Sawvel Lays Out Format for Saturday's Spring Game in Laramie

LARAMIE -- Though he has been hesitant to give the edge to the defense during the first four weeks of spring practice, Jay Sawvel is giving that side of the ball a big advantage to kick off Saturday's annual spring game.

Get our free mobile app

"It will be a simple scoring system: the defense leading, 21-0," the head coach said Tuesday following a two-hour practice inside a sun-splashed War Memorial Stadium.

Good luck, Tyler Hughes and Co.

"We have a lot of players on defense that can run around and hit," Sawvel continued. "We feel like we have a clear line on what we need to improve at."

That conversation, at least defensively, starts and ends with cornerback play. Wyoming lost two starters -- Tyrese Boss and Dainsus Miller -- along with a key contributor -- Markie Grant -- this offseason. Boss and Grant hit the transfer portal, landing at Arizona and Utah State, respectively. Miller, who tied for a team high with five pass breakups, exhausted his eligibility.

That group also lost longtime assistant Benny Boyd, who is now a cornerbacks coach at TCU. JB Hall is the new man in charge of a very young room.

Tyson Shamsid-Deen, you're up. So are you Logan Mackey, Junus McGraw, BJ Inmon, Kendall Griffin and the most-tenured member of that unit, Ian Bell.

"I think a big part of it is how we play at corner," Sawvel said. "We're still a work in progress there."

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

Wyoming's offense, led by new playcaller Christian Taylor, will be without the services of leading rusher Samuel "Tote" Harris on Saturday. That is purely precautionary after the sophomore suffered an MCL injury in the 2025 home finale and underwent surgery in December.

Tight end Kyle Frendt will also be sidelined. He suffered a similar injury mid-way through the spring that will not require a procedure.

That unit also knows what it has in bookends Braylon Jenkins and Rex Johnsen. Expect to see a heavy dose of Caleb Hall and Josiah Petaia. Fellow linemen Kalvin Janssen, Johnathan Bush and Brandt Rice should see plenty of action, too.

Wide receivers?

"You get to a spring game and there's a lot of players on this football team that this Saturday is huge for, like, I want to see Ke'Lyn Washom step up and have a day. I want to see Dion DeBlanc step up and have a day," Sawvel said.

The format in this Brown vs. Gold tilt is a simple one: Offense always has the ball.

"The offense has four quarters to catch them," Sawvel said, adding the only way the defense can score in this one is to find the end zone via fumble or interception. "I've got a play count in mind that I want to hit. If we need to start a running clock at some point, we'll do that. Otherwise, we're just going to kind of play football for a while."

Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Fans are asked to sit on the lower east side of the stadium. If you would like to purchase a seat in the Wyo Sports Ranch on the opposite side, go HERE.

"I want to see how all these guys perform when there are people in the crowd," Sawvel said.