Wyoming Football: News and Notes Ahead of San Diego State

LARAMIE -- DJ Jones is not currently with the team and will miss his second straight game due to "personal matters."

Harrison Waylee's injured right knee isn't quite ready to go, either. Dawaiian McNeely, a senior who once upon a time sat atop the depth chart, is out for the season with a bum knee.

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Sam Scott, like he has the last two weeks, will receive a bulk of the load at running back, Jay Sawvel said Monday during his weekly press conference. Jamari Ferrell will serve as the back-up.

Then what?

"Jake Wilson will really be like our third running back right now," Wyoming's rookie head coach added.

Who?

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound true freshman is listed as a tight end. It appears he never ran the ball at Montgomery High School in Texas, instead earning First Team All-District 6A Division 2 honors as a senior, playing a combination of tight end and wide receiver. Wilson also returned kicks.

This is just one example of how badly the Cowboys are beat up heading into their Week-7 meeting with San Diego State.

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It was no secret the list was a lengthy one, but Sawvel added a couple of more names to the pile like edge rusher Tyce Westland and nose tackle Ben Florentine. He didn't elaborate on their ailments, but said they would not play against the Aztecs. Neither will these guys:

* Safety Wyett Ekeler (thumbs)

* Safety Isaac White (foot/ ankle)

* Guard Jack Walsh (shoulder)

* Guard Wes King (knee)

* Fullback Caleb Driskill (thumb)

* Defensive end Kevin Sjogren (lower body) out for the season

* Cornerback Tyrese Boss (hand) unknown

* Offensive tackle Nate Geiger (knee) unknown

* Offensive lineman Luke Sandy (knee) unknown

"When you look at it, your two starting guards and your two starting safeties are out," Sawvel said. "Two of your defensive linemen in the rotation are out. So, that's where we're at right now."

The news isn't all bad.

Junior safety Andrew Johnson will play against SDSU after having a pin surgically placed in his thumb during the bye week. He will line up in the secondary next to Wrook Brown, who is moving from nickel to free safety. Caleb Merritt, a former receiver and cornerback, will slide into Brown's vacated spot, backing up Malique Singleton.

DeVonne Harris should be making his return, too.

The sixth-year defensive end suffered an elbow injury in the season opener at Arizona State and has missed the previous four games. Return man Caleb Cooley will also be available after injuring his ankle against Idaho.

Sawvel said he has circled Oct. 26 as a potential date that could see this roster nearly return back to full health. That's when he also hopes Waylee can make his debut in the Cowboys' backfield.

"Probably Utah State," Sawvel said. "We will probably have everybody (back) at that point, but until we get to that, it's going to be a while. So that's where we're at. You know, it helped us on the open date to get other people healthier and feeling better, but some of the other things are just longer term that we can't get fixed in a week."

Here is some other news and notes from Sawvel's presser:

* Sawvel has never faced SDSU during his five seasons in Laramie, but he has faced the Aztecs' first-year head coach Sean Lewis. That came in the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl when the Pokes outlasted a feisty Kent State squad, 52-38. Wyoming allowed Lewis' offense to roll up 656 yards of total offense that afternoon in Boise, including 337 in the air on just 18 completions. "Well, I mean, one thing, we had one corner that was awful in that game and gave up two 75-yard touchdown passes," the former defensive coordinator said, adding that lent itself to a bad day on The Blue. "... I mean, they're really good at what they do. He's really good at what he does. You know, they stress you in a lot of different ways, with not only the tempo, but they execute at a really high level."

* Wondering who that defensive back in question was? That was CJ Coldon. It was also his last game in the brown and gold. He would soon enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and play his final season at Oklahoma. After going undrafted in 2023, the Illinois product spent time with the Minnesota Vikings before moving onto play in Saskatchewan in the Canadian Football League. Coldon is currently a member of the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League.

* Sawvel also got a firsthand look at Marquez Cooper that day in Boise. The current SDSU running back rushed for 125 yards and 24 carries and had a long of 47 in that postseason loss. During his first year on Montezuma Mesa, the senior is averaging nearly five yards per attempt and already has 583 yards to his credit to go along with five touchdowns. He is well on his way to his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season. "That's the one thing we don't want to do is let Marquez Cooper get going," Sawvel said. "He's a really good player. Obviously, he's a focal point. Anytime somebody's getting 25 carries a game, they're the focal point of your offense."

* The last time the Cowboys and Aztecs met inside War Memorial Stadium came all the way back in 2016. That was the Mountain West Championship game on a frigid night in Laramie. That Josh Allen-led Wyoming team would fall to Rocky Long and Co., 27-24.

* Wyoming (1-4, 1-0) and SDSU (2-3, 1-0) are slated to kickoff Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

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