Wyoming’s ‘Alpha’ Quarterback Set To Take Center Stage

AKRON, Ohio -- "It's our time."

That's what Kaden Anderson and Jaylen Sargent would say to one another throughout the week last November after being inserted into the starting lineup.

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What followed was a 342-yard passing day in Albuquerque. Anderson completed 20-of-29 throws and threw three touchdowns. The then-redshirt freshman also rushed for another score in a 49-45 comeback victory over New Mexico.

Sargent, a junior wideout in 2024, was on the receiving end of 186 of those yards, including hauling in a perfectly-placed 68-yard touchdown heave.

After that outing, one in which Anderson was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, the roommates were singing a different tune: "The sky is the limit."

That brimming confidence isn't only shared by this duo, either.

"We have a quarterback," head coach Jay Sawvel said postgame, a grin creasing his face for the first time in roughly a month, the last time his team landed in the win column.

A Wyoming signal caller hadn't had a day like this since the pre-Josh Allen era. Cam Coffman, against these very Lobos, threw for 366 yards in a 38-28 setback in 2015.

Allen never did that. Neither did Tyler Vander Waal, Sean Chambers, Levi Williams, Andrew Peasley or the guy Anderson eventually replaced in Week 9, Evan Svoboda.

Anderson opened his debut with four straight scoring drives. The offense added a fifth just before the half. He threaded a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Michael Gyllenborg on a 4th-and-2. The Southlake, Texas product connected with Sargent on that aforementioned long ball. He then capped an 11-play, 88-yard drive with a 27-yard dart to Justin Stevenson in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.

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While those handful of plays drew rave reviews, it was a seemingly costly mistake, followed by a 15-yard penalty, that commanded respect from his own teammates and coaches -- and the opponent.

After throwing an interception deep in the red zone, Anderson got in the face of New Mexico defensive end Moso'oipala Tuitele. That was in response to what the quarterback perceived to be a late hit.

Both were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

"I've got a little fire in me," Anderson said postgame, flashing a smile.

Gabriel Lopez agrees.

"He was running his mouth and he took a couple of hits," the Lobos edge rusher recalled at last July's Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. "He was like, 'all right, there you guys go.' But, I love that confidence. It'll be good for him moving forward."

Wyoming defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl now sees that same aggression every day in practice. That wasn't always the case, though.

Anderson ran the scout team late in 2023 and into the '24 campaign. While hesitant might be too strong of a descriptor, Bohl added, he said Anderson was learning the game of football again and finding his groove after suffering a pair of torn right ACL's during his prep days at powerhouse Southlake Carroll.

With Svoboda struggling, Sawvel issued a challenge to the rookie with a simple question: How bad do you really want this?

Things immediately began to click behind closed doors.

"He's just so quick with the decisions," Bohl said. "You know, he doesn't get flustered. Whether he throws a touchdown or throws a pick, you get the same guy on the sideline, which is really good for his teammates' buy-in. If you get a guy that's the same, it helps everyone play better."

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Anderson talks the talk because walks the walk, Bohl continued.

"He's not going to back down from anyone," he said. "First time you throw a pick, you're a freshman, a lot of guys go into their shell. Obviously, that wasn't him."

Anderson brings a calmness to this team, Jack Walsh added. The senior center said that is his greatest attribute.

"When you see your quarterback like that in a game, you're able to say, 'OK, I can relax, too,"' he said. "Like, we're just playing football. We've played this game since we were little kids. Everybody relax, let's go do our job.

"He's grown into that leadership role so well, you know? He's understanding his role."

Gyllenborg said to play that position, you have to be an "alpha." Anderson, he added, is that and more.

"Kaden is not afraid to talk some smack," he said with a laugh. "If you challenge him, he's not going to step down, that's for sure. I think that he applies that to all areas of football and working out. I see it every day when I have the opportunity to run and lift with him.

"... He wants to win the most of anyone on the team."

Anderson will step under center tonight at Akron for just his fourth collegiate start. Will nerves play a role? Not necessarily, he said. Curiosity is a better way to put it.

His friends have been recently texting him, saying the Zips are one of the worst teams in college football. That program welcomes 35 transfers after last year's roster was raided in the offseason. They haven't had a winning season since 2017. Akron is also facing a postseason ban.

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Still, Anderson isn't buying it.

Arizona State, you might recall, was supposed to be the worst team in the Big XII a season ago. After embarrassing the Cowboys 48-7 in the opener, the Sun Devils rolled to a conference crown and crashed the College Playoff Football party.

"You don't really know," Anderson said. "Week One is hard, man. You're just kind of going out there and it's a crapshoot. (Akron) is going to be a lot better team than last year. It'll be a game, you know? It's not going to be a blowout. It'll be a game we're going to have to win."

No. 12 has been delivering a message to his offensive line throughout fall camp: "Give me three seconds."

If that happens, Anderson said this offense -- and season -- could be a special one.

"We've got talent everywhere," he said. "If I do my job and get the ball to playmakers, you know, we're going to be really good."

Kickoff between the Cowboys and Zips is set for 5 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be televised on ESPN-Plus.

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