Mental and Physical Reset: Cowboys Credit Bye Week for Renewed Energy
- Jeff Bugher
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Bye Week Comes at the Perfect Time for Wyoming Ahead of Mountain West Play
LARAMIE, Wyo. – The Cowboys grinded through a non-conference schedule that started in Akron, hosted UNI in Laramie, and featured back-to-back matchups against Big 12 opponents Utah and Colorado. The Pokes entered their bye week at just the right moment. With players nursing injuries and the team preparing for the start of Mountain West play, beginning with a foe in UNLV at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, the extra time off proved invaluable.
Graduate tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, who battled a thigh bruise suffered against Utah and sat out of the contest at Colorado, said the timing couldn’t have been better.
“I think the bye week came at a good time for us,” Gyllenborg said. “I know at this point in the year, four games in after a long camp, everyone's banged up in some kind of way. I think mentally being able to turn off the switch for a day or two was good for everyone, and definitely getting some extra rehab and turning that switch back on yesterday for a full padded practice was good. I think there was good energy, good juice, and I really do think the bye week came at a perfect time, going right in conference play.”
For Gyllenborg personally, the break also allowed him to get back closer to full strength, as well as his teammates. “Yeah, definitely,” he said. “I know that we had three concussions also against Colorado, so that was also big for some of those guys to recover. I want to get that extra time.”
Sophomore safety Jones Thomas echoed those thoughts, saying the week off helped the team’s overall health and mindset heading into Saturday’s home matchup against UNLV.
“I'm feeling good. I'm ready to play another game off the bye weekend and the team's feeling good,” Thomas said. “Body's feeling good since we didn't have a game. So I'm excited and ready to play another home game.”
When asked about the timing of the break, Thomas didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, it definitely was the perfect time to have a bye week,” he said. “I know there was a lot of people whose bodies were feeling it after the first four games. So it was definitely good timing.”
Wide receiver Jaylen Sargent said the team used the bye week to regroup and recover before opening Mountain West play with UNLV this Saturday on Homecoming.
“I think the whole team saw it as a very important weekend off,” Sargent said. “It was a weekend that we had to take serious and use it for rest and recovery. I think a lot of guys on the team did that and we’re headed into this week feeling really good.”
Head coach Jay Sawvel agreed, saying the timing of the bye lined up with what the team needed most as they turn their attention toward Mountain West competition.
“It’s good timing for us to have a bye. It was good timing for what we need to get done,” Sawvel said. “A big game this week against one of the two top teams that people have regarded in the Mountain West. They’re well coached. They’ve got good players. They’ve got a good football team.”
Kickoff between Wyoming and UNLV is slated for 5:00 PM on Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on CBSSN.
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