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

LARAMIE -- Tyler Hughes told his head coach last Sunday that he would be ready to play a game that day.

That's an impressive statement considering just 48 hours prior, Wyoming's senior quarterback churned out 92 hard-earned rushing yards in a 16-13 overtime victory over San Jose State.

He did that damage on a career-high 27 carries. That means the Georgia product only averaged 3.4 yards per carry. Six sacks, including two from the blindside, didn't help those numbers -- or the bruises that came with them.

He carried the Cowboys on his battered back, helping snap an eight-game road losing skid.

That wasn't the case at all on a sun-splashed Saturday inside War Memorial Stadium. In fact, it's now hard to believe his first three runs of the day produced just three yards.

His fourth rushing attempt was a tad more impactful.

Hughes, quickly surveying the defense, after reeling in the shotgun snap, noticed Northern Illinois' defense vacated the area between the hashes. With the front four locked up, the 6-foot, 214-pound QB hopped in the express lane and cruised right down the middle of Jonah Field for a 53-yard touchdown.

"That was a great feeling," Hughes said from behind the podium, showing off the dimples with a wide grin. "It was super surprising. Usually, there's someone there. That was something that was scouted and a look that we thought that we could exploit, and it became a mega play. So, it was good. It's great to run around a little bit."

A little bit?

There was plenty more magic in those powerful legs.

Sitting on the Huskies' 24-yard line with 11:33 to go in the second frame, Hughes again took the deep snap and patiently waited for his blockers to get in place. He then found an extra gear and tiptoed down the east sideline for his second score of the day.

With that particular run, Hughes eclipsed the 120-yard mark on the ground. The last quarterback to do that was Sean Chambers, who gashed Missouri for that same number in the 2019 season opener.

"It was a blast," starting left tackle Rex Johnsen said postgame. "I mean, I think everyone on the offense had fun today. We were just going out and driving the ball down the field every drive. As an offensive lineman, I always love to get that run game going, especially when the quarterbacks are running. T-Hughes can run, man. I was excited to see that."

But wait, there's more.

After rolling up 157 rushing yards on just seven attempts in the first half, Hughes found himself in familiar territory on the Cowboys' first possession of the half. Again, he waited for his blocks to develop. Again he cruised into the brown-and-gold Tetons untouched.

That six-yard jaunt made him the first Wyoming player to score three times in a single game since running back Titus Swen accomplished that against Utah State in 2022.

Hughes, adding to his record-setting day, also waltzed into the end zone from 11 yards out on the first snap of the fourth quarter, extending the Cowboys' lead to 17. The last quarterback to cross the white stripe four times in one outing came back in 2021 when Levi Williams did just that en route to becoming the Most Valuable Player of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

"Tremendously, for sure," said wideout Eric Richardson, responding to how much the passing game opens up with a mobile QB. "Especially having a guy that can get out and make more plays, make a play explosive that probably was a bust. We saw that today with Tyler. It was good, for sure. Got a lot of explosive plays."

Hughes' final stat line on the ground was impressive: 12 rushes, 184 yards, 15.3 average, 4 touchdowns. He looked the part in the passing game, too, connecting on 16 of his 19 attempts for 196 yards. The most important stat against the Huskies: 0. That's how many turnovers Hughes committed in this one.

Safe to say, this is what Wyoming envisioned when they signed the William and Mary transfer this offseason.

"Yeah," Jay Sawvel said, bluntly. "Tyler Hughes is playing loose, so it's been good to see."

Wyoming's third-year head coach has mentioned numerous times how "tight" some of his players were in a Week-5 meeting with league newcomer North Dakota State. Hughes, he added, is one of them. The results proved that. In that 28-0 blanking inside the Fargodome, Hughes threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage. He completed just five throws for 52 yards. He chewed up only 25 yards on the ground and was sacked three times.

That performance warranted a call to the principal's office. There, Sawvel had one main message: "Let it rip."

"He told me, just go play," Hughes said. "Like, go play football how you know how to do it. Those words pretty much set in for me and I've been able to put together two pretty solid weeks."

Wyoming (4-3, 3-1) entered this game with 39 rushes of more than 10 yards. That was good enough for 12th in the FBS. Today, they added nine more. Hughes was responsible for six of those.

