UW Football: Anatomy of an 8-Game Road Losing Streak

LARAMIE -- The weekly message hasn't changed.

Jay Sawvel said the goal is always to simply go 1-0. Accomplishing that, on the other hand, hasn't been so easy, especially when it comes to playing on the road.

Wyoming is marred in an eight-game losing streak away from Laramie, dating back to a 17-point loss last September in Boulder. The latest setback came last Saturday. That was a 28-0 blanking at the hands of unbeaten North Dakota State in what was billed as the initial Battle of the Basins.

Sandwiched in between has been a litany of mistakes, miscues and poor play -- and coaching -- across the board.

The Cowboys will travel to the Bay Area to take on San Jose State Friday night inside CEFCU Stadium, a venue this program hasn't won in since 1996. While that may be only four games worth, a dark cloud is hovering over the guys in the white jerseys.

"I don't want to turn this into a phobia of playing on the road, where we're going to say, 'Well, when we play on the road we do this, and when we play at home we do that,'" Wyoming's third-year head coach said on Monday during his weekly press conference. "I don't want to turn this into any kind of phobia of that."

It might be too late.

Let's take a look at some major reasons for this current skid:

* Wyoming has scored just six total points in the second quarter of these eight road games. The Cowboys haven't scored a single point in the fourth quarter five times. The best 15-minute frame for this team, believe it or not, has been in the first. That's a meager 27 points. They've scored 21 in the third and fourth quarters.

* As bad as the Cowboys' offense has been in the second quarter, the defense would like a word. That side of the ball has given up 81 points. Opponents have scored in that period in all eight games.

* A 100-yard receiver? You're kidding, right? Tight end Kyle Frendt came close, reeling in 95 yards worth of passes in a lopsided Week-3 loss at Central Michigan. The next-highest output was 65 yards from Jaylen Sargent last year at Air Force.

* Samuel "Tote" Harris has eclipsed the century mark on the ground twice during this unwanted streak. That came at Colorado and Fresno State last fall.

* Turnovers, a major issue early this season, have also plagued the Pokes in enemy territory. The margin is minus-10. Wyoming has turned the ball over 15 times (12 interceptions) and gained just five. Only once has the defense caused more than one. That was last November in San Diego. The Aztecs coughed it up twice in a 24-7 victory inside Snapdragon Stadium. The Cowboys have also turned the ball over on downs 10 times.

* Aside from a flag-filled, rainy night in Fresno last November where the Cowboys were hit with nine penalties for 93 yards, this category has been relatively clean. On the surface, anyway. Wyoming committed six infractions in the season opener at Colorado State. One of those -- an illegal man downfield -- cost the visitors a critical first-down completion in the third quarter. Last Saturday in Fargo, an illegal formation took the Pokes from the Bison 1-yard line to the six. A fumbled snap and incompletion later, it was a turnover on downs. A blind-side block also erased a big gainer inside a raucous Fargodome.

* The QB isn't getting it done. Whether it's Kaden Anderson, Landon Sims, Mason Drube or Tyler Hughes, the completion percentage hovers around 51%. That includes just three touchdowns passes -- all from Anderson -- and a dozen interceptions. Six of those belong to Hughes. Total passing yards in these eight outings: 1,078. That's an average of nearly 135 per game.

* Aside from a 24-21 loss last October in Colorado Springs, one that cost offensive coordinator Jay Johnson his job, these losses haven't been close. These setbacks have come by an average of nearly 18 points.

* Third-down conversions have been hard to come by for the Cowboys. How hard? Wyoming is just 31-of-103. Under new play-caller Christian Taylor, this offense got off to an 0-11 start in this all-important category.

* When it's all said and done, Wyoming has been outscored 223-81. Don't forget, Jones Thomas is responsible for six of those. He found the end zone in the first quarter of the 2025 season finale in Honolulu. He's a safety.

What is going on?

"Obviously, here we have the fans," senior left tackle Rex Johnsen said. "We have a great fan base here. I love the fans here. Obviously, North Dakota State was a very hostile environment. It was loud. Loudest stadium I've ever been in ... We need to turn that around as soon as we can, because we can't keep going on the road and losing."

Dante Drake is searching for answers, too.

"The fans are just different," the 300-pound defensive tackle said of playing inside War Memorial Stadium. "I mean, that's a huge factor."

Six times a year, at least, that isn't a luxury this team receives. Since Sawvel took the reins in 2024, the Cowboys are 3-11 on the road. That was a win at CSU and Washington State in his first season. Wyoming also outlasted Akron 10-0 last August.

During Craig Bohl's decade-long tenure on the high plains, he was just 21-43, counting the postseason.

Sure sounds like a "phobia," huh?

"We've got to play good football," Sawvel said. "We've got to play football to the best of our ability, we've got to block out all distractions and we've got to focus on us. We have to concentrate on our job -- and we have to do our damn job. That's what we've got to do.

"That's something that we're not always great at, right now. I think that's what we have to do, get a whole lot better at it."

The Cowboys (2-3, 1-1) and Spartans (3-2, 1-0) are slated to kickoff Friday at 7 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Q&A With Frustrated Wyoming Offensive Coordinator Christian Taylor

* Behind the Numbers: Polasek Provides Pure Emotion in Shutout

* Making the Grade: Yes, It Was Really That Bad

* Cowboys Drop Initial Battle of the Basins, 28-0

* Rants and Raves: NDSU Bison Edition

* Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next For UW Football?

* FINAL LIVE FILE: NDSU 28, Wyoming 0

* Miller Brings Energy, Passion to Pokes' Secondary

* Timeline: Polasek to Remain Wyoming OC Until NDSU Called

* Pokes, Bison Meet Saturday in First-Ever Battle of the Basins

* DeBlanc Wants the Ball: 'I Feel Like I'm a Walking First Down'