Blowtorch to Blueprint: Wyoming’s Plan for Revamped Offense

LARAMIE -- If you can't beat them, mimic them.

Wyoming's offensive staff, unapologetically, is attempting to steal the blueprint for their reimagined scheme from a coordinator -- and quarterback -- who has given them fits over the previous two seasons.

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Jason Beck and Devon Dampier, respectively.

"There needs to be a relentlessness to it," head coach Jay Sawvel said during Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. "There's a constant to where we want it to be when the other team comes off the field from playing us that they're like, 'Glad we we don't have to play these guys again."'

That's exactly how Sawvel felt after watching Dampier lead Utah to 28 second-half points in a 31-6 victory over his Cowboys last September inside War Memorial Stadium. The then-junior signal caller attempted a season-high 41 passes in Laramie, capping the night with 230 yards and a pair of touchdown tosses. He also rushed for 86 yards on 13 carries.

That was an average outing for the Phoenix product.

What made the 20th-ranked Utes so effective was their pre-snap movement, variety of alignments and a run-pass option that kept the Cowboys second-guessing.

Six different players finished with a rushing attempt as the visitors rolled up 311 yards on the ground. Ryan Davis, a wideout who transferred to Salt Lake City from New Mexico along with Dampier, snagged 10 passes for 91 yards. Another nine playmakers caught a pass in the lopsided victory, including five from the tight end spot.

Lander Barton, a linebacker, made a grab. So did Smith Snowden. He's a cornerback by trade.

Sawvel, always quotable, said just last week he was fully integrating defensive back Tyson Shamsid-Deen into the offense as a receiver. He even joked that new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor could also borrow 300-pound defensive linemen Jayden Williams and Dante Drake.

"Here's the deal: I want to score a bunch of points, OK?'" he said. "So, I don't give a s--- if it's somebody from the band that plays for us, in that regard. I don't. I just want to score a bunch of points. That's the whole goal."

That's exactly what Utah did in 2025. Having a pair of All-Americans in the front five -- Caleb Lomu and Spencer Fano -- certainly didn't hurt, either.

Beck's offense finished fourth in the FBS, averaging 43.6 points per game. Wyoming was on the other end of the spectrum, managing just 16 an outing. Even that number is inflated thanks to a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns.

The Utes scored 567 total points and found the end zone an eye-popping 72 times. The Cowboys, led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Kaden Anderson and play-caller Jay Johnson, scored just 23 touchdowns.

While Taylor wasn't about to publicly share his playbook or ultimate plan, he did say a staple of his "position-less" offense will be physicality and toughness. That means pulling linemen, "12 personnel" formations and downhill running, something the Utes mastered last fall to the tune of 266.3 yards per game, which ranked second in the country behind only Navy.

Wyoming hasn't featured a 1,000-yard rusher since 2022 when Titus Swen beat that mark by just 39 yards. The Utes didn't have one of those last year, either. The combination of Wayshawn Parker and Dampier, though, eclipsed 1,800 yards and 16 scores on the ground.

"We want the people in the stands to feel the passion, the grit and the energy and enthusiasm that we're playing with," Taylor said. "I mean, it's the only program in the entire country that you represent a whole state, which is flipping awesome."

Sawvel said last week he wasn't happy with one offensive statistic during his second season on the sidelines in Laramie, mainly when it comes to scoring, third-down conversions and red-zone efficiency.

The Cowboys' offense ranked 116th overall on that money down, converting at a .337 clip (56-of-166). Success inside the opposing 20-yard line was nothing short of abysmal, too. In just 25 trips -- only Wisconsin and Kent State finished with less -- Wyoming scored 13 touchdowns and kicked four field goals. That was good enough for 130th out of 134 programs.

Utah was third in the nation on third down (.526) and 14th in the red zone (59 trips, 47 touchdowns, seven field goals).

Beck likes to simply identify his best players and get the ball in their hands. The former BYU quarterback also seeks balance, dynamic playmaking and crossing the white stripe as many times as possible. He looks for the mismatch, deals in deception and disguises his plans with a plethora of formations. One key principle of this offense: Don't let the first guy tackle you.

The new offensive coordinator at Michigan wants you to play for your mistakes. He'll test your defensive discipline.

Taylor has done much of the same -- and shares the same philosophies -- with his unit through nine fall practices.

