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

LARAMIE -- "This is all the work that we put in throughout the year. This is 'Cowboy Tough' football. And, you know, it really proved to show itself on that play."

If you wondered what was racing through Evan Svoboda's mind as he surveyed the defense and began his cadence, there you have it.

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The junior clapped, took the shotgun snap and dropped three steps, never taking his eye off his roommate and favorite target, John Michael Gyllenborg.

The front five, playing without opening-day starters Nate Geiger, Wes King and Caden Barnett, gave Svoboda a clean pocket. He took care of the rest, firing a strike to the 6-foot-5 tight end, who had slipped behind a linebacker and hauled in the game-winner in front of an oncoming safety.

An inadvertent "rub" from wideout Chris Durr Jr. helped, too.

That snap came on a 4th-and-14 at the 18. There were just 29 ticks remaining on the game clock.

"It's just, you know, the belief and the confidence," said Svoboda, who completed 21-of-34 throws for 206 yards and added 33 more on the ground, including picking up three third-down conversions. "My guys, they believe in me. I believe in them. So, just that overall belief, you know? There's nothing you can't do without it."

The back-up signal caller, playing in place of an injured Kaden Anderson, showed the tendencies of what landed him on the bench after Week 8. Svoboda misfired on passes. He didn't identify open receivers down field. He nearly threw at least three interceptions. He did fumble the ball twice.

Wyoming had compiled just 250 yards of total offense before that final drive. The offense had yet to reach the red zone. That injury-riddled line allowed six sacks, including one for a 3-yard loss on the opening play of that possession.

Svoboda, a lightning rod with the critics to prove it this fall, wasn't phased.

He connected on eight passes over the final 3:39. Durr hauled in a perfectly-placed ball near the sideline. That was good for 13. Justin Stevenson hauled in a 7-yard out route. Will Pelissier snatched a 20-yarder, too, landing at the Washington State 29-yard line.

Gyllenborg, again flying down the seam, also added a 29-yard throw.

"He turned his head at the last second," said Svoboda, who is playing with a broken nose, including a deviated septum. "It kind of just almost stuck to him."

A toss to Sam Scott in the flat, which netted minus-4 yards, was sandwiched between a pair of incompletions.

Wyoming had one final shot.

Svoboda drilled it.

"They picked the guy on the rub, and they made the one play when we didn't," a clearly disappointed Washington State head coach Jake Dickert said postgame. "You know, we had some opportunities, obviously, on offense, to close the door off. The takeaways in the second half, credit to Wyoming. They came to play. We knew they would. We knew it would be a physical, 60-minute football game."

This win, that ending, couldn't have happened to a better person, if you ask Jay Sawvel.

"Evan is one of the best people that you'll ever meet on earth," Wyoming's rookie head coach said postgame. "And, in a sense, I just feel like, God blessed him with a really good drive tonight, in the fact of like, Hey, you deserve this one for everything that you've taken.

"I'm so happy for him. He's going to be a big piece of our program going forward in his last year."

Anderson is the future under center in Laramie. Svoboda, who after being benched in late October, asked to move to tight end. Will that be his role going forward? That conversation is upcoming.

Tonight's turning point belonged to No. 17.

"There's just no better way to top it off," Svoboda said. "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."

Wyoming 15, Washington State 14

UNSUNG HERO

Ethan Day needed to step up.

The sophomore defensive end found himself as one of the last men standing after fellow edge rushers Tyce Westland and DeVonne Harris were forced to the sideline with injuries. This Wyoming team was already playing without Braden Siders and Sabastian Harsh.

They needed a play from the juco transfer.

He delivered.

Early in the first quarter, Washington State quarterback John Mateer lined up under center on a 4th-and-12 from the Cowboys' 39. The Cougars were in no man's land, giving one of the most dangerous players in the country another chance.

He couldn't get past Day, along with Jaden Williams, who were both credited with half-a-sack.

Day wasn't quite done with the dual-threat QB quite yet.

Mateer took off up the middle on a 3rd-and-10 with just 51 ticks remaining in the first half. He was initially stood up by safety Wyett Ekeler. Day, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound California product, came in from the side, swiping the ball from the sophomore's hand and recovering the loose change.

The visitors would turn that giveaway into three points just six snaps later.

"There's no reason for me to reach the ball out like that," said Mateer, who connected on 16 of his first 17 throws of the night before missing on his last five passes, including that pick into the awaiting arms of Davis on the final drive. "I was trying to get extra yards. It was a third down and I was trying to get a first down. There's no reason for that. That's just a bad mistake by me. We were moving the ball well, and I just, I can't do that."

Day now has 19 tackles to his credit. That was his first sack, forced fumble and recovery of the year.

QUOTABLE

"I do think Wyoming had a good plan, but it wasn't something we couldn't beat. I think we were just beating ourselves and not doing enough to move the ball."

-- Wazzu QB John Mateer when asked if it was the visitors giving the Cougars headaches or just a matter of self-inflicted wounds

"They had John under duress, we could never get ahead of the chains, never establish a run game. (There was) Not very many explosive plays, besides the early one with Kyle (Williams), you know? And to be shut out in the second half is just really disappointing."

-- Washington State head coach Jake Dickert when asked for his initial thoughts after this loss to visiting Wyoming, the third straight setback for his team

"Not the way you want to end this story, especially just the journey this team has been on this entire year. It's sad that this is the way it has to go. Defensively, I thought for the most part, we did a really good job of responding. You know, I know these past two weeks have not gone the way we would like them to go, defensively, but to come out here and really only force them to kick field goals the entire night -- until that last two-minute drive -- I think really shows something about the resiliency of these guys."

-- Wazzu's senior linebacker Kyle Thornton discussing his thoughts on Saturday night's loss to the Cowboys in front of just 17,088 fans inside Martin Stadium

"They've done an amazing job the past couple of weeks, especially in this game, you know, getting the ball back to us and getting those guys off the field. Tremendous job. Tremendous job by all of them. And I'm super proud of those guys."

-- Wyoming QB Evan Svoboda on the defensive effort from his team, holding the No. 12 offense in the country to just 285 total yards, including just 182 through the air

"Look, we have a lot that we can build on going forward, and we're really excited with that. We needed this type of win. This has got to be a springboard for us. We don't want to ever be in the situation that we're in right now. We let some games get away, and it's been frustrating, but our players never stopped. I think everybody just assumed at some point we would have some mail-it-in performance type of thing. We never did."

-- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel, speaking postgame about what this win can do for morale, heading into the offseason

WHAT'S NEXT?

Wyoming (3-9, 2-5) already has 18 verbal commits who are expected to sign on the dotted line Wednesday. Jay Sawvel wants that number to reach 23 and eventually plans to bring in "35-plus" during the traditional February signing period. The NCAA Transfer Portal also opens on Dec. 9. With roster limits now set at 105 (the program began 2024 with 118 players) Sawvel and Co. have their collective work cut out for them, restocking the shelves at certain positions, mainly on the back two levels of the defense. Will any coaches receive a pink slip? How many players will be asked to look for a new home? It's bound to be a very eventful offseason in Laramie. Wyoming will open the 2025 campaign Aug. 30 at Akron before returning home to face Northern Iowa and Utah. The Cowboys close out the non-conference slate Sept. 20 in Boulder against Colorado.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players