AFA Notebook: ‘In This Program, It’s a Rivalry’

LARAMIE -- Jay Sawvel admitted he put too much into the North Dakota State game.

He spoke about the Bison too much. Behind closed doors, he harped on the new rivalry and its importance. Wyoming's third-year head coach, despite what the prognosticators were saying ahead of the Cowboys' first trip to the Fargodome, wanted to fire the first shot across the bow.

That didn't happen.

Instead, his team played way too "tight," from his quarterback Tyler Hughes to tight end Jake Wilson to linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz. There were others, too. A lot of them.

That became apparent right off the bat when his senior signal caller tossed an interception on the first play from scrimmage. Almost nothing went right for Hughes -- or anyone else -- in that 28-0 blanking.

When that plane touched down in Laramie, a new mindset was already on board.

"A lot of those guys have now taken that 30-pound backpack and cast it off of them," Sawvel said from behind the podium Saturday, just minutes after his team rolled up 510 yards of total offense in a dominating 41-23 victory over winless Northern Illinois. "We have some guys just playing loose and free right now."

Since that new in-house rule of simply focusing on themselves went into effect, the Cowboys have reeled off two straight wins, including a 16-13 overtime win at San Jose State. That result snapped an eight-game losing skid away from home.

Last Saturday, Hughes rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns against the Huskies en route to being crowned the Mountain West's Offensive Player of the Week. He also connected on 16-of-19 throws for 196 yards.

The most important stat of them all? Zero turnovers.

That victory vaulted the Cowboys to 3-1 in conference play, currently in a four-way tie for second place with NDSU, Air Force and SJSU in the loss column. The Falcons will pay a visit to War Memorial Stadium this Friday night. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on The CW.

But they're not talking about that, right?

Wrong.

"We don't deny the fact of who we're playing this week," Sawvel said on Monday. "I mean, this is a big deal. Look, when you sign on to play at Wyoming, you sign on to play against Air Force. I think it's a really good thing."

He threw out a telling statistic, too.

Over the last nine meetings between these two Front-Range foes, when the Falcons finish with four drives of eight or more plays, they are 8-1. Aaron Bohl added that this meeting typically serves as a turning point for both teams. For example, Wyoming won the 2016 meeting in Laramie, snapping the visitors' four-game winning streak. They'd go on to lose three straight and were all but eliminated from contention before the calendar flipped to November.

Josh Allen and Co., clinched the Mountain Division title and hosted the conference title game.

A miraculous comeback in the 2018 contest cost the Falcons bowl eligibility. On a 19-degree day on the high plains -- and playing without starting quarterback Sean Chambers and running back Nico Evans -- Wyoming trailed 27-14 with just 8:44 remaining in regulation. Tyler Vander Waal threw for a touchdown and ran for another in that frame. Xazavian Valladay broke off a 27-yard scoring jaunt with 45 ticks remaining. Andrew Wingard sealed the deal with an interception.

The Cowboys became bowl eligible that fall but weren't selected for the postseason.

Air Force got its payback in 2023 in Colorado Springs.

With a chance to crack the Top 25, Wyoming came out of the gate swinging, scoring touchdowns on its first two offensive possessions. Andrew Peasley found wideout Ayir Asante in the second on a 14-yard scoring hookup. The Falcons responded with 17 second-half points and held the Cowboys off the scoreboard in the third quarter.

Troy Calhoun's team instead was vaulted to No. 22 in the country and the Cowboys dropped two of their next three.

"This is always a huge game," said Bohl, who is in his third season as Wyoming's defensive coordinator. "You look, year in and year out, the winner of this game usually has the season they want."

If the Cowboys can pull off the upset at home, they will be very much in the mix with a bye week ahead. Air Force would drop its second league contest with a road tilt against front-runner New Mexico looming.

If the Falcons are victorious, Wyoming will likely shift its focus to simply becoming eligible for the postseason. Air Force will accomplish that in Laramie, and still have hopes of finishing atop the standings as season's end.

"It's a great opportunity," Sawvel said. "I mean, in this program, it's a rivalry, and we work with it that way. Our players will be excited to play. We have got to execute really well. We're going to have to play great, but, I mean, we know that this is a big game."

Here's some other news and notes from Wyoming's weekly press conference:

* The Cowboys will don all-black "coal inspired" uniforms this Friday against Air Force. They wore these same outfits last October and knocked off Border War rival Colorado State, 28-0. "Yes, we talk about it," said wideout Ke'Lyn Washom, who redshirted in 2025 and didn't get to sport the new look. "We were talking about it all last week, too." You think the players are excited?

* Bohl will be the first to admit his defense played too "soft" at times and didn't get into its "run fits" as Telly Johnson Jr. rushed for 139 yards and a score. He also knows those characteristics won't fly against the Falcons, the No. 2 rushing offense in the nation that's averaging 343 yards per game. "What was good about it was, like I said, it was good enough that, hey, everyone felt good," he said of the win over the Huskies. "But also you could hold their feet to the fire pretty good. We ended up getting too relaxed, at times, and that was frustrating."

* Only Boise State holds onto the ball as long as Air Force does, averaging 36 minutes an outing in time of possession. Sawvel said aside from tackling great and playing really well on the line of scrimmage, his defense needs to get the Falcons in third-and-long situations more often than not. Calhoun and Co. are also not afraid of fourth-down attempts. In fact, they are 13-of-15 in that category, which leads the nation. "It's a big challenge, but also, that's a big key," Sawvel said.

* Wyoming safety Brooklyn Cheek suffered a right leg injury in Saturday's win over NIU. Sawvel said Monday he doesn't yet know the extent of the damage or when the starter will return to the field. Cornerback Ian Bell (foot) remains sidelined and defensive tackle Dante Drake (back) will be listed as questionable for Air Force. Wideout Deion DeBlanc (toe) could return to action Friday night, Sawvel said. Samuel "Tote" Harris should get the green light, too. The sophomore running back is supposed to pass concussion protocol today.

* Air Force is one of just four FBS teams that has yet to lose a fumble. What makes that fact even more impressive is that the offense has run the ball 380 times through six games. Sawvel said he knows forcing turnovers needs to be emphasized, but he has some other asks of his unit first. "You better get them on the ground," he said. "That's the first thing you better do."

* The Cowboys (4-3, 3-1) and Falcons (5-1, 3-1) will meet Friday for the 64th time in history. Aside from the COVID-19 season in 2020, these two have hooked up every year since 1980. Air Force holds a slight 32-28-3 advantage in the overall series but has not won in Laramie since 2012. That's five consecutive losses.

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* The Roaring Repeater Podcast, fueled by Laramie Range Ford, will be produced this Tuesday. Jared Newland and I will hit record around 2 p.m. Mountain Time. If you have any questions you want answered, send them via social media or to cody@7220sports.com.

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* Hughes, Cowpokes Roll to 41-23 Victory over Visiting NIU

* FINAL LIVE FILE: Wyoming 41, NIU 23

* Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next for UW Football

* Rants and Raves: NIU Huskies Edition

* Behind the Numbers: Pokes Peck Away at Six-Point Plan

* Gear Up For Game Day: NIU Huskies