Bronze Boot, Birthday Bliss: Wyoming’s Kaden Anderson Soaks in a Special Weekend
- Jeff Bugher
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Sophomore quarterback Kaden Anderson from Southlake, Texas, led Wyoming’s offense to a fast start last Saturday, helping the Cowboys reclaim the Bronze Boot last Saturday in a 28-0 shutout at War Memorial Stadium during the 117 Border War rivalry against Colorado State University.
“It was awesome,” Anderson said. “Such a surreal feeling. That was my first personal boot win. Obviously, we won it my redshirt year, and that was a good feeling, but this was my first boot win that I’ve started in and played in. It was a really good feeling just to get that boot, and obviously, we were really motivated throughout the week just to get that win.”
Anderson set the tone throughout the game, completing 16 of 24 passes for 154 passing yards and two touchdowns from the air. Once I get those first few completions, I can kind of get in rhythm and get rolling a little bit.”
A Week of Change, a Saturday of Poise and Redemption
The major storyline off the field on Monday, following the loss to a then 1-5 Air Force, was that offensive coordinator Jay Johnson was demoted to an offensive analyst position, and wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight was taking over the offensive coordinator duties. Multiple sources informed me on Sunday that the change was made. Anderson told me the offense didn’t overhaul much with the changes, yet we could sure see it on the field.
“It wasn’t a huge change offensively,” Anderson explained. “At the end of the day, playmakers gotta make plays, and I think that’s what happened Saturday. I love Coach Johnson. I love what he’s done for me, and I’ve got all the respect in the world for that guy. I love Coach Bouknight too - they’re both great coaches, and they’re both going to put us in positions to succeed.”
Execution wins the game. “Both of them are great play callers [Johnson and Bouknight],” he said. “They both put us in spots to succeed, but at the end of the day, playmakers will make plays, and that’s what needed to happen. That’s what happened on Saturday.”
Blocking Out the Noise
Anderson shows a sense of calm and confidence on the field, yet he does tell me the outside noise from fans and critics comes with the territory.
“My whole life I’ve had doubters,” Anderson said. “They’re never going to go away. People don’t know your story. They don’t know what you’re going through. They just say whatever pops in their head. They don’t know what’s going on inside the facility or anything like that, so you just take it with a grain of salt and keep pushing forward.”
He added, “I know what I can do, and I just gotta keep trusting my abilities and trust the guys around me to make plays.”
A Birthday to Remember
Anderson also had another reason to celebrate over the weekend starting with the victory Saturday night...as he turned 22 years old last Monday. He was able to have a little celebration with his girlfriend, friends, and his mom on Sunday, too.
“It was yesterday [Monday (our interview was on Tuesday)],” he said. “We had a little celebration on Sunday. Just to be with my mom, my girlfriend, and my friends - it was awesome. Being from Texas, I’m so far from my family, and it was great that my mom and girlfriend were there, and some of my close friends too.”
Looking Ahead – Bowl Game in the Crosshairs?
The Cowboys only need to win two more games to gain bowl eligibility. Anderson knows the focus must remain week-to-week - that 1-0 mentality that has carried with the team since Craig Bohl was the head coach.
The Cowboys’ quarterback is keeping things simple. “These next four games are really good opponents,” he said. “It’d be great to win all four - that’s the goal. But we just gotta keep attacking each week, and the other stuff will follow.”
Yet memories of going to a bowl game remains fresh in his mind, and probably serves as a little more motivation. “The first bowl game in my redshirt year [Arizona Bowl], that was awesome,” he recalled. “Just a great time - go out there one last time with the seniors. You get to go to a location you probably haven’t been, hang out with your team, hang out with your guys. Bowl games are a lot of fun.”
For Anderson, who stands 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, the Border War shutout was very important to him personally.
“Like I said, it was awesome,” he repeated. “Such a surreal feeling.”
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Jeff Bugher is a third-generation Wyomingite living in Casper. He is a sportswriter and Wyoming Cowboys/Cowgirls enthusiast who is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA ) and the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). Jeff's work has been cited by Sports Illustrated, one of the world's leading sports publications.
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