Defense Laying Lumber Again in Latest Wyoming Scrimmage

LARAMIE -- PJ Jackson ran a quick out-route Saturday toward the south sideline inside Wyoming's indoor practice facility.

The speedy wideout did his job, snagging the ball, getting a foot down and getting to the boundary. In a two-minute drill, you couldn't have drawn it up much better.

Get our free mobile app

Though it was a short gain, the catch at least got the team into a more manageable position for a last-second field-goal attempt.

So, what's so special about this particular scenario?

Jackson, who stands 5-foot-11 and tips the scales at just 170, didn't cruise out of bounds on his own accord. He was violently met by 234-pound linebacker Gary Rutherford, who not only shoved the redshirt freshman out of the field of play, but crumpled him into the brown padding like a human accordion.

"He blasted him," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel would say after a spirited 85-play scrimmage on a windy day in the Gem City.

Rutherford wasn't the only one on this revamped defense laying the lumber, either.

Cornerback Tyson Shamsid-Deen made a couple of early audible stops on the outside, continuing a recent legacy of physicality from a position once known only for coverage. Players on the back end of the defense like Elvin Ampofo and Colorado State transfer Jett Vincent also showed up with bad intentions.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Pokes' Latest Downfield Threat May Have Been on Roster All Along

* Wyoming Teammates on Johnathan Bush: 'He's Our Psycho'

* Josh Allen to Tyler Hughes: Wyoming Football 'One Step Away'

* New UW President on Athletics: 'We Will Compete'

* Landon Sims: 'You Can't Get Rid of Me That Easy'

* Sawvel Believes This Could Be His Best Defense at Wyoming

* Lofty Expectations Ahead for Desman Hearns

* Wyoming's Staff Expecting Inside Dominance From Jayden Williams

* PJ Jackson Looks an Awful Lot Like a Former UW Receiver

* Are the Cowboys Really Flirting With Adding an Option Attack?

* Sawvel on Newest Edge Rusher: 'He's a Psychopath'

* Like Faces, Jersey Numbers Also Change in UW Football Program

Despite a serious shortage of defensive tackles on Aaron Bohl's unit, the Cowboys' running game was all but nonexistent with Tegen Seeds and Jayden Williams clogging up the middle. Edge rusher Esaia Bogar, on back-to-back snaps, dropped a sure interception after gliding back into coverage and sacked Tyler Hughes.

With only two returning starters on that side of the ball -- safety Jones Thomas and Williams -- Sawvel has still had the confidence to say this could be the best defense he's had in Laramie since arriving as its coordinator back in 2020.

Saturday was a brief glimpse of why.

"I thought it was pretty physical, defensively," he added. "I thought we tackled well again. We ran and hit well, did those things. I thought that was a big positive."

No, the offense didn't have all of its weapons at its disposal.

Leading rusher Samuel "Tote" Harris is being held out of most live team activities after undergoing MCL surgery in December. Tight end Kyle Frendt is sidelined this spring with a similar injury that won't require the sophomore to go under the knife. Wide receivers Ky'Lyn Washom (illness) and Jackson Holman (concussion) were also shelved.

"I think the thing I appreciate with a lot of those defensive guys right now, is just like, if you're gonna put the ball down and say it's live, you know, all of a sudden they turn up the volume a little bit," Sawvel said, specifically pointing to Rutherford, Williams and new defensive end Jack Dunkley. "... There's a gear change."

The offense had its moments in this exhibition, too.

Hughes connected with quarterback-turned-tight end Gage Brook on a perfectly-placed 20-yard strike to the end zone to cap a drill that began at the 30 with just 28 ticks remaining on the game clock. Not to be outdone, a Mason Drube led unit took just one play to put six on the scoreboard. The Gillette product rolled to his right and laid out a toss only Lock Haven transfer Justin Popovich could reach.

"Selfishly, as an offensive guy, you want to win every period," new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor said. "But it's probably been good that it's been balanced through our practice."

Balanced might be a stretch, but, again, that group was shorthanded.

Wyoming will host its annual spring game this Saturday inside War Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

EXTRA POINTS:

* Erik Sandvik has looked solid this spring. After missing five of his last six kicks to cap a mostly forgettable first year as the team's starting placekicker, the junior was a perfect 4-for-4 in the scrimmage. Sure, there were no elements to deal with, but these weren't gimmies. Sandvik was true from 55, 41, 46 and 51. "I thought Erik Sandvik had a really good day today, which is a positive, because we were trying to create some scenarios," Sawvel said. "It's still nothing like a game day or anything like that, but I thought he did well."

* With two wideouts missing the scrimmage, the tight ends were a busy bunch. Landon Pace stood out in this one. So did Isaac Schoenfeld and presumed starter Jake Wilson "The tight ends in this offense can can be pivotal, because they can do a little bit of everything," Taylor said. "It's a challenge for the defense, not knowing where they're going to line up and how they're going to line up. We can run and throw the ball with them, but I think once we get a couple of those receivers healthy, hopefully this week, we can do some more things with them."

* Hook and ladder? Taylor said after he was hired this winter his offense would be unpredictable and look to get playmakers in space. Eric Richardson caught a roughly eight-yard curl route near the north sideline inside the indoor practice facility Saturday and pitched the ball back to running back Markell Holman, who gained an additional six yards or so before being dumped out of bounds by Vincent.

* Jones Thomas, late in the workout, came screaming through the middle of the line of scrimmage and got a hand on a Bart Edmiston punt. He not only blocked it, he scooped and scored, too. Nice to see Wyoming doing that instead of the other way around, huh?

* Brook has looked very natural at the tight end position, arguably even more so than his future brother-in-law, Evan Svoboda, who also made the move from under center last fall. Read all about the Fort Collins product right HERE.

* As previously mentioned, Wyoming's defensive tackle room is razor-thin at the moment. Seeds, though, has jumped on the metaphorical grenade for that unit. Read about the Douglas native HERE.

* Redshirt freshman Johnathan Bush is, shall we say, quirky. He's IQ and uber competitive. The Cowboys' center has been known to have conversations with blocking sleds and slap himself upside the helmet. He's a beast in the weight room and the class room; the latter is more important to him, he said. Read all about the 303-pound Texas from Whitehouse right HERE.

* The Cowboys already have five verbal commits for the 2027 recruiting class. Read all about those guys right HERE.

* The NFL Draft is just days away. Will a Wyoming player, for the first time since linebacker Chad Muma in 2022, get the call this weekend? Sawvel said he really has no inside knowledge, but expects tight end John Michael Gyllenborg to get serious consideration. Same can be said for offensive linemen Caden Barnett and Jack Walsh. He thinks running back Sam Scott helped his draft stock at UW's Pro Day. So did edge rusher Tyce Westland. "Look, after the '24 season -- a year ago at this time -- we had one guy in a camp in July," Sawvel said, referring to kicker John Hoyland, who is now with the Houston Gamblers of the UFL. "That's not good enough."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players