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

DENTON, Texas -- Seven.

That's how many FBS teams across the land featured a worse defense than the one Wyoming faced Saturday night. North Texas had allowed 472 yards an outing, 322 of which came through the air. Texas Tech hung 66 on them last week in Lubbock.

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Was this a "get-right game" for Evan Svoboda and this much-maligned Cowboy offense?

For one drive in the second quarter, it appeared so.

After completing a pair of throws to his favorite target, John Michael Gyllenborg, the junior signal caller found a streaking Sam Scott all alone between the hashes. Svoboda missed on the exact same play call on the previous possession, overshooting a wide-open DJ Jones.

That didn't happen this time.

Wyoming's junior running back snagged the short pass and turned up field, cruising into the end zone untouched. It was a 41-yard pitch and catch. The visitors now trailed by just a touchdown with 2:15 remaining in the half.

That momentum, turns out, was fleeting.

A hard cadence and a couple of claps from North Texas quarterback Chandler Morris drew edge rusher Sabastian Harsh offside on a 4th-and-4 from the nine. After the automatic first down, Makenzie McGill bullied his way past the white stripe from four yards out to give the home team a 24-10 lead.

The costly mistakes, again, were beginning to pile up.

"We're not good right now," a clearly frustrated Jay Sawvel said postgame. "We're not good at anything right now and it pisses me off because guys are practicing hard and we're coming back with a good attitude."

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TK King, though, got Harsh off the hook on the ensuing kickoff.

The sophomore wideout hauled in the boot three yards deep in his own end zone and, thanks to some stellar blocking and his world-class speed, found a crease and outraced everyone into the green paint for six.

Wyoming was not going away. It just needed one final stop to get into the locker room with a seven-point deficit.

That didn't happen.

DT Sheffield caught four passes for 41 yards on that final possession, setting up kicker Kali Nguma for a 45-yard attempt at the horn. He split the uprights with ease, extending the North Texas lead.

The Cowboys needed a stop. Instead, the home team went 48 yards in eight plays. It took just 1:03 to do it, too.

"We have so much trust in our defense and obviously tonight they didn't perform up to what we expect," Gyllenborg said. "You know, we had momentum with TK's kickoff return, and we just have to pick it up on both sides of the ball. There's nothing else to say."

The Mean Green (3-1), led by McGill, who scored three rushing touchdowns on the night, scored 14 unanswered in the third frame. Wyoming (0-4) has now been outscored 52-0 coming out of the half.

It's rebuttal on offense during that 15-minute span -- 11 yards on eight plays. That all came on one reception by Gyllenborg.

"We're taxed a little bit right now and that's part of it," Sawvel said, referring to injuries to safeties Wyett Ekeler (thumbs), Andrew Johnson (thumb) and Isaac White (undisclosed), along with defensive ends Braden Siders (protocol) and DeVonne Harris (elbow). "So, we didn't make enough plays defensively. We have a lot of stuff to correct. And really, within the program right now, we have to redefine ourselves, you know, in terms of maybe who we wanted to be and what we can best be.

"... This sucks, you know. I mean, this is a terrible feeling for our team."

North Texas 44, Wyoming 17

UNSUNG HERO

Clearly hobbled, Gyllenborg gave it another go deep in the heart of Texas Saturday night.

He made a major impact, too.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end caught a game-high five passes for 56 yards. If it wasn't for a nagging high-ankle sprain sustained in practice before the season opener, the Leawood, Kan., product just might have beaten free safety Evan Jackson to pylon early in the first quarter.

Gyllenborg would settle for 31 yards, setting the Cowboys up at the North Texas 15-yard line. John Hoyland would eventually hammer home a 30-yard field goal, giving the visitors a brief 3-0 advantage.

"Obviously, this was my first, kind of, real game back," Gyllenborg said postgame. "I'm a little bit limited still, but I had fun ... I'm working to get back going, fully, but we got to pick things up. I'm expected to step up a little bit more and I'm going to."

Gyllenborg played all of eight snaps during his debut last Saturday against BYU. He spent the second half in street clothes. He continues to gut it out.

QUOTABLE

"There's no excuse. None. And we're not going to make any. We didn't let players make any, I'm not going to make any. I take ownership of it. I've jacked it all up for our whole program right now. We got to get it fixed."

-- Wyoming's rookie head coach Jay Sawvel after the 44-17 loss to North Texas

"I get that, for sure. We're definitely not yelling, definitely not throwing stuff. I mean, that's not how you act. That's not mature. That's not Cowboy football. Cowboy football is a team. We're together. No matter where we go, where we play, what the score is, we're together. There definitely has to be more energy. I mean, you guys see it. There has to be more energy, for sure. We pick up off of each other. So, obviously, whenever things don't go good, it's hard to bring energy. I look at myself for that, being the captain, and I know that other captains do, as well. That's when we have to step up and bring those guys' heads up."

-- Middle linebacker Shae Suiaunoa when asked about the lack of emotion on the sidelines through four games this fall 

"I think everyone's a little upset, obviously. We anticipated coming into this game and putting up more points, but it just didn't work out. Going back to the drawing board. I know it's getting repetitive, but, you know, we're keeping our heads up, staying positive. We trust coach and the staff and we're looking forward to a good week of prep."

-- Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg on scoring just 10 offensive points against statistically one of the worst defenses in the nation

WHAT'S NEXT?

Wyoming will head back to the high plains to take on Front Range rival Air Force next Saturday for homecoming. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The Falcons, who are 1-2 on the season, are coming off a bye week. Troy Calhoun's typically vaunted triple-option attack has been stuck in neutral so far in 2024, racking up just 10 total points in back-to-back losses to San Jose State and Baylor. Air Force holds a slim 31-27-3 lead in the all-time series. Could this yearly meeting be nearing an end? Reports last week linked the Falcons to a potential move from the Mountain West to the American Athletic Conference.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players