Will Jay Sawvel Remove ‘Interim’ Tag From Offensive Playcaller?

LARAMIE -- Jovon Bouknight didn't hesitate.

"Yeah, I'd love to."

That was the Hall of Famer's immediate answer when asked if he wants to become the permanent offensive coordinator at his alma mater going forward.

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Jay Sawvel was direct, too.

"No, I haven't made the decision yet," the Cowboys head coach said Monday during his weekly press conference.

Consider this a trial period. An audition, if you will. And, so far, the results on the field have been bipolar, at best. When it comes to handling the duties of an orchestrator, though, the boss said Bouknight is pushing all the right buttons.

Sawvel has repeated one word time and time again since demoting former OC Jay Johnson in late October, relegating him to an analyst role -- "creativity."

Story time.

Before the 2023 season opener against high-flying Texas Tech, Sawvel, then the defensive coordinator under Craig Bohl, proposed a very unpopular idea to the grizzled head coach.

"He was very much a four-man front, this-is-the-way-it'll-be type of person," he said with a grin. "... The only people that were kind of hanging (the Red Raiders) up were people that were doing certain things three-man-front wise."

Reluctantly, Bohl agreed.

Wyoming pulled off the 35-33 stunner in double overtime, limiting First Team All-Big XII running back Tahj Brooks to just 39 rushing yards on 11 carries. He capped the year with 1,541, the fourth most in all of college football.

Tyler Shough did throw for 338 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, but the Cowboys' defense allowed only seven third-down conversions on 17 attempts. Nickelback Wrook Brown also picked off the future second-round NFL draft pick early in the second quarter. Wyoming was in the end zone five plays later.

Long story short, imagination helped lead to arguably the biggest upset of the weekend.

"That's what I want, offensively, too," Sawvel added. "We've got some good players in certain situations, and we've got to use them ... We can't be naïve to the fact that, you know, in some situations, the talent is going to be even, or we might even be a little bit on the underside of some of it. So, we're going to have to do some things. We can't just line up like we've got better guys and just rely on that."

When Bouknight received that phone call on Oct. 19, he said the first order of business was fostering chemistry and comradery. That goes for players and coaches.

"We were never broke," he said. "It wasn't like we needed to fix a lot of things."

In his debut, the former Wyoming wideout was tasked with scoring at least one touchdown per quarter against Border War rival Colorado State. The Cowboys did indeed find the end zone four times in that 28-0 blanking of the Rams. Kaden Anderson and Co., though, put 14 points on the scoreboard in the second quarter.

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Bouknight didn't leave a stone unturned in that outing, utilizing back-up quarterback Landon Sims in the run game, limiting offensive substitutions, throwing a 300-plus pound guard in the backfield and a true freshman corner at slot receiver.

He got running back Sam Scott involved early. Same goes for pass catchers Jaylen Sargent and Chris Durr Jr.

Sawvel said he didn't even address his interim playcaller on the headset -- or in person -- one time until late in the fourth quarter. That was only to discuss running the clock out.

"As far as getting the call in and being decisive in the call and knowing exactly what he wanted to do in a situation, I thought he was really, really good," Sawvel continued. "And, look, he has a directness with players, and I appreciate that."

Then came a hefty dose of reality.

Walking off the field inside Snapdragon Stadium after the final whistle the following Saturday night, Bouknight and Sawvel were spotted talking on the opposing sideline as players slowly made their way to the visiting locker room.

"I said, 'Don't get frustrated with yourself on anything," Sawvel said, referring to that postgame chat. "You know, look, his first response was, 'I'll be better' and everything that way. I appreciate that. I appreciate that part of it."

Wyoming just suffered a 24-7 loss. It was more dominant than the score even indicates.

The Cowboys finished with just 185 yards of total offense, 75 of which came on an opening touchdown drive, sparked by a 37-yard run by Sims. They didn't throw for 100 yards. They didn't hit the century mark on the ground, either. Anderson threw three first-half interceptions. Wide receiver Michael Fitzgerald also had a costly fumble in the fourth.

The Mountain West's top defense flexed its muscles that night. Bouknight called that display "a good old fashioned butt whooping."

Not just for his players, either.

"I got my butt whooped, as well, just as much as everybody else."

With just three guaranteed games to go, Wyoming ranks No. 100 overall in total offense, averaging 345.8 yards per game. When it comes to passing, that unit sits 99th. Rushing, 79th.

Sawvel said during the team's most recent bye week, the focus has been shifted to red-zone opportunities, short-yardage situations and winning the turnover margin. The Cowboys have been subpar in all of those categories, mostly due to an offense that won't quit giving the ball away.

He even spent additional time with that unit the last two weeks, sitting in on meetings and chiming in on the game plan this Saturday night at Fresno State.

"I'm excited to kind of see us get started again," Sawvel admitted, adding the extra time was beneficial for everyone involved.

Bouknight, who in the past called plays at Kentucky during the 2021 Gator Bowl and situationally at Utah State in 2016,  said he's not looking at this stretch as a job interview. His goal remains to make the postseason.

For that to happen, Wyoming has to win at least two of these upcoming tilts, one of which will have to come away from home in either Fresno or Honolulu in the finale.

He's not worried about the uncontrollable.

"I'm one of those guys that, you know, I'm a team player," he said. "So, I mean, if it's somebody else that comes in and has to lead the way, then so be it. You know, my background, walking in those shoes and being through it, I think I have what it takes. There's a lot of people that believe in me in this building. And I believe in myself.

"First things first, though, like I said, we just got to finish the season out the right way."