's been bashed. The junior even asked to make a position switch three weeks ago, trying his hand at tight end.

He's showed up to work and somehow blocked out the noise. Svoboda even told me two weeks ago he plans to be back. In what role? That's to be determined. Whatever he can do to help this team win, he added numerous times.

He did just that Saturday night.

"There's just no better way to top it off," said Svoboda, who is also playing with a broken nose, including a deviated septum. "It's awesome to go into uncharted territory, go take a win with your guys, and then you'll go and celebrate to finish out the year.

"I didn't want to want it any other way."

If you're in the camp that this team has given up on its head coach, is this enough proof for you?

It's been a bad year. This isn't a bad program.

"Nobody in the program gave up," Sawvel said. "Nobody in the program said, 'Well, you know, it's over. Let's just mail this in.' Nobody did that. When you want to know what people are made of, and you want to know what the culture of a program and everything is made of, put them down. Put them down. Put them in a situation where things haven't gone well, and see how much fight the people have.

"I think you've seen the last couple weeks what type of fight everybody has around here."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players