COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., — Run. The. Ball.
Follow those three little words above and this column revolves around a gritty road win over a rival, Wyoming’s second straight victory and the title wave of momentum heading into always the most important game on the schedule.
Follow those three simple words and we’re talking about the Cowboys potentially becoming a legit threat in the Mountain West Conference race, not to mention getting one step closer to postseason eligibility.
Follow those three straightforward words above and the doubters would be silenced for at least one more week.
“We had just ran it and didn’t get anything, right?”
That was Jay Sawvel’s response to my question about putting the ball in the hands of a back-up tight end — a player who just last fall lost his starting quarterback spot and switched positions — with a chance to build a seven-point lead with 10:10 remaining in regulation.
Evan Svoboda is going to get some flack for that ill-advised pass that landed right into the awaiting arms of Air Force safety Roger Jones Jr., as he should. The throw never had a chance. It shouldn’t have been made in the first place.
Same goes for the play call itself.
Sure, the visitors attempted to pound it over the white stripe on first and second down. Rookie running back Samuel Harris got the first crack from the 7-yard line. Terron Kellman was stood up at the three for no gain on the ensuing snap.
Guess what? Run it again. If that doesn’t work — do it again.
If that defense, statistically the worst in the country, allowing 40 points and 500 overall yards an outing, stops the next two, tip your hat, move on and play defense with the Falcons pinned at their own goal line.
Instead, Jay Johnson, the Cowboys’ much-maligned second-year offensive coordinator, decided to get cute.
Sawvel said Svoboda should’ve never attempted the pass. Jones, sitting right in the middle of the field, five yards deep in the end zone, was supposed to wipe the “P” right out of “RPO.” The 6-foot-5, 251-pound bruiser should’ve instead tucked the ball and followed his tailback Sam Scott.
“He made a mistake on it, right?” Sawvel said.
So did you.
Wyoming finished two yards shy of 200 on 36 rushing attempts. That’s an average of 5.5 a carry. Remember Kellman’s 28-yard highlight reel touchdown just seven days ago in Laramie? Yeah, the Charlotte transfer was again up to his old tricks in this one, breaking off not one, but two, 23-yard touchdown runs.
He ran hard. He was elusive. He was a pain in the Falcons’ collective backside, capping his day with a 9.2 yards-per-carry average.
Taking the ball out of his hands in that situation is criminal.
Oh, by the way, Scott also tips the scale at 227 pounds and Harris might be the most talented player on this roster. Svoboda, if he puts the ball under his arm and plows ahead, isn’t the worst decision, either.
In other words, there were options. Plenty of them.
“Anytime there’s a mistake made, it’s a coaching mistake,” Sawvel added. “So, that’s the way we got to look at it.”
Those are piling up for this offensive staff. So are the losses — again.
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* LIVE FILE: Air Force 24, Wyoming 21
* Rants and Raves: Air Force Edition
* 3 Keys to a Wyoming Victory vs. Air Force
* Throwback Thursday: ‘I Hated Air Force More Than CSU’
* Touchdown Grab Could Spark Michael Fitzgerald
* Know Wyoming’s Foe: Air Force Falcons
* What Happened on Fourth-Down ‘Do Over’ Before Johnson Pick-Six?
* Wyoming to Debut Coal-Inspired Black Uniforms in Border War
* Air Force Notebook: Young Guns Stepping Up For Cowboys
Same song, different verse.
Wyoming’s revamped defense does its part, the veteran-led offense falls flat.
It’s a disturbing trend that, in hindsight, has been evident since that 10-0 win in soggy Akron. Kaden Anderson and Co. got a pass in that one. It was the season opener, for one. Secondly, the Cowboys rolled up 426 yards of total offense.
They are going to be fine, right?
The sophomore signal caller threw an interception that night. He’s thrown five more since, including an unforgivable heave off his back foot Saturday late in the fourth quarter. That turnover, Anderson’s ninth giveaway of the season, dashed all hope.
That can’t happen.
The rotations have been odd, too. Full scale changes on nearly every snap at nearly every skill position. How is Anderson supposed to get in a rhythm when there are new receivers, tight ends and running backs in and out of the huddle?
Senior receiver Jaylen Sargent said postgame the whole play falls apart when all 11 aren’t doing their jobs. That’s his reasoning.
As for Sawvel?
He immediately pointed to the lack of possessions against an Air Force squad that is typically known for playing keep away. The home team did just that on its initial drive of the afternoon, chewing up 60 yards on 16 plays. Wyoming’s offense didn’t touch the ball until the 5:47 mark of the first quarter.
Still, the nine opportunities the Cowboys did have, served as a microcosm of this season: Three punts, end of half, two turnovers and three touchdowns.
When it’s good, it’s good. When it’s bad, which is more often than not, it’s really bad.
“I thought, in the third quarter we came out and we just ran the ball, ran the ball, ran the ball. We needed to stay in that mode,” Sawvel said. “We just made a couple mistakes at a couple critical points.”
Why did they stop running the ball?
“We’re going to look at a couple things and say, ‘OK, should we have called this and you’d be in a better situation?’ he continued. “Obviously, if you know you’re throwing an interception in the end zone, you sit there and go, ‘we shouldn’t have called that.'”
Dance with who brung ya.
That’s not wildcat formations, trick plays or deception. It’s ball in belly.
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.
This isn’t a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220’s Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.
We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS — only we hope this catalog is fairer.
Don’t agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports – #Top50UWFB
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
