LARAMIE — Jaxon Potter connected on half of his 42 passing attempts for 257 yards and three touchdowns in Washington State’s 36-13 rout of San Diego State.
A week prior, the Cougars capped their opening-day effort with a grand total of three rushing yards against FBS opponent Idaho. Not this time. Running back Kirby Vorhees finished with a team-high 67 yards and his buddies in the backfield added 72 more.
The home team played keep away to the tune of 35:06 in the time-of-possession department. Capping the night at 5-of-18 on third down helps. So did a 2-of-3 outing on fourth.
Since that forgettable night in Pullman, Sean Lewis’ defense has given up just 37 total points in five games, 24 of which came in a lopsided victory over Colorado State. Two were shutouts. SDSU also allowed just a field goal in a road win at Northern Illinois.
More importantly, the Aztecs also haven’t lost since.
In last Saturday’s 23-0 blanking of in-state rival Fresno State, the Bulldogs finished with only 227 yards of total offense, including 45 on the ground. Two interceptions off the right arm of Carson Conklin didn’t help matters, either.
“The guys continue to lean in,” Lewis said. “The response has been awesome ever since we’ve been back and continues to be at an elite level, which gives us an opportunity, play in and play out. They’re doing a great job playing complimentary football, and there’s still a ton of room to grow as we continue to climb and take the next step.”
Can Wyoming’s offense do enough in sunny San Diego to pull off the upset?
Here are some other good ideas for the visitors if they hope to stay in the Mountain West race with one month to go in the regular season:
1. TEMPO OF DOOM
How did Wazzu put up nearly 40 on that defense?
Tempo. Quick passes. Great protection up front.
That aforementioned third-down production was a key factor in racking up a near 10-minute advantage in time of possession, too.
Aside from five explosive plays — hookups of more than 15 yards — Potter averaged just under 5.2 yards on 23 of his completions. He wasn’t sacked one time. SDSU finished with just four tackles for loss, all coming on running plays.
Kaden Anderson put together a similar performance in last Saturday’s 28-0 dismantling of Border War rival Colorado State. The sophomore signal caller, who wasn’t sacked or even pressured in the victory, averaged 6.4 yards per completion while connecting on 16-of-24 attempts.
Jovon Bouknight, who was making his debut as the Cowboys’ playcaller, got Anderson in a groove early, hitting short, easy throws. The Texas product completed 15 of his first 18 tosses of the night. Three of his first four went for zero or negative yards, though, something that can’t happen against SDSU.
Wazzu did just enough in the running game to keep the Aztecs honest and drain valuable seconds off the clock. Wyoming’s stable of backs could do just that — and more.
It helps to trust your defense in this scenario, too.
SDSU isn’t the only one in this matchup that can make stops and create turnovers. That should allow Anderson and Co. to feel comfortable enough to go at their own pace — fast or slow — to create a rhythm similar to the one the Cougars implemented.
“You have to be able to try to keep plays strung together, which is easier said than done, when they’re good at every level,” Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said. “Their leading tackler, Owen Chambliss, is an outstanding linebacker and can run very, very well. They’ve got a corner in Chris Johnson, who’s got three interceptions and is a really good player. Dalesean Staley is a safety that’s very impactful for them. He gets downhill run-game wise. Then, they’ve got Trey White, who’s one of the better pass rushers in the country. So, you know, at every level they’re really good, and that makes it difficult.”
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2. LUCK RUNS OUT
SDSU has gone back to its roots: run the ball, play great defense. The rest, well, that’s just icing on the cake.
Consider it Craig Bohl’s wildest dream.
Lucky Sutton has been the Aztecs’ featured back this fall, rushing for 662 yards and seven touchdowns on 126 carries. How much do they rely on the 212-pound junior? He’s ran the ball only 19 times less than quarterback Jayden Denegal has passing attempts.
Sutton is coming off a 131-yard performance at Fresno State where he was an absolute workhorse on first down. Of his 21 attempts on the afternoon, 10 came on the opening play of the drive. He rolled up 98 yards on those carries, 46 of which came on one third-quarter jaunt.
The Bulldogs limited Sutton to just 33 yards on the other 11 rushes.
Remember last year’s meeting between the Pokes and Aztecs?
Sure you do.
The visitors only amassed 102 yards on the ground on 35 attempts. That’s an average of 2.9 per. Danny O’Neil completed just 16 throws inside War Memorial Stadium. Those went for a grand total of 254 yards, including a back-breaking fourth-quarter sequence that included a 53-yard hookup with Jordan Napier on a 3rd-and-10, followed by a touchdown toss to the same speedy wideout from 27 yards out on the very next snap.
Eliminate those mistakes in the secondary — and don’t throw two interceptions yourself, including one that gets taken to the house like Eric Butler did last October — and you’re in business.
3. STAY AND PLAY
SDSU’s defensive numbers are downright scary.
But one that really sticks out is the third-down conversion rates. Or in this case, a serious lack thereof.
On 109 attempts, the Aztecs’ opponents have been successful just 29 times.
That’s unthinkable.
In its three shutouts this season, that unit has given up a dozen conversions on 44 attempts. The six Cal picked up is one of the worst performances of the year in this category.
Per usual, Wyoming has to make hay on first and second down, the way that offense did last Saturday night in a dominant first half that saw the Cowboys’ limit visiting CSU to just five offensive snaps over the first 15 minutes of play.
The time of possession after two quarters was about as lopsided as it gets with Wyoming holding onto the ball for nearly 20 minutes.
Bouknight and Co. also picked up five of nine third-down tries during that span. Second-down success had a lot to do with that. On 13 of those snaps, Wyoming rolled up 91 total yards for an average of seven per. Anderson’s dart to Chris Durr Jr. in the end zone just before halftime also came on that down.
Win the turnover battle. Win time of possession. Win on third down.
Likely pick up win No. 5.
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
