Pokes Practice Report: Edge Rushers Looking to Punish Passer

LARAMIE -- Wyoming's defense tallied just 15 sacks last fall.

Defensive ends were responsible for 10.5 of those, including a team-best 3.5 courtesy of then-senior Braden Siders.

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He's gone, now lining up on the edge at West Virginia. Sabastian Harsh (1.5 sacks) and Ethan Day are also no longer on the roster, now suiting up at North Carolina State and North Texas, respectively. DeVonne Harris, after six long years, finally received his diploma, exhausting his eligibility.

The last man standing? That's Tyce Westland, who played 8-man football in tiny Pleasanton, Neb., population 380.

He chalked up three quarterback takedowns, to go along with a room-leading 41 tackles.

Jay Sawvel said Westland was the best pass rusher a year ago. The second-year head coach isn't changing his tune this time around, either.

"He's doing very well. I'm happy with him," Sawvel said Tuesday during his post-practice press conference, referring to the 6-foot-5, 245-pound senior. "We'll probably hold him from the scrimmage on Thursday just because, where we're at with him -- I mean, we put him out there for 30 plays on Thursday, what else am I going to find out? -- he's doing very well and we know he's going to be impactful for us."

Sure, the staff wants to see more sacks this season. Wyoming finished 125th in the FBS out of a then-133 programs. In the Mountain West, only Nevada (14) and New Mexico (11) were less productive.

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But what Sawvel and Co. really want is more QB hits.

"That's something that we will chart, is the number of times that we hit the quarterback," he added. "Sometimes a ball gets out (quick) and that type of thing, but if you're hitting a quarterback a number of times during a game, that has a cumulative effect."

He also believes he has the room to put plenty of pressure on opposing signal callers.

Riverside City College transfers Esaia Bogar and Peter Eyabi have impressed through the first week of practice. Graduate transfers Chisom Ifeanyi (Florida Atlantic) and Brayden Wilson (Weber State), Sawvel said, also bring a size factor that this program hasn't had at the position in a number of years. Ifeanyi definitely looks the part at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. Wilson, who finished with 12.5 sacks during his four-year stint in Ogden, is tipping the scales at 260.

"Kevin Sjogren, right now, would probably be No. 6 (in the rotation)," Sawvel said, talking about the 245-pound junior, who suffered a torn ACL and missed the entire 2024 campaign. "That's probably a pretty good place to be in when you can go that deep.

"So, I'm encouraged by that group. We have to keep going and working, but they've been doing good."

Here are some additional news and notes from Tuesday's workout:

* Deion DeBlanc will return punts this fall. The true freshman from Houston has already gained the trust of this staff and will now have a chance to showcase his athleticism on special teams. "That's pretty clear and evident," Sawvel said, referring to the 5-foot-10, 186-pound rookie earning the starting job. "... He's fast, he's strong, he catches it really well and he's got very good make-a-guy-miss ability."

* What's all this punt return business? Yes, you heard that correctly, the plan is to actually attempt to gain yards in this all-important phase of the game. Wyoming finished 127th in the nation in this category last fall. On just nine attempts, returners amassed a whopping 29 yards. That's an average of 3.22 per punt. Only Akron (7), the Cowboys' opening day opponent, along with Oregon State (8) and Missouri (8) had less opportunities in 2024. "Look, we will actually try to return punts at the University of Wyoming this year," Sawvel said with a smile. "We will actually try to do that. We've not done that in the five years I've been here."

* The legend of Samuel "Tote" Harris continues to grow. The rookie running back from Cibolo, Texas has already shown off his wheels in camp. Saturday, Sawvel said, he showed a little shake and bake, that even raised his eyebrows. "I think the one that everybody sees coming a little bit is Sam Harris," he said with a grin. "He made a run yesterday that we hadn't had a guy make that run in five years -- and it was only a nine-yard run. It was almost like a downhill slalom skier going through, like, side to side to side to side and a burst." Harris ran a 10.5 100-meter dash in high school. You can all but smell his redshirt burning already.

* The battle in the running back room is still too close to call. Sawvel said Sam Scott, the lone producer from last year's squad, has been much improved from this point last year. Remember, he came to Laramie as a linebacker and was moved to the backfield on an emergency basis just before the 2022 Arizona Bowl. Iowa transfer Max White has continued to "show up every day," according to his head coach. Damashja Harris, a North Texas transfer, is limited right now with a "shoulder ding."

* Does Sawvel have any pressing concerns at the moment. Sure. A couple, in fact. "Our overall knowledge of how to play in all the situations and adjust to certain things that you're going to see," he said, mainly pointing toward a defense that could feature up to 11 new starters. "That's just volume of work and volume of experience." What else? "How do they react if something bad happens?" That worry is also aimed at the same side of the football.

* These tight ends have shown they can run routes and catch passes, but can they block? Sawvel said there has been a major upgrade in that department, starting with marked improvement from John Michael Gyllenborg and former quarterback Evan Svoboda. They're "above average," but not the best. "Coach (Brian) Hendricks has said that the defensive ends, to a man, think that he's the best blocker of the group," he said, speaking about Jake Wilson, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound redshirt freshman. "Jake's a physical dude. I mean, we did a kickoff drill yesterday and he took somebody's soul. I mean, like, he ran over the top of the guy and basically stepped on him as he was going down the field."

* Is Sawvel OK with big hits like that in camp? "It's all good -- if it's legal," he joked. "... If a guy fronts him up and he runs right over top of the guy, that's what you're supposed to do. That's what you want to see."

* If the season started today -- don't you love hearing that phrase every year around this time? -- junior cornerback Ian Bell would be a starter, Sawvel said. Tyrese Boss, a redshirt freshman, and Dainsus Miller, who transferred in from Mercer, would also be in the rotation. Sawvel, though, is still high on a few others on the island, including true freshman Tyson Deen.

* There were no major injuries to report Tuesday. That's good news considering this team has been in full pads since last Saturday. Wideout Jackson Holman (hamstring) is still working his way back into the lineup. Fellow receiver Jaylan Bean has been dealing with a right foot issue. He is now full-go in practice, Sawvel said. Patrick Broadway II, a rookie running back from Houston, also suffered a hamstring injury in the first practice. He will be out for another week or two, Sawvel said, adding doctors are going to look and make sure there are no other ailments. Cornerback Markie Grant (shoulder) should also be ready to go next week.

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