Akron Notebook: Wyoming Not Disregarding New-Look Zips

LARAMIE -- Buzzsaw. Ambush. Blitzkrieg.

Whatever you want to call it, Wyoming walked into last August in the Arizona desert.

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Kenny Dillingham sent out the warning: This isn't the same ol' Sun Devils. Boy, was the young head coach right about that. That team, one that won just three games the year prior and was picked in the preseason to finish dead last in the 16-team Big XII, featured 30 new faces via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Who knew what to expect?

"It's kind of crazy, last year, I thought we're going to go into Arizona State's stadium and kick their ass," said Kaden Anderson, who served as the back-up signal caller last fall before earning the starting role late in the regular season. "We didn't."

That's an understatement.

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Sam Leavitt threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ASU forced three turnovers, including a pick-six on the Cowboys' first pass attempt of the season in a thorough 48-7 opening-night dismantling. Dillingham's squad went on to claim a conference crown and crash the College Football Playoff party.

That memory is still a fresh one for Jay Sawvel.

"There were things that happened in that game a year ago, like, I had a player tell me after the ASU game, 'I didn't think they'd be that good,'" Wyoming's second-year head coach recalled, accompanied by a perplexed look and a head shake. "I mean, my mind was blown on some of that."

He said the only misconception was how good his own team was, coming off a nine-win campaign the year prior.

"I think that there was an overestimation of what we were and certainly an underestimation of what they were," Sawvel added.

Long story short, this version of the Cowboys isn't overlooking anyone.

No, not even the Akron, which hasn't had a winning season since 2017, is banned from postseason play and features 35 incoming transfers. Its leading rusher, receiver, tackler, among many, many others, all gone by way of free agency.

"No, you really don't know what to expect," Anderson continued. "Week 1 is hard, man. You're just kind of going out there and it's a crapshoot. I know they're going to be a lot better than last year. That's for sure."

Sawvel agrees.

He talked about the respect he has for Akron head coach Joe Moorhead and quarterback Ben Finley. He expects Alex Adams, a former All-MAC wideout who has struggled with injury over the last two seasons, to pose a major problem for his secondary.

This game is also being played on the road.

Wyoming hasn't exactly been world beaters away from War Memorial Stadium, sporting a record of 18-37 over the last decade. In the Cowboys' opening road game, that mark sits at 3-7 with wins coming against Northern Illinois, Texas State and New Mexico State.

"First games, in this day and age, it used to be, OK, if a team was bringing back their coaches and you could look at their roster coming back, you get an idea of what these players could do," Sawvel said. "It's no different than us. We have a number of new players, too, in this program. So, that's just part of a new reality. Not only what these players look like, but how they're going to be utilized."

Here are some other notes from Friday's press conference in Laramie:

* Wyoming will travel to Ohio this Wednesday with a healthy football team. Jake Wilson, a redshirt freshman tight end and arguably the best blocker at his position, will not play after having a cyst removed from his knee. Offensive lineman Quinn Grovesteen-Matchey is still nursing a knee bruise. Sawvel, making sure to knock on the wooden podium in front of him, said that was a major problem entering ASU a season ago, missing starting tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and running back Harrison Waylee, among others.

* Sawvel didn't release a depth chart during his initial game-week press conference of the 2025 campaign. Why? There are still a few TBD's. That's not a bad thing, either, he added. He said he will release the two-deep on Sunday, but he expects the situation to remain fluid because of the competition, especially on the defensive side of the ball. "That part, I am very excited about," Sawvel said.

* The margin between winning and losing is a thin one, Sawvel reiterated Friday. For instance, Wyoming lost five games last fall by 10 points or less. A break or two, the Cowboys could've been an eight-win team with the potential for No. 9 in a bowl game. Sound familiar? It should. In 2023, this program was 6-1 in that same scenario, the lone loss a memorable seven-point setback at Air Force. "We have to play for 60 minutes every week because you're going to find yourself in a number of those types of games," he said.

* "Low maintenance." That's how Sawvel refers to this team. Last year's squad, not so much. "I think that's a big positive when you're not worried on a day-to-day basis, you know, how hard people are going (to play)," he said. "Like, last night, we had an outstanding practice, then turned around this morning and practiced again. I mean, it was crisp and moving. So, there's not a lot that I have to worry about, like, OK, are we going to play hard? Are we going to be flat?" Now, he wants to see how they handle adversity. It's coming.

* Does the health of this team hinge on a new practice schedule implemented this fall? Sawvel isn't willing to go that far, but said earlier in camp he looked at how other teams around the country manage their offseason workloads and improvised.

* Sawvel, offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and offensive line coach Joe Tripodi have all but shown their hand, saying a rotation could be coming at the tackle spot. Who will start in Akron? That's not public knowledge. What is, four guys -- Nate Geiger, Jake Davies, Giovanni Panozzo and Rex Johnsen -- will all get their shot. Anderson said he is comfortable with any and all. "I'm really excited for that," he said. "I tell the O-line, "give me some time and I'll throw a dime." It'll be good, man."

* Other position battles to watch for even when the ball gets kicked off for real: cornerback, running back and wide receiver. Sawvel did say, expect to see true freshman Samuel "Tote" Harris get his feet wet in this one.

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* Ben Finley, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior signal caller, threw for 2,604 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. He never found the end zone once with his legs and averaged less than a yard per carry. That will happen when you are on your wallet 24 times. Sawvel said, don't let those numbers fool you -- the kid can scoot. "He's got enough ability to move and maneuver to extend plays. No. 1, which he likes to do and throw the ball down field," he said. "Secondly is, on third downs to keep chains moving ... He's certainly capable. This is not like a guy that just stands there and doesn't move around. He's a really good athlete."

* Kickoff at Akron is slated for 5 p.m. Mountain Time next Thursday night inside InfoCision Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN-Plus.

* The Roaring Repeater Podcast will debut Tuesday with Jared Newland and myself in our Cheyenne studios. Make sure to watch our social media feed, where we'll be asking you, the fans, for any questions you may have before we kick this thing off.

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