When he goes, and doesn't make mistakes, so do the Cowboys.

"He did a really good job of IDing things," Sawvel said, pointing out a 27-yard toss to Kyle Frendt and a 40-yard hookup with Richardson. "... He was very solid in the (run-pass option) game: when to throw the bubble, when to take what the defense was giving us a little bit. It's going to be critical for us going forward to build on what we did, offensively, today."

Can we go ahead and give Hughes Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors yet?

Wyoming 41, Northern Illinois 23

UNSUNG HERO

"He's small, but he is tough," Wyoming wide receiver coach Jovon Bouknight said, referring to Jayden Williams, back in August. "He'll hit you."

That was apparent Saturday afternoon.

The 5-foot-8, 171-pound rookie wideout wasn't involved in the passing game, but when it came to putting a hat on a defender downfield, he was arguably the Cowboys' best blocker.

Lined up on the left side of the formation pre-snap, Williams immediately bolted to the right side, becoming Hughes' lead blocker on a designed QB run. He ran full speed into cornerback Liam Lindo, throwing him off course just enough to let the senior signal caller slip right by and down the east sideline for a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

"He's really good at blocking," his Arbor View High School and Wyoming teammate Tanieulu Maafala-Barbasa said of his fellow Polynesian. "He's not afraid to block somebody. He will really go and find the biggest person and go drop him. I guess he doesn't care how big you are, how strong you are or how much you lift.

"As little as he is, he will go smack somebody."

Let's throw out an honorable mention to punt returner Charlie Coenen. The senior had a 24-yard return just before the half, setting the Cowboys up near midfield with 47 seconds remaining on the game clock and a timeout to burn.

Hughes would bust off a 37-yard run on the second snap of that brief possession, coasting out of bounds at the NIU 6-yard line with just three ticks showing. Erik Sandvik booted through a 24-yard chip shot to give the Cowboys a 20-6 lead at the break.

QUOTEABLE

"It was awesome. I mean, obviously, the last couple games we've been struggling with that, so we weren't going to get denied today. That was our main goal. Once we get in the red zone, we're scoring that b----."

-- Wyoming left tackle Rex Johnsen on Wyoming's 5-for-5 day inside the Huskies' 20-yard line, including three touchdowns.

"It felt great. We've had a very tough past six weeks, and I think the guys did a really good job of just coming in and preparing, and not letting the outside noise affect what we have inside these buildings. We put together a great week of practice, and we came out and executed the best we have all year."

-- Wyoming QB Tyler Hughes on what it felt like to roll up 510 yards of total offense and put 41 points on the scoreboard.

"Shoot, the receivers we got, man, are just hard-nosed guys. So, we just keep our nose in, keep our head in it, keep our heads down and just keep working. You know, whenever ball comes to us, try to capitalize on every opportunity. Shoot, I feel like that's what happened today."

-- Wyoming wideout Eric Richardson speaking about his room finally getting some opportunities downfield in this win over NIU. He finished with a season-best 77 yards on five grabs.

"In college, unfortunately, we don't get a preseason like they do in the NFL. They get actual games and certain things. So, you know, we start off the season with a bunch of new players in certain places, and even you know, yeah, Jake Wilson's not a new player to our program, but he missed last year. Tyler's new to everything and coach (Christian) Taylor's new to seeing all these guys and how they react to things. We're settled in a little bit better, you know what I mean? Look, we scored 16 points in an overtime game a week ago, so it's not like we just all of a sudden become some offensive juggernaut, but we're getting better. And even our 16 last week, we left points on the field."

-- Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel when asked postgame if he saw a performance like this coming. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

Front-Range foe Air Force (5-1, 3-1) will pay a visit to Laramie next Friday night in search of its first win inside War Memorial Stadium since 2012. That's the night, you may remember, that former Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen voiced his displeasure with Air Force boss Troy Calhoun for all the world to see. He was fined $50,000 and suspended for a game after that viral tirade. For the Falcons, though, they haven't claimed a victory here in five straight tries. The all-time series between these two is razor thin -- 32-28-3 -- with the advantage going to Air Force. Calhoun and Co. knocked off UNLV today in Colorado Springs, 41-31, on the backs of 430 rushing yards and three Evan Medders touchdowns. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on The CW.

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