Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What’s Next For UW Football

LARAMIE -- Let's cut right to the chase.

Turning the ball over three times, including twice just outside the red zone, won't get it done. You can tack on a turnover on downs, too, along with two rather large touchdowns allowed via the blocked punt.

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Jaden Bradley got his paws on the initial one midway through the first quarter. Fellow wide receiver Kayden McGee picked the football off the icy turf and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown.

That duo again combined for another scoop and score with roughly a minute to go in the half.

This time it was McGee fully extending and all but taking the ball off of Bart Edmiston's right foot. Bradley, right place, right time, recovered the loose change and scampered into the end zone from 13 yards out, giving the visitors a commanding 24-3 lead at the half.

Both raced in untouched off the edge. And it could've easily been four blocked punts with just a tad more extension.

"Our special teams were huge tonight and the conditions were tough," UNLV head coach Dan Mullen said postgame. "You have to win with offense, defense, and special teams, and our special teams certainly won us the game."

The Cowboys, rightfully so, were booed off the field by a homecoming crowd of more than 19,000 inside chilly War Memorial Stadium.

Were those turning points in this 31-17 loss? You bet. Wyoming literally lost the game by two touchdowns.

Despite all of that above, Wyoming actually did build momentum in the second half and threatened to make this a one-score game with less than four minutes to go in the third quarter.

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* What on Earth Happened to Wyoming's Punt Protection?

* Cowboys Suffer Hail of a Letdown in 31-17 Loss to Unbeaten Rebels

* Rants and Raves: UNLV Edition

* LIVE FILE: UNLV 31, Wyoming 17

* 3 Keys to a Wyoming Victory vs. UNLV

* Know Wyoming's Foe: UNLV Rebels

* Rookie Running Back Already Repaying Wyoming's Loyalty

* Roaring Repeater Podcast: Are The Rebels Really For Real?

* Wyoming's Starting Left Tackle Out For Season With Knee Injury

* UNLV Notebook: Sawvel Looking For 'Growth' in League Play

Kaden Anderson led a picture-perfect drive out of the locker room, marching his team 75 yards on just five plays, culminating with a 12-yard touchdown jaunt from rookie receiver Deion DeBlanc, who took a jet-sweep handoff around the right edge.

The defense then forced a punt, the fourth of five straight stops for that unit.

Wyoming's sophomore quarterback again went to work, completing a 29-yard pass to Jaylen Sargent and a 28-yard screen to running back Terron Kellman, giving the Cowboys a 1st-and-goal at the UNLV 4.

Anderson rolled to his left on the following snap, finding a wide open Sam Scott out of the backfield. The senior hauled in the dump pass and coasted past the white stripe from six yards out.

Were the Cowboys really going to recover from all of those blunders above and find a way to make this a tight one down the stretch?

Nope.

A flag behind the play sent the home team slowly walking back toward the huddle -- and 15 extra yards behind that. The call: pass interference. The culprit: Evan Svoboda.

Anderson, looking in the direction of 6-foot-6 Michael Fitzgerald down the east sideline, heaved up a pass on the following play. It was about 10 yards too short, landing harmlessly in the hands of Quandarius Keyes.

He plays for UNLV.

"I was just trying to make a play. It was an ill-advised throw -- dumb throw. And, you know, that just can't happen. I can't do that," said Anderson, who finished the night completing 25-of-46 passes for 254 yards, a touchdown and that costly interception.

Jay Sawvel didn't downplay the significance of that miscue.

"That was huge because all of a sudden, now you're 24-17 in the middle of the third quarter," Wyoming's second-year head coach said. "Evan Svoboda is running a corner route, defensive back gets hands on him. To the official, it looked like Evan Svoboda was blocking the defensive back. In order for that to happen, the ball has to be caught behind the line of scrimmage. Sam Scott's maybe about a half-a-yard past the line of scrimmage. That's what forced the penalty.

"... There's nowhere in there where we have him block any defender."

