Behind the Numbers: ‘Keep Having Faith in Me, Man’

LARAMIE -- "I gotta do better."

Kaden Anderson uttered that exact statement five times after Wyoming's Week-3 setback against No. 20 Utah.

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The sophomore quarterback was at it again from behind the podium last Saturday night, just minutes after the Cowboys dropped their Mountain West opener, 31-17, courtesy of unbeaten UNLV.

Only this time, Anderson used the word "we."

Truer words have never been spoken.

Wyoming now owns the second worst scoring offense in the conference, averaging just 16.8 an outing, a tick over lowly Nevada (15.4). The rushing attack, once vaunted and feared, is 10th in the 12-team league. That unit has mustered only 149 yards a game.

Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Nevada, respectively, are all below the Cowboys in the passing department. Anderson is averaging nearly 200 yards every four quarters.

Respectable? Sure. On the surface.

Anderson ranks 279th out of 292 eligible FBS quarterbacks with an overall grade of 53.4, according to Pro Football Focus. The only starting signal callers that have lower marks is Northern Illinois' Josh Holst (47.4), Florida International's Keyone Jenkins (46.3) and Tulsa's Baylor Hayes (41.7).

Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, the junior QB down the road at Border War rival CSU, is slotted right behind Anderson with a 52.6.

He lost his starting job two weeks ago.

PFF, an analytical company that provides detailed data on college and NFL players, states an average quarterback at this level should hover around 60. It's a baseline expectation.

Anderson is fresh off his worst performance of the season with an overall offensive grade of 41.3. He connected on 25-of-46 throws -- both season highs -- for 254 yards and a touchdown. That was a 6-yard toss to tight end Justin Erb in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter.

For the third time in five games, Anderson also lost a fumble. UNLV tacked on a field goal nine plays later.

There was also an interception. A costly one.

With the Cowboys threatening to make this a one-score game late in the third quarter, Anderson rolled to his left and threw an easy dump pass to running back Sam Scott, who cruised into the end zone, cutting the Rebels' lead to 24-17.

Or so they thought.

Evan Svoboda was flagged on the play for offensive pass interference. The senior tight end was charged with putting his hands on a defensive back and driving him into the end zone before the throw was made.

Now lined up at the UNLV 21, Anderson reeled in a high shotgun snap, took just one step back thanks to an oncoming pass rush, and heaved a throw up the east sideline. It came up woefully short of its intended target, instead floating into the awaiting arms of cornerback Quandarius Keyes.

"I was just trying to make a play," Anderson said postgame. "It was an ill-advised throw, dumb throw. And, you know, that just can't happen. I can't do that."

Out of 23 offensive players who saw the field on a frosty night in Laramie, Anderson ranked 21st.

On 77 snaps, the Southlake Carroll product dropped back to pass 48 times. He averaged just 5.5 yards per completion with a long of 36. That came on a screen pass to Scott on the opening drive of the second half. According to PFF, there were a pair of "turnover worthy plays" and zero "big time throws," meaning a pass downfield or into a tight window.

There were also two drops and one ball batted down at the line. UNLV was credited with 21 pressures, which were all graded as "hurries."

Anderson said during fall camp, if the offensive line gives him three seconds, he would "carve some people up."

That number Saturday night was 2.94 -- the highest it's been all year.

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A "good" quarterback rating (QBR) in the college ranks is considered to be above 60. Anderson currently sits at 33.5. He has thrown six touchdowns and three interceptions. He's completed just 54.9% of his passes.

And now two of his biggest downfield threats -- wideout Chris Durr Jr. and tight end John Michael Gyllenborg -- could be absent from the lineup. The latter has already missed the previous two games and three quarters of a third while dealing with a nagging right thigh.

Durr, who leads this receiving corps with 290 yards and three scores on 21 grabs, suffered an "upper-body" injury in the first half against UNLV, according to Jay Sawvel. The diagnosis didn't exactly sound promising, either.

"We'll kind of see where that gets to, and if he's going to be able to, you know, be back," Wyoming's second-year head coach said. "You know, what the duration of that is."

No other wideout on the roster has eclipsed the 100-yard mark.

Anderson is definitely correct: It all has to be better. Much, much better.

He said Saturday night that he is still young. That marked his eighth-career start. Admittedly, he can't put his finger on why there has been a lack of consistency early on -- his head coach can't, either -- but that didn't stop him from doubling down on a statement made after that 31-6 loss to the Utes.

"I still think that we are going to be really, really good," Anderson said of this much-maligned offense.

He's just asking for a little more patience.

"I can't imagine what people are saying right now. I can't imagine," he continued. "I just want to say, trust me. Keep having faith in me, man. I know the fans are pissed. We're pissed, too. That was a frustrating loss."