Behind the Numbers: Pokes Limit Explosive Plays in Win

LARAMIE -- The official postgame stats will tell you Air Force busted 10 explosive plays on the Cowboys Friday night inside a blacked-out War Memorial Stadium.

That's not how Jay Sawvel and his staff view it.

Led by sophomore signal caller Evan Medders, the visitors capped the night with eight rushing plays of more than 10 yards. He was responsible for five of those, including a slippery 17-yard jaunt through the teeth of the Wyoming defense midway through the first quarter.

The North Carolina native also connected with Matt Long on a 20-yard strike in the third frame of this eventual 28-14 setback against the suddenly red-hot Cowpokes. A completion for 15-plus yards is deemed "explosive."

Medders left the game late in the quarter after suffering a lower-leg injury on a successful 2-point conversion attempt.

That was good news for the home team.

With Medders sidelined, Josh Johnson promptly gave the ball to Wyoming twice, including a crucial late fourth-quarter fumble that eight plays later turned into a 14-point deficit. Markell Holman put an exclamation mark on that drive, bullying his way into the end zone, following a Tasmanian Devil-type 15-yard run to the goal line from quarterback Tyler Hughes.

Air Force hadn't fumbled on 554 consecutive running plays, including the first 385 this fall. That all changed when Medders couldn't connect with a simple handoff on the Birds' first possession of the night.

That vaunted triple-option attack entered, averaging 343 yards on the ground per outing. That ranked second overall in the FBS. That unit also tacked 30-plus points a night on the scoreboard, while cruising to a 5-1 record, including a 3-1 mark in conference play.

Steven Perez and Co. limited that damage to only 304 rushing yards on 63 attempts. The visitors scored just one touchdown. That came on a rare passing attempt.

Sawvel knew the challenge that awaited his defense. As the coordinator in Laramie, he faced that scheme three times. This was his third try since taking the reins of this program in December of 2023.

The key, he said: limit the big gainers.

"They bled us, at times, but the one thing we did not do through the whole course of it is we didn't really give up an explosive play," he added. "Explosive plays that I talk about are like those 25-yard type plays. We didn't give one up. So what it did, it made them work, and we were able to bog them down with a turnover deep in our territory and a couple of field goals. That made a big difference."

Here are some other numbers from Friday's win in front of nearly 19,000 in Laramie:

146

Six days after gashing Northern Illinois for 183 yards and four rushing touchdowns, Hughes was at it again Friday night against the Falcons, finishing with 146 yards on just 12 carries. On the second play from scrimmage, the senior QB, again, like he did against the Huskies, bolted through the teeth of the defense for a 68-yard scoring sprint.

0

Wyoming didn't give the ball away one time against an opportunistic Air Force defense. To make things even sweeter, the Cowboy defense, which had recovered only one fumble through seven games, was the recipient of three gifts from their Front-Range foes. The Cowboys didn't turn the ball over once in last Saturday's rout of Northern Illinois, either.

17

Perez was a "badass" in this one, Sawvel said from behind the podium. The second-year linebacker tallied a career-best 17 tackles against the Birds and recovered a late fourth-quarter fumble.

1

The official stat keepers probably had to think about this one for a bit. On a 3rd-and-goal from the 12-yard line late in the first half, Hughes fired a strike to Eric Richardson on a short slant route. The senior wideout, to the surprise of everyone, then pitched the ball back to Samuel "Tote" Harris, who coasted into the end zone from 11 yards out. The hook-and-ladder was a thing of beauty, giving Wyoming a 21-6 lead at the break. When the dust settled, Richardson was credited with a 1-yard catch and Harris was awarded an 11-yard grab. Don't see that every day.

7

That's the number of explosive plays the Cowboys tallied against the cadets. That included back-to-back throws from Hughes to Jake Wilson and receiver Charlie Coenen late in the second quarter. The first was good for 32 yards. The next, 26. Then came the hook-and-ladder. Hughes also added three 10-plus yard runs, including that 68-yard jaunt to the Tetons on the second play of the night.

41

Offensive coordinator Christian Taylor said he prefers to have a play count in the 70s. That didn't happen against the Falcons, who maintained possession of the ball for nearly 38 minutes. Wyoming did average 7.3 yards per play on its limited opportunities.

4

That's the number of penalties the home team was dinged with Friday night. That amounted to just 25 yards. Air Force, on the other hand, was flagged an uncharacteristic eight times. One of those, a hold in the fourth quarter, wiped a touchdown off the board. An unsportsmanlike conduct call on Dallas Daley really hurt. That extended that final Cowboy drive that eventually ended with a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Holman.

7

That's the number of tackles for loss the Pokes racked up, a rarity against an option offense. Gary Rutherford, Esaia Bogar, Donnie Wingate, Jayden Williams, Jett Vincent and Cade Brook all finished with one. Ja'Quan Redfern and Jones Thomas combined for one, too.

3

That's the number of offensive plays the Cowboys ran in the entirety of the third quarter.

3-of-4

Wyoming had a 75% success rate in the red zone on Friday night. The lone whiff was a missed field goal from 38 yards out. Erik Sandvik, Sawvel said, actually kicked the hand of holder Gavyn Helm, causing that ball to bounce off the crossbar. Sandvik is now 10-for-11 on the season.

4-1

That's the Cowboys' conference record with three league tilts remaining. The next two -- after a bye week -- come on the road. The first will take place at UNLV before a trip to one-win UTEP. Front-running New Mexico then makes a trip to the high plains. Wyoming caps the year with a rare non-conference game against UConn in Laramie.

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