Tight ends have lined up in the backfield. Receivers have snuggled up next to offensive tackles. Running backs have split out wide. There's always motion. There have even been versions of the option throughout the offseason.

In Ann Arbor, the design is referred to as a "Power Spread."

Here, there's no name. Sawvel and Co. just want results. In fact, the longtime defensive coordinator is simply asking for at least 28 points per game. In other words, a touchdown a quarter, something he says should be more than feasible in this day and age of college football.

That all begins with the man at the helm, Tyler Hughes.

The graduate transfer from William and Mary is coming off his first season as a full-time starter. He made the most of it, too, throwing for 2,330 yards and 10 touchdowns and adding 670 more on the ground to go along with 11 more scores.

Taylor, back in 2022, recruited Hughes to Williamsburg, Va. Now the two have reunited with the goal of making Wyoming's offense feared once again, something that hasn't been the case since Josh Allen was under center nearly a decade ago.

Hughes, who stands 6 feet and tips the scales at 214, has been touted as a workaholic. Sawvel has mentioned numerous times seeing the Georgia product in the film room long after the last player had left the building. He's orchestrated numerous throwing sessions throughout the summer and his leadership is unquestioned in the locker room.

And, yes, he's heard plenty about the Dampier comparison.

"I wouldn't call it pressure," Hughes said in Las Vegas last July. "I just call it a blessing, more so, honestly. I mean, I'm my own person, and I love who I am. I wouldn't put any more added pressure on myself when I have great teammates around me to support me. I'm just going to do my job and put my best foot forward.

"I can live with the results because I know it'll be a very good one, if I just trust that."

Dampier, who's 5-foot-11 and weighs 210 pounds, also started against the Cowboys during a barnburner in 2024. In an unforgettable game in Albuquerque, one the visitors pulled out of the fire and won 49-45, the speedy QB slashed and gashed Wyoming for 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He added 164 more through the air along with another score, a 10-yard strike to Davis in the first quarter.

All the pre-snap motion -- along with the threat of a QB run -- running back Eli Sanders also eclipsed the 200-yard mark and scored a pair of touchdowns.

There was only one mistake in that outing. A costly one, too.

Dampier, staring down a receiver, fired a fourth-quarter pass down the seam that was picked off by nickelback Wrook Brown, who cruised into the end zone from 29 yards out.

Still, postgame, Sawvel said, "I'm glad we won't have to see that guy again." Dampier also almost led the Lobos to a come-from-behind win in Laramie the previous year.

Boy, was he wrong.

What took so long for New Mexico to give Dampier the reins on a full-time basis? Great question, former Lobo and current UTEP linebacker Jaden Wilson said at media days.

"I would talk about Devon and how I saw him in practice and say, 'Bro, why not?,"' he said he would tell his father. "Let's get him in there, right? Let's use some of that."

"That" is a combination of speed, decisiveness, arm talent and football IQ, Wilson added.

"It's just his pure talent," he continued. "That dude, he's in the film room 24/7. Like, he cares so much about about ball. He loves the game. Even the leader he is, he comes into a room and people respect him because of how he carries himself. He's just a great leader.

"I think he has sneaky speed. People think like, 'Oh, he's not that fast.' He's a little thick, but no, that dude can get moving. I think his accuracy, too, is at an elite level."

Sound familiar?

Dampier completed 63.5% of his passes in 2025 with a superior roster. Hughes, 66.2. The latter had a long touchdown run of 66 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Dampier had a 59-yard scamper for a score and netted 5.7 yards an attempt.

While Wyoming isn't looking for a one-man show, having another "home-run" threat in the backfield alongside Samuel "Tote" Harris and Jaden Lawrence, among others, is what Sawvel has been craving.

Can Eric Richardson or Jackson Holman play the part of Davis, who capped his first year as a Ute with a team-high 62 grabs for 725 yards and four scores? How about Ke'Lyn Washom or Deion DeBlanc? Will Jake Wilson and Kyle Frendt touch the production of Utah tight end Dallen Bentley (48 catches, 620 yards, 6 touchdowns)?

That all remains to be seen.

What we do know is, Sawvel has taken a "blowtorch" to the entire operation. Will it pay off?

"The whole thing is going to change with us, offensively, and that's a big piece of why I'm excited," he added. "We're going to operate in a way different space."

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