Turning point, unsung hero and what’s next for UW football

LARAMIE -- Evan Svoboda took the snap, slid behind his left guard and began to drive his legs.

Despite Idaho defenders hanging all over him, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound signal caller appeared to reach the ball across the white stripe. Wyoming was finally going to tie this one up at 17-17 late in the third quarter and take this undersized underdog to the deep end over the final 15 minutes.

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Not so fast.

Svoboda's left knee was planted in the turf before the ball broke the plane, upon further review. No sweat, the two yards he did gain was good enough for a 1st-and-goal at the one.

Surely he would barrel his way in again, right?

Wrong.

Senior fullback Caleb Driskill was flagged for a false start on the ensuing snap. Sam Scott was rudely met in the backfield by tackle Dallas Afalava one play later. The Cowboys' junior running back was involved again just seconds later. He hauled in a 3-yard pass, only to get planted by an Idaho linebacker.

Facing a third down from the five, Svoboda surveyed the field and unleashed a throw into the dirt before he himself took a tumble. Wyoming would have to settle for a 22-yard field goal off the right foot of John Hoyland.

"We can't have crap that happens like when the ball's inside the 1-yard line and you have a false-start penalty," Jay Sawvel said numerous times during his 17-minute postgame press conference. "That's inexcusable. It can't happen."

His team wasn't quite done shooting itself in the foot, one toe at a time.

With five minutes remaining and the visiting Vandals hanging on to a four-point lead, Svoboda and Co. once again took over in plus territory, a theme throughout the fourth quarter.

The comedy of errors that followed had Sawvel shaking his head in disgust long after the final whistle.

Running back Jamari Ferrell snagged a screen pass and patiently made his way to the Idaho 29-yard line, following a pair of blockers down the sideline.

He passed a couple of yellow hankies on his journey.

Those belonged to wideout Justin Stevenson, who was hit with a holding call -- a questionable one, if you ask Sawvel -- that brought the line of scrimmage all the way back to the 48, where the possession originally began.

Then came the illegal formation, the second in as many weeks. That avoidable mistake cost the Cowboys their most promising early drive of the night in the opener at Arizona State. This time, they ended up on their own side of the 50.

That's not all.

Three plays later, facing a 3rd-and-20, DJ Jones was called for a false start.

This one really left the rookie head coach scratching his head.

"It was a bunch of crap," Sawvel said, referring to the entirety of the drive. "I mean, I'm disappointed in the execution and there's a couple things in there. You know, one thing is, we've got a play that's not even a play. All we're trying to do is draw the defense offside, right? ... For two straight weeks, we've jumped on that play -- and we're not even running a play, right? So, it's just, there's some things that are inexcusable, execution wise. Again, we all have to look in the mirror, coaches wise, player wise and everything else."

Idaho defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby, like he did twice last Saturday at Oregon, put a bow on this forgettable outing, racing around the edge and planting Svoboda on his back on the following snap. That damage, nine yards.

Wyoming lost a grand total of 29 yards and eventually punted from its own 38.

"Yeah, you know, self-inflicted wounds can't happen," Said Svoboda, who finished his afternoon 10-of-24 for 126 yards and a touchdown. "We have to be better. You know, that's something we got to really hit on this coming week."

The Cowboys were hit with nine penalties worth 70 yards in this loss. You can tack that on to the seven in Tempe. That cost them 65 more.

Only SMU has drawn more flags -- 24 -- than Sawvel's Pokes.

"Yeah, pretty simple," Sawvel began his presser, "we tell the team all the time, the team that makes the least mistakes wins ... These are mistakes that good football teams don't make. These are mistakes that 0-2 teams do make -- and we're 0-2. We made those mistakes and we have to own it. That's where we're at."

Idaho 17, Wyoming 13

UNSUNG HERO

Andrew Johnson has patiently waited for his turn.

The Cheyenne product finally got his opportunity Saturday, filling in for an injured Isaac White. That, of course, is not how the 6-foot-1, 200-pound strong safety wanted to crack this lineup, but he did make an impact in this one, including registering a tackle on a fake punt late in the third quarter.

If Idaho picks that one up, the game clock would've virtually melted away. Instead, Wyoming would tack on a field goal on the first play of the fourth to pull within four.

"I was excited to have an opportunity to go out there and play my game," said Johnson, who capped his first start with five tackles, including three solo stops. "You have to go look in the mirror before you look outward. It's about looking at yourself and getting better."

White was "dinged up" in the Cowboys 48-7 opening-day loss at Arizona State. His status still remains unclear.

QUOTABLE

"You know, just get behind their back. Our guys always know we're going to have their back. There's no pointing fingers around here, you know? We're all for each other. This game is going to show us, like, at points like this you get teams that split, or you get teams that get tighter. I can tell you for damn sure that we're going to get tighter."

-- An emotional Wyoming safety Wyett Ekeler on what he will say to the struggling offense after this latest loss

"Our defense was just outstanding time and time again. In the second half, they kept battling and kept coming back. It made me not look as bad, calling a fake punt that we got nothing out of. These guys got my back and they do a great job. Just a tremendous performance ... That Wyoming team is a good team. They won nine games last year and they are tough. They were 7-0 at home last year and they didn't lose a game here."

-- Idaho head coach Jason Eck on his team's performance in Laramie

"Our execution level has to be so much better to get the results we all want. I'm frustrated with it. I own it. There is not going to be any finger pointing. We have to get better. Our execution is not good enough. We are executing like an 0-2 football team."

-- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel on the 17-13 setback against the Vandals

"It just takes time. (Being) 0-2 isn't what we want. But at the same time, adversity hits in football in every single program. At the end of the day, we have to look at one another and believe in one another and get back to work."

-- Wyoming linebacker Shae Suiaunoa on the confidence level of his team

WHAT'S NEXT?

This is the one you have all been waiting for. Well, you were, any way. Old rival BYU will pay a visit to the high plains for the first time since 2009. The Cowboys (0-2) and Cougars (2-0) will meet for the 80th time in history. BYU has a 46-30-3 advantage in the overall series. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.