Press Conference: UW Focused on Fast Starts and Fixing Mistakes Ahead of San Jose State

Jeff Bugher
2 days ago
4 min read

Sawvel: Wyoming Focused on Fast Starts and Fixing Mistakes Ahead of San Jose State

On Monday, following a disappointing loss at UNLV that saw two punts blocked, combined with two “scoop and score” touchdowns, Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel addressed the media ahead of the Cowboys’ home matchup with San Jose State. The message was clear: correct the mistakes, start faster, and respond the right way.

“Another chance to get ourselves back right,” Sawvel opened. “Our players did a really good job this morning in their workouts. They’ve come back with a really good mindset and attitude. We made mistakes in situations that we can’t. Those are correctable. We’ve got to get those corrected, but those cost us a game for sure.”

First-Half Struggles?

Has Wyoming had first-half struggles this year?

“There’s a combination of things to it,” he explained. “We’ve been inconsistent with where the ball’s going at times. There’s some plays where we’re wanting the ball to get to certain places and we’re aborting that read a little quicker. I think offensively, we know we want to get off to a good start and we’re pressing.”

Sawvel added that the Cowboys have played much better offensively in the second half of recent games which also not a surprise to anyone not living under a rock, but the lack of early rhythm has hurt the team’s energy and confidence.

“We’ve got to start winning first quarters, and right now we’re not,” he said. “If we get off to a really good start in that game the other night, it’s a totally different situation.”

Confidence in Kaden Anderson

Sophomore quarterback Kaden Anderson remains the starter, yet Sawvel expressed his full confidence in his young signal-caller.

“Kaden will be the first one to tell you he can be better,” Sawvel said. “Do we have all 100% faith in Kaden? Yes. There’s a few times where he’s pressing, where he’s trying to get us back into a flow quickly. He’s got to grow through that and learn through that.”

Sawvel said Anderson’s competitive nature is one of his strengths, but also something the young quarterback must learn to channel.

“He has a huge care factor,” Sawvel said. “You want that. Sometimes, he has to do a better job of maybe controlling some things emotionally in the course of the game. He’ll bounce back. He’ll be alright.”

Special Teams Miscues Costly…Obviously!

Two blocked punts that UNLV returned for touchdowns were the defining moments of last Saturday’s loss, mistakes that Sawvel said simply can’t happen again.

“We had two punts blocked for touchdowns, which lost us the game,” Sawvel said. “We had an operation issue on one, and the second one was too slow based on the snap location. If we’re not on rhythm with the snap, we’ve got to abort and get to a one-step. We didn’t do that.”

Sawvel noted that punter Bart Edmiston, Jr. “feels terrible about it” but stressed that it’s a unit-wide issue that will be addressed in practice this week.

Offensive Line and Running Game Updates

When asked about the offensive line, Sawvel confirmed that Rex Johnson will continue to start at left tackle, while Jake Davies remains on the right.

“Jake’s got to improve. Jake’s better than he was a year ago,” Sawvel said. “We’ve got some growing and developing to do with that position. We have to help him, and he has to improve.”

Despite the offensive inconsistencies, Wyoming’s rushing attack has remained productive, including Sam Scott last Saturday.

“Sam Scott did do a good job the other night,” Sawvel said. “He kind of got a hot hand going for us a little bit. We need to keep going with that. I think we have three pretty good backs.”

Tight End Depth with Injuries

Wyoming’s tight end depth continues to be tested with injuries to John Michael Gyllenborg and Jake Wilson. Sawvel confirmed Wilson will miss the remainder of the season after multiple procedures on his knee for a cyst.

“Luckily, it’s benign, and that’s the biggest thing,” Sawvel said of Wilson’s cyst removal. “But the timing of everything else, we would still be a month from him maybe being able to do something.”

With Gyllenborg still uncertain for Saturday, tight end Justin Erb has stepped into a larger role.

“Justin works very hard,” Sawvel said. “He’s prepared every day. He never complains about his role. Now his role has expanded. He’s going to give you a competent, experienced guy that isn’t going to beat you with a mental mistake.”

Defending San Jose State

Wyoming’s defense will face a tough test this week against San Jose State.

“They’re in a pretty good rhythm offensively right now,” Sawvel said. “You’ve got to play very well. They do a very good job. It’s a big challenge.”

Moving Forward

Despite the frustration of the UNLV loss, Sawvel made it clear his focus and the team’s focus is on learning and responding.

“When you get two punts blocked and turn it over three times, you’re going to lose 100% of the time,” Sawvel said. “Those are things that we can control, and we will. There’s no excuses. Nobody’s pointing fingers. As a head coach, we’ve got to get these things addressed and fixed.”

Wyoming will host San Jose State on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT.