SJSU Notebook: ‘They Kicked Our A–,’ Sawvel said of NDSU

LARAMIE -- Jay Sawvel's assessment of last Saturday's Battle of the Basins was about as blunt as it gets.

"North Dakota State won the game. They kicked our ass and credit goes to them for how they played," Wyoming's third-year head coach said Monday, referring to a 28-0 blanking inside the Fargodome.

As expected, most questions during the weekly press conference revolved around a unit that somehow got even worse than it was last season -- the offense.

The Cowboys, led by senior quarterback Tyler Hughes and new play-caller Christian Taylor, average just 14.2 points per game. Only three FBS teams are worse in that all-important category: Utah State (14), Northern Illinois (13.8) and Bowling Green (11.4), respectively.

Wyoming is also ranked 131st out of 138 programs in total offense. That unimpressive number sits at 293.2 an outing.

The unbeaten Bison put on a defensive clinic. The visitors failed the test -- miserably.

Hughes connected on just 5-of-12 passes for 52 yards. He also threw an interception on the opening play of the game, setting up NDSU's offense inside the red zone. Quarterback Nathan Hayes cruised into the end zone five plays later.

Samuel Harris and Markell Holman were coming off their most-impressive showing of the season a week prior against Hawaii. That backfield duo gashed the Rainbow Warriors for 181 rushing yards and all three touchdowns in a 27-10 victory. Inside a sold-out venue last Saturday, those two managed a combined 60 yards on 18 carries.

Wyoming capped the day 2-of-11 on third down. It turned the ball over on downs twice. Hughes was sacked three times.

How much of this blame needs to be placed on the shoulders of Hughes? Is that leash turning into a choke-chain?

"You would have replaced everybody on offense, essentially, other than maybe the two running backs," Sawvel said, speaking about watching the film and answering the question of whether a change under center needs to be considered.

Taylor was more direct in his response.

"No, not at all," the offensive coordinator said about inserting Landon Sims or Mason Drube if another slow start happens Friday night at San Jose State. "I think it's night and day. (Hughes) is by far our best guy, leading the helm. Again, I understand why the outside perspective wonders that, but they don't see the big picture. I get it. He gets it. But he's by far the best guy to help us get points on the road."

Will this fix take drastic measures or small tweaks?

Sawvel said making a play here or there on that side of the ball could've led to a much different outcome. He gave examples, too.

On the first play from scrimmage, Jake Wilson was available on the button hook for a short, confidence-building gainer. He was bracketed by a pair of defenders and Hughes instead decided to throw it in the direction of his other tight end Kyle Frendt. Upon further review, he ran into the umpire and instead of climbing to 15 yards deep on the route, he flattened out at 10, allowing the linebacker -- and now reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week -- Donovan Woolen to step in front of the throw and easily come down with his first interception of the season.

Wilson zigged instead of zagged when it came to a simple out-route early in the second quarter.

Wyoming, trailing just 7-0, finally found some flow, picking up a pair of first downs on the opening drive of the frame. It crossed the 50-yard line for the first and only time all afternoon. On a 3rd-and-5 at the 45, Hughes hauled in the shotgun snap and immediately looked to the right in Wilson's direction. Not only was he held up by an NDSU defender, he cut inside.

Hughes was then dropped by edge rusher Kelton McCaslin for the sack.

What was that disaster at the goal line late in the third?

Facing a 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line, yellow hankies littered the turf. That was an illegal formation. Frendt was the guilty party, failing to put his hand down on the line of scrimmage. Hughes then went under center and attempted a sneak. He mishandled the snap and was forced to jump on the loose change.

He just missed a hookup with Wilson -- pressure in his face certainly didn't help matters -- in the back of the end zone on fourth down.

The fix to all of it, Sawvel said, is really simple: Do your job. Do your "1/11th."

"This can never happen again," he added, "and guys understand that."

Here are some other news and notes from Sawvel's Monday presser.

* When the three best players on the field all suit up for the opposition, Sawvel said, that typically doesn't turn out well. That was indeed the case in Fargo, he added. While he pointed to four of his own guys who played winning football last Saturday -- cornerback Therman "Boogie" Williams, defensive tackles Jayden Williams and Dante Drake, along with safety Jones Thomas -- the best trio played for NDSU. That was safety Darius Givance, Hayes and Woolen.

* Sawvel mentioned many times Monday that "outside influences" played a role in the disaster that unfolded in Fargo. Whether that was players reading their own headlines or feeling like they arrived or even the crowd noise inside the dome, he said "educational psychology" is just as important as X's and O's in these situations. "Jake Wilson didn't feel like he played well the other day," he said. "OK, well, when you talk to Jake Wilson, he'll just flat tell you, 'Coach, I was trying to do everything perfect.' Well, you don't do that on a game day like that. When you do, now you've added about 30 pounds to what you do. You do that during the week, during practice, and you got to go play on. So he'll get better from that."

* Was it an "immaturity issue" at NDSU? "No, that's not an excuse," Sawvel said. "We just didn't play good. We, as an entire coaching staff and as an entire organization. We're not going to make an excuse about it. You're a college football player. It's time to man up and do it. We didn't get it done."

* Hughes has thrown six interceptions through five games. He's also fumbled twice. Wyoming, as a team, is a minus-6 in turnover margin. How is the QB's confidence right now? "I think Tyler's still OK," Sawvel said. "I talked to him this morning and we had a good talk. What I want him to do is I want him just go play and be Tyler Hughes and not worry about being something that people think that he should be or shouldn't be. Just go be you, because there's a reason that you're the starting quarterback here and we chose you to be a starting quarterback here in August after we got through with all the practices. It's because you performed well. So, go perform well."

* Sawvel compared the loss to NDSU to the beatdown the Cowboys took in Boise back in 2023. With everyone saying the Broncos were "down" and this was the time to finally beat them on The Blue, the visitors laid an egg, rolling up 112 total yards of offense in a 32-7 blowout. "Don't listen to it," he said of outside distractions. "You play bad one week and people tell you that you're not any good and that you can't do this and you can't do that. Don't listen to that, either."

* Deion DeBlanc was spotted on the sideline last Saturday in Fargo with a bag of ice on his foot. Now, we know why. The sophomore wideout suffered a toe injury, according to Sawvel, and will miss an extended period of time. Cornerback Ian Bell is also dealing with a foot issue. He is questionable for San Jose State. Wyoming could soon be getting some good news in the secondary. Tyson Shamsid-Deen, who underwent hand surgery after the Central Michigan game, could be cleared as early as next week. Kendall Griffin is in "another -- much slower -- boat" when it comes to his hand injury, Sawvel added. He will miss roughly six weeks.

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

* Wyoming has lost eight straight games away from Laramie, dating back to the 2025 season opener at Akron.

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* The Roaring Repeater Podcast, fueled by Laramie Range Ford, will be produced this Tuesday. Jared Newland and I will hit record around 2 p.m. Mountain Time. If you have any questions you want answered, send them via social media or to cody@7220sports.com.

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