UW’s Caden Barnett Holds Himself Accountable After Rough Outing

LARAMIE -- Evan Svoboda was a sitting duck.

Keyshawn James-Newby, Idaho's senior defensive end, blew off the line untouched Saturday afternoon and rudely buried his shoulder pad into the midsection of Wyoming's quarterback. Yellow hankies littered the field. Officials waived their arms.

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The whistles, though, were too late.

The damage was done. Svoboda got thumped, and it only cost the visitors a measly five yards.

"That definitely pissed me off," said Caden Barnett, the right tackle who was forced to watch as the Vandals' edge rusher lit up his signal caller late in the first half.

The junior was still in a foul mood more than 48 hours later. Why? Because that wasn't the last time James-Newby and Svoboda had a cruel meeting in the backfield. There were three legit sacks, too.

All of those came at Barnett's expense.

Joe Tripodi, the Cowboys' offensive line coach, said a number of factors enter the fray when it comes to the pass rush. Did the quarterback step up in the pocket? Did he hold onto the ball for too long? Did wide receivers get separation downfield?

Barnett scoffed.

"I just want to start by first off saying, that was on me. It wasn't on the QB," he said, staring straight ahead. "I should be able to protect that. He found something I need to work on ... He was timing the snap very well. I think he's a great player, but what happened was just inexcusable -- and it won't happen again."

This wasn't a one-off for James-Newby.

In Idaho's season opener at No. 3 Oregon, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound senior twice got to Heisman hopeful Dillon Gabriel. He even landed a second-quarter strip sack and tacked on a tackle for loss. Barnett said he knew he was going to be dealing with a nuisance.

"He's good with his hands and he's got a great get off," he added. "He was great at timing or snap and that kind of got in my head a little bit. I should have been better."

James-Newby took Svoboda down for the first time officially early in the third quarter. The ball came loose and was pounced on by Wyoming center Nofoafia Tulafono. That came on a 3rd-and-7.

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The Montana product again raced around the edge early in the fourth. Unmarred, he again took Svoboda right off his feet for a loss of seven.

The final takedown ended any hope of a Wyoming comeback. It was an exclamation mark added to a drive that saw the home team commit 20 yards worth of penalties with under five minutes remaining on the clock.

Insult to injury, if you will.

"His pass sets weren't great. His hand position wasn't great," head coach Jay Sawvel said, adding that through the first three quarters Barnett was solid. "He got swiped and it created the sacks and those types of things."

Tripodi agreed, saying Barnett has been one of the team's most consistent linemen, especially in the run game, through the first two outings. He also shared an anecdote he once heard from NFL Hall of Famer Joe Thomas.

"You could play 70 reps and be 69-of-70, and if you give up a sack, you've had a bad game," he said. "... When you end a game like that, certainly, perception is reality. So, that's where we have to get better."

Barnett missed winter conditioning and spring practice recovering from a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He tore the other one the previous season. The Justin, Texas native went under the knife before the Cowboys' appearance last December in the Arizona Bowl.

Has that played a factor? Maybe. You think he's using that as a crutch? Not a chance.

Rival BYU is now in his crosshairs. Motivation, he said, won't be an issue in this one.

"I think I had a chip on my shoulder when the season started," Barnett said, still looking straight ahead. "Then, after ASU, that chip grew bigger. Then this game happened, it definitely grew way bigger. So, I'm excited. I'm just excited to get back to work today."

The Cougars and Cowboys are slated to kickoff this Saturday at 7 p.m. Mountain Time inside War Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.