Missed call? You be the judge:

UNLV drained 6:07 off the clock after taking possession before punting the ball back to the Cowboys, who promptly went three-and-out and failed to pick up a single yard. That series took all of 50 seconds.

Anthony Colandrea then connected with running back Jai'Den Thomas for an 8-yard touchdown, capping a 10-play, 69-yard drive.

Game over.

UNLV 31, Wyoming 17

UNSUNG HERO

Yes, Deion DeBlanc once again made a rather large mistake on special teams late in the second quarter when he failed to catch a punt and instead was forced to watch it roll inside the Cowboys' 2-yard line.

Seven snaps later, UNLV's Kayden McGee raced around the right edge untouched before laying out and blocking the visitor's second punt of the night. Jaden Bradley scooped up the loose change and waltzed into the end zone, giving the Rebels a commanding 24-3 halftime lead.

That's the bad news.

The good?

The highly-touted rookie finally got an opportunity on offense and made an immediate impact.

DeBlanc took a jet-sweep handoff around the right side and found his way into the end zone on the Cowboys' first drive of the second half. It was the first touchdown of the Houston native's young career. He also added one catch for all yards and used his break-neck speed to pick up a 4th-and-2 early in the fourth quarter.

"Oh yeah, he's really fast," Anderson said, referring to the 5-foot-10, 186-pound true freshman. "I think in fall camp I threw him up a post ball and he hit like 21 and a half miles per hour or something like that. In full pads too, which is nuts. So, he's gonna be a really special player."

He better be.

Chris Durr Jr., Wyoming's leading receiver out of the slot -- the position DeBlanc lines up at -- suffered an "upper-body" injury that sidelined him in the second half. His diagnosis, though unknown, doesn't sound promising.

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

Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg also missed his second straight game after suffering a setback with a right thigh bruise that forced him out of the Utah game midway through the first quarter.

DeBlanc was offered out of powerhouse North Shore High School by the likes of Oregon, Louisville, Arizona State, Texas Tech and Arkansas, among many others. He now needs to play like one of the top recruits in the Mountain West.

QUOTABLE

"Like I said, I'm still technically young. I can't imagine what people are saying right now. I can't imagine. I just want to say, trust me. Keep having faith in me, man. You know, I know fans are pissed. We're pissed, too. That was a frustrating loss."

-- Wyoming QB Kaden Anderson on fans keeping the faith in him despite a slow start to the 2025 season.

"I thought, defensively, we played well. Offensively, when we needed some good drives, we delivered, but we had some inconsistency and mistakes. We'll take being 5-0."

-- UNLV head coach Dan Mullen shared his thoughts on remaining unbeaten despite a lackluster night on offense, including a fumble on the opening play of the game that turned into three Wyoming points.

"We've got to get more consistent offensively. This is two straight first halves where we've scored three points, right? Really, the half before (Utah) we didn't score, you know? So, that's inexcusable. That's unacceptable, and we've got a lot of things to work on, to get fixed."

-- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel talks about the lack of consistency from his offense, especially in the first half of games. 

"I think we're a very pissed off football team. I want to apologize, because that's not how I should be acting as a leader. I think guys look up to me, and when I react like that, it's not good for a football team. So, I will be better on that."

-- Wyoming's offensive guard Caden Barnett responding to a question about launching a metal folding chair on the sideline after the Cowboys' final offensive drive of the night.

"Like I said, the 24-hour rule, just feel bad for 24 hours, come back ready to work. I mean, really, that's all there is to it. You just can't get hung up on losses. You got to just work for the next week and go 1-0."

-- Wyoming defensive end Tyce Westland on how he can motivate his teammates to not let this three-game losing streak completely derail the season.

WHAT'S NEXT?

San Jose State has been a thorn in Wyoming's side, winning six of the last seven meetings. The overall series is now dead even, 7-7. The Spartans (2-3, 1-0) are on deck and will visit War Memorial Stadium next Saturday night. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. SJSU is coming off a 35-28 victory over New Mexico last Friday night inside CEFCU Stadium. Walker Eget threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns. Danny Scudero caught one of those. He also hauled in seven receptions for 151 yards.