How Good Can This Wyoming Offense Really Be?

LARAMIE -- How good can this Wyoming offense really be?

Kaden Anderson didn't hesitate.

"I tell the O-line, 'Just give me three seconds and we can really carve some people up,'" the sophomore quarterback said on Monday. "We've got talent everywhere. If I do my job, get the ball to the playmakers, you know, we're going to be really good."

Where does this confidence come from?

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Wyoming ranked 119th in total offense last fall out of a then 133 FBS teams. The passing game was again abysmal, averaging just 189.4 yards per game. Only UNLV and Air Force were worse in the Mountain West.

This program has relied heavily on its run game over the last decade-plus. Not last year.

Led by Sam Scott, the Cowboys amassed just under 138 yards an outing. That's an average of just 3.6 yards a tote. Injuries didn't help matters. Scott was hampered with a late-season bone bruise. Harrison Waylee suffered a knee injury in fall camp. Dawaiian McNeely carried the ball just twice. He was hurt on both.

DJ Jones, a much-ballyhooed transfer from North Carolina, abruptly left the team after the non-conference slate. He averaged just 2.8 yards an attempt.

The latter three are all gone.

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Wyoming, according to ESPN, returns 80% of its offensive production from a season ago. That's the fourth most in the nation.

But is that a good thing?

Anderson says, absolutely. So do a couple of his aforementioned weapons.

"Man, we had a meeting the other day and we were talking about the 'Greatest Show on Turf,'" Chris Durr Jr. said, referring to the St. Louis Rams in the early 2000's. "I feel like we could be really nice, you know, with John Michael Gyllenborg coming back -- he's a leading (NFL) prospect -- and (Jaylen) Sargent and 12 (Anderson) being our leader. He's helping that come together to be one. With the running back room coming together, it's going to be special. We know our O-line is going to hold up for us and we're going to be special this year."

Sargent led all receivers in 2024 with 480 yards. He did that damage on just 23 receptions for an average of 20.9 yards per catch. One of the conference's top deep threats, the senior from Logan, Utah hauled in two touchdown passes. One from 68 yards out. The other, 70.

His confidence is apparent, too.

"I feel like the sky's the limit for this offensive grouping," Sargent added. "Coach (Jay) Sawvel and coach (Jay) Johnson, they always harp on the little details. I think that if we can execute every little detail that they tell us to do, nobody can stop us.

"There's no team that I think that we're going against that has better talent than us. We just need to execute."

Johnson, the Cowboys' second-year offensive coordinator, said the scheme is real simple: Make explosive plays.

Wyoming did just that in an early November tilt in Albuquerque.

Anderson, making his first-career start, torched New Mexico for 342 yards and three passing touchdowns in a wild 49-45 come-from-behind victory. He completed 20-of-29 throws in the process. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Texas product added another score on the ground.

Sargent, also making his first start, hauled in a game-high six passes for 186 yards. He averaged 31 yards per grab, that 68-yard touchdown aiding that stat line.

Durr finished with three grabs for 28 yards, one being a one-handed snag that appeared on SportsCenter's Top 10. The true freshman capped his first collegiate season with 31 catches for 348 yards and a score.

Yes, the Lobos featured one of the worst defenses in all of the FBS. The Cowboys, though, weren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard, either.

That outing is supposed to be what it looks like.

"In that game, our guys performed and they made explosive plays," Johnson said, thinking back to that 604-yard day. "That's what we try to do each and every week, and we've got to do that at a better pace this fall."

Anderson and Sargent are roommates. When they were told early in the week leading up to that game in New Mexico they would be starting, the conversations in the living room took on a different tone.

The night prior, the message was loud and clear: It's our time.

"We needed to make plays and that's exactly what we did," Sargent said. "We have the capability to do that every single time. You know, everybody was hitting their landmarks and doing everything that they needed to do during that game. We can carry that on this year."

Anderson said he played it all out in his mind throughout the week.

"We talked a lot, like, 'We just can't wait for this to happen,'" he recalled. "Then, you know, the stars aligned and it happened. We took advantage of our opportunity and it was awesome.

"I know, after the game, we were talking and we were just so excited for each other. This is what we can do."

Anderson was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. He was also named the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week.

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Akron, Wyoming's opening-night opponent, features 35 new transfers. Leading tackler, linebacker Bryan McCoy Jr., is now at Oklahoma State. Starting safety Darrian Lewis crossed the border and now suits up at West Virginia. Antavious Fish, another senior linebacker, took his talents to Sam Houston State.

You get the picture.

The Zips allowed more than 414 yards per game last season, 183.3 of which came on the ground. Opponents scored 32 points a night. That equated to 50 touchdowns and 11 field goals.

Anderson said with so many new faces -- not to mention the fresh memory of last year's season opener at Arizona State -- Week 1 poses a tricky proposition. How will these guys gel? How will they be utilized? What defense will they actually run?

Those questions are valid, he added, but his focus is on what his unit needs to do, specifically the front five.

"Like I said, give me the time, we'll throw the dime," Anderson said with a smile. "It'll be good, man. I'm excited."

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players