Sawvel Likes Where Cowboys Stand as Wyoming Enters Full-Pads During Fall Camp

Jeff Bugher
2 days ago
5 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Wyoming head football coach Jay Sawvel. Photo courtesy of UW Athletics

LARAMIE, Wyo. - Wyoming football put on full pads for the first time during fall camp Tuesday, giving third-year head coach Jay Sawvel and his staff a chance to continue evaluating unsettled roster-spot battles at several positions ahead of and into Saturday's first major scrimmage.

Following Tuesday's practice, Sawvel told the media the Cowboys incorporated live goal-line work along with third-down and fourth-and-short situations as Wyoming continues moving closer to game-like football.

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"Today was the first time we were full pads… It's been good," Sawvel said. "I like where we're at with the team; tomorrow will be an off day for the players. Thursday and Friday we'll practice, Saturday we'll scrimmage, and then next week we'll kind of get into the routine of a game week.”

The Cowboys will have Wednesday off for Wyoming Football Media Day before returning to practice Thursday and Friday. Saturday's scrimmage could be particularly important as Sawvel and his staff begin sorting through several position battles.

"I think the installs have been good offensively and defensively," Sawvel said. "I think there's a number of positions…that it's incomplete right now."

Sawvel said the evaluations of those spots will remain incomplete until the Cowboys have more opportunities to compete in different situations.

"It's going to be that way until you scrimmage Saturday, until you keep going practice for practice and do more scenarios," Sawvel said. "Live goal line today. We did two-minute stuff yesterday. There's been a lot of third-down things today. Today was fourth and short also."

Sawvel continued by saying that evaluating a player involves more than seeing who flashes during a traditional practice period. Players have to demonstrate they can execute when the situation changes.

"it's not only a guy that runs around and can play good at certain times, but he's got to be able to situationally do things the right," Sawvel said.

Red-zone offense a major point of emphasis

One of Wyoming's biggest areas of emphasis during fall camp remains the offense's ability to finish drives.

The Cowboys' red-zone defense was among the nation's best, while the offense was at the opposite end of the rankings. Sawvel told the media about the disparity Tuesday; he said improving offensively inside the 20-yard line is a priority.

Wyoming enters the season with Christian Taylor coordinating a revamped offense, and Sawvel said the Cowboys needed changes not only schematically but throughout the offensive operation.

"I think offensively, that's why we're starting over in a sense and in a number of ways, not only from how we run things, but also quarterbacking and everything else," Sawvel said.

Creating more threats near the goal line is a significant part of that process.

"When you get inside the 20-yard line, everybody on your team needs to be a threat that's a skill player, and when you don't have that, you become limited at certain things," Sawvel said.

The condensed field changes how an offense can attack a defense. With less room vertically, Sawvel said Wyoming needs to improve on the perimeter while creating alignment and communication problems for opposing defenses.

"Perimeter blocking has to improve so we can get balls on edges," Sawvel said. "Then also the fact that when you start looking at creating miscommunication, misalignment, those types of things. That's part of a schematic of what we've got to be, but we were too easy to defend at certain areas and positions and certain things before."

Sawvel used Wyoming's 2023 game at Texas as an example of the philosophy he wants the offense to embrace. Then Wyoming's defensive coordinator, Sawvel, knew the Cowboys couldn't simply line up and expect to win every matchup against a talented Texas roster.

"I was defensive coordinator here in 2023, and we went and played Texas, and if we went and just played Cowboy football, we would have given up 50," Sawvel said. "We had to find another way."

Wyoming attempted to create problems schematically for the Longhorns rather than relying exclusively on personnel matchups. Sawvel said the same concept applies to Taylor and the Cowboys' offense.

"It's the same thing offensively," Sawvel said. "You get down to red zone, you’ve got bigger bodies. It becomes a more physical thing down in there. Every once in a while, you’ve got to give the defense an alignment that creates an issue. You’ve got to give the defense a series of plays that creates an issue. You’ve got to give the defense every single player that can create an issue. We’ve got to be better at that."

It appears Taylor has the weapons to do that.

While the field becomes shorter near the goal line, its width doesn't change. Sawvel wants Wyoming to force defenses to defend all of it.

"You’ve got 5 yards of vertical distance to score, but you still have 53 1/3 yards of lateral distance, right?" Sawvel said. "So you’ve got to be able to use all of that."

Sawvel noted there were signs of that during Tuesday's goal-line work.

"We scored on a perimeter tight play on the goal line today," Sawvel said. "You have to be able to do multiple things and get the ball to people who can do multiple things."

Sawvel expressed confidence in Taylor's staff and Wyoming's personnel to make those changes.

"I think our offensive staff is in a good place with that," Sawvel said. "I think our players are capable of doing all these things."

But after Wyoming's offensive struggles, Sawvel isn't minimizing the amount of improvement required compared to the last two seasons.

"You name an offensive stat, and I wasn't happy with it," Sawvel said. "And so that's where we're at."

Scrimmage up next

Tuesday's practice was another step toward determining what Wyoming will look like when the season begins.

After Wednesday's day off, the Cowboys return to the field Thursday and Friday before Saturday's closed scrimmage. Next week, Sawvel plans to begin transitioning the team into more of its regular-season routine.

Until then, Wyoming's coaches will continue putting players into different situations and evaluating how they respond.

For several position battles, Sawvel isn't ready to make a call.

Saturday should provide considerably more information as fall camp continues to progress.

Overtime: more notes (condensed)

University support and football funding. Sawvel talked about support from University of Wyoming President Shane Reeves. He’s present, he’s involved, and he wants UW Athletics to win.

Senior cornerback Dainsus Miller will be returning to the team, following a recent court ruling that gives him another year of eligibility. Sawvel said he will be evaluated for fitness and will be slowly inserted into team activities. Linebacker Brayden Johnson could also come back to the team based on the ruling, but he will likely move on with life beyond football- according to Sawvel. Sawvel mentioned Johnson will be getting married in November. https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/sports/judge-grants-class-wide-injuction-in-response-to-ncaas-5-for-5-rule/

Speaking of returning to the team. OL Chandler Donaway will be returning to the team after being in Texas for personal reasons.

Erik Sandvik had another big kicking day. Sawvel said Sandvik made field goals from 60 and 59 yards.