Saturday’s a Big Deal: Wyoming Faces Crucial Scrimmage Two Weeks Before CSU

Jeff Bugher
51 minutes ago
4 min read

LARAMIE, Wyo. - Wyoming has spent this week treating fall camp like a game week. Saturday afternoon, the Cowboys will find out how much that preparation has paid off.

Head coach Jay Sawvel set the start time for Saturday's closed scrimmage at 4 p.m. inside War Memorial Stadium.

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“Saturday will be huge for a number of players, a number of positions. And then continue evaluation from there,” Sawvel said Thursday.

The coaching staff structured the week to resemble a “game week,” which players will experience during the regular season. After harder practices Tuesday and Wednesday, Wyoming backed off the contact Thursday and planned a lighter Friday.

The 4 p.m. start time isn't an accident, either.

With the season opener against Colorado State on Sept. 5 at 4 PM, the rivalry game is exactly two weeks away. Sawvel mentioned the 4 PM start time mirrors the same start time. Jay also mentioned the team is doing all of the phases, including the little things, like a pregame meal and what to eat in a pregame meal.

That game-week approach began earlier in the week. Sawvel said Tuesday that he wanted the Cowboys to come out of Saturday with most major personnel questions answered.

“I would love to have us in a good space coming out of Saturday,” Sawvel said. “There may be a couple things that linger into that for that following week as what's the order at corner or what's the order of who's the 4th D tackle. We come out of Saturday night…OK, these are the guys.”

Cornerback Competition Takes Center Stage

The cornerback position will be closely examined on Saturday.

Wyoming has plenty of options, but the competition remains unsettled according to Sawvel. Sawvel mentioned Ian Bell, Tyson Shamsid-Deen, Kendall Griffin, Logan Mackey and David Leonard among those fighting for spots, while saying Therman “Boogie” Williams has worked his way into the top group.

“It's a big Saturday for them,” Sawvel said. “We're legitimately, depending on how the scrimmage is on Saturday, we might have two true freshmen in the top four. It's a competition, and it's a great thing. Saturday's a big deal.”

How young? Bell is a junior, Griffin is a freshman, Mackey is a junior transfer, and Leonard is a sophomore.

“We're not going to let anybody get comfortable at that position,” Sawvel said. “So that's a good thing. We're in a far better place. Now we‘ve got to play it, but we're in a far better place.”

Linebackers Also Have Plenty at Stake

Saturday will also help sort out Wyoming's linebacker rotation.

Sawvel said graduate Ethan Stuhlsatz and sophomore Gary Rutherford would currently start, with sophomore Dash Bauman behind Stuhlsatz and freshman Parker Moore and freshman Steven Perez competing behind Rutherford.

“I think that first five right there at linebacker- I'm happy with that whole group,” Sawvel said.

Moore has a chance to establish himself Saturday.

“That's a position this Saturday tells us a lot,” Sawvel said. “It'll tell us a lot where Dash is. It'll tell us a lot where Parker is. It'll tell us a lot where Steven Perez is.”

Wide Receiver Picture Still Coming Together

Wide receiver is another position where Wyoming still has decisions to make.

Sawvel said senior Eric Richardson, senior Charlie Coenen, junior Jackson Holman and senior Justin Popovich have established themselves, while freshman Ke’Lyn Washom has put together a strong week.

Sophomore Deion DeBlanc is one player Sawvel wants to see take advantage of Saturday. DeBlanc showed off his talents last fall. However, a hip injury took him out during spring ball. Now, an ankle injury has sidelined the sophomore for portions of camp, limiting opportunities for new offensive coordinator Christian Taylor to evaluate him.

“The expectation is that he needs to play and play well Saturday and we kind of work from there,” Sawvel said. “We have a belief in him and a faith in him to be a good player.”

More Cowboys Expected to Participate

Saturday could also feature more players than Wyoming had available during its previous scrimmage.

Sawvel said senior offensive lineman Chandler Donaway and junior offensive tackle Jake Davies are expected to be integrated into the scrimmage, although their exact number of repetitions remained undetermined.

Senior running back Markell Holman is expected to have an extended role, while junior wide receiver Jackson Holman, sophomore wide receiver Deion DeBlanc and redshirt sophomore tight end Jake Wilson have practiced. Sophomore tight end Kyle Frendt has also been doing more.

Sophomore running back Samuel “Tote” Harris' participation will depend on how he feels Saturday. Sawvel said the Cowboys aren't interested in unnecessarily pushing the sophomore running back during an August scrimmage.

“Sam Harris, as far as Saturday, availability-wise, that's one of those things that we will judge if he is fully ready or not,” Sawvel said. “If he's not scrimmaging Saturday, he'll be practicing full by Monday. I don't know that I have to have him play at 85% on August 22nd.”

Cowboys Looking for Another Step Forward

Saturday is another test of whether Wyoming can turn the potential Sawvel has seen throughout camp into consistent execution. Sawvel said he wanted to see a big leap after last Saturday's scrimmage.

“I think that everybody sees what we could become,” Sawvel said. “We've got to continue to get better. We've got to hopefully, knock on wood, stay healthy in all the positions.”

Now comes one of the biggest measuring sticks of camp.

Saturday could go a long way toward settling several position battles, with players competing for starting jobs, rotation spots, and playing time when the season begins.

Sawvel and his staff want to walk out of War Memorial Stadium Saturday night knowing who they can count on.

“It's a competition, and it's a great thing,” Sawvel said. “Saturday's a big deal.”