Pokes Practice Report: How Aggressive Will UW be on Fourth Down?

LARAMIE -- Wyoming's offense snapped the ball on fourth down 25 times last fall.

Some -- maybe most -- of that was out of pure necessity.

The Cowboys oftentimes found themselves trailing on the scoreboard during a maddening 3-9 campaign, beginning with a winless non-conference slate that saw that much-maligned unit convert a respectable 4-of-8 opportunities.

For comparison's sake, former head coach Craig Bohl, just one year prior, left his offense on the field a total of just nine times all season.

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The conversion rate wasn't the issue. Being outscored by Arizona State, Idaho, BYU and North Texas 143-51 was.

You wonder why Jay Sawvel was so aggressive?

"I didn't have extreme confidence in us, defensively at times, last year," the head coach said Friday during his post-practice press conference. "So, there was times, I think, we need points."

A perfect example of that came on a sun-splashed November afternoon in Albuquerque.

Wyoming's defense allowed touchdowns on the Lobos' first two drives of the game. They added three more after that, all coming in the first half. The duo of Devon Dampier and Eli Sanders, gashed the visitors to the tune of 412 yards and five scores on the ground that day. That damage came on just 29 attempts. That's an average of 14.2 yards per rush.

Ouch.

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The Cowboys' first two fourth-down attempts came on its second possession, already trailing, 14-7. Running back Jamari Ferrell extended that drive, picking up three yards on a 4th-and-1. Kaden Anderson connected with tight end John Michael Gyllenborg on a perfectly-placed pass into the end zone from 15 yards out.

Those were the lone conversions on three tries.

Wyoming would also go on to score five touchdowns over the first 30 minutes and would eventually seal the 49-45 victory with an 11-play, 88-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, culminating in a 27-yard strike from Anderson to Justin Stevenson.

Jay Johnson's offense was successful 15 times on fourth down in 2024. That was the 38th best mark in the country.

During Bohl's decade-long stint on the sidelines in Laramie, the high-water mark was 23 back in 2015. Twice, his team reached 20. Two more times, the Cowboys didn't even reach double-figures. The last time a Wyoming team attempted 25 or more fourth-down tries came all the way back in 2009. Dave Christensen went for it 26 times.

Sawvel said he won't be solely relying on analytics when it comes to making this all-important decision. Just because the "book" says to go for it, he added, doesn't mean that will always happen.

"You're going to miss at times," he continued. "People are going to be like, 'Oh, that's a big miss.'"

Having a former All-American punter in Bart Edmiston Jr. could impact options. He had a 69-yard boot -- in the air -- during Thursday's scrimmage inside War Memorial Stadium.

On the flip side, so can having a redshirt freshman placekicker, Erik Sandvik, who only attempted two kicks during his high school career.

Jack Culbreath averaged under 39 yards per punt on 66 attempts in 2024. John Hoyland connected on just 1-of-4 kicks from 50-plus yards.

"I think a lot of it is the feel," Sawvel added. "How good are we on offense? Are we executing at a really high level? Are we blocking people really well? I think those things all play into it.

"If I get a really good, high level of confidence in us, defensively, I'll probably be more aggressive."

Here are some additional news and notes from Friday's presser:

* Sawvel wants you to come create an atmosphere here in Laramie next Thursday night. He is opening the doors to the public for a scrimmage under the lights. "Kickoff" is set for 7:30 p.m. "I think we have enough players that need the game-day experience like this to feel what it's like," Sawvel added. There will be more information to come later this afternoon.

* The open scrimmage will not be like a spring-game format, Sawvel said. There won't be two separate teams, just offense versus defense. "Some things will be situational," he said. "We'll probably do a live two-minute drill. We have a full Mountain West officiating crew." The head coach compared this to a third NFL preseason game, saying plenty of contributors will play "into the third quarter."

* Wyoming ran a 125-play scrimmage Thursday inside War Memorial Stadium. Sawvel said it was a chance to get redshirt freshmen like tackle Nate Geiger and cornerback Tyrese Boss game ready with just three weeks to go before the season opener at Akron. Geiger, who started on the left edge last fall, suffered a season-ending knee injury just 10 plays into the 2024 campaign. Boss didn't appear in a game until the finale at Washington State. He underwent surgery on a ligament in his left hand. Those two could be starters this season. "We need to hit a surge tomorrow, Sunday, and Tuesday, leading into next week's scrimmage," Sawvel said. "Not incremental improvements, but now we need to take leaps."

* Anderson was again "sharp" during the scrimmage, Sawvel said. He took roughly 40 snaps. The first-team offense, which was only on the field at the same time for roughly 20 plays, was efficient, the head coach added. Starting linemen Jack Walsh and Caden Barnett, along with Gyllenborg and wideouts Jaylan Sargent and Chris Durr Jr. were limited. So were two starters on the defensive side of the ball, tackle Ben Florentine and edge rusher Tyce Westland.

* Who stood out aside from Anderson? Sawvel immediately brought up the name Jones Thomas. Who? The 6-foot-2, 200-pound sophomore appeared in nine games last season, mainly on special teams. He capped the year with just four total tackles. Each offseason, Thomas, a Fort Collins native whose father, Jeramie Thomas, and grandfather, Earlie Thomas, played football at Colorado State, is always lauded for being one of the fastest on the roster. Now, according to Sawvel, the safety is putting it all together. "I thought Jones Thomas had a great day yesterday," he said. "He tackled extremely well. His speed shows up, and he's playing with a really high level of confidence right now. He's improved tremendously. I think he's done a great job." He also said Dainsus Miller, a cornerback transfer from Mercer, was impressive. Same can be said for linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz. Sawvel called it his "best practice" since he arrived from Lindenwood.

* Samuel "Tote" Harris again impressed the coaching staff Thursday with his breakneck speed and elusiveness out of the backfield. The true freshman will not be redshirting this fall, Sawvel said. Deion DeBlanc, another rookie from Texas, has already been named the starting punt returner. Sawvel said San Antonio cornerback Tyson Deen won't watch from the bench, either, during his first fall on campus.

* The running back competition is still very much up in the air, according to Sawvel. Sam Scott, Max White and Harris were the standouts on Thursday. Damashja Harris, a North Texas transfer, is still limited as he makes his way back from a "shoulder ding." Terron Kellman, didn't have a great outing in the rushing department, Sawvel added. It wasn't his fault, though. "He did a really nice job in pass protection and that type of stuff yesterday," Sawvel said, referring to the Charlotte transfer. "His run plays looked like the old Tecmo Bowl from the 80s. It was like if you called the other team's play and the whole defense swamped you in the backfield every time you got the ball. That's about what it was. So, he didn't really have much of a chance yesterday."

* Speaking of running backs, freshman Patrick Broadway II announced on social media he is done for the season after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus. You can read all about that right HERE.

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