Wyoming’s Fall Camp Is Finished - The Real Test Awaits

Jeff Bugher
1 hour ago
5 min read

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel watches his team during a Cowboys football practice in Laramie. Photo courtesy of University of Wyoming Athletics.

LARAMIE, Wyo. - Fall camp is in the rearview mirror for the Wyoming Cowboys.

Head coach Jay Sawvel’s team is transitioning to preparing for Colorado State and the Sept. 5 season opener in Fort Collins.

On Friday, Sawvel addressed the media during a press conference.

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“A lot of work to do still, but the last few days have been good,” Sawvel said. “A couple of really good practices in a row. Effort’s been good, intensity’s been good. Execution - we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The Cowboys held one more fall camp practice on Saturday before officially moving into their regular-season routine.

“I think that there’s reason to believe that we should become a much better team than what we’ve been,” Sawvel said. “But we’ve got to do that next Saturday and get that going then. We can’t wait till the fourth game of the year or something like that.”

The sense of urgency comes after Wyoming finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in Mountain West play last season. Sawvel is entering his third season as the Cowboys' head coach.

CSU Prep Already Underway - Who Will Be Under Center for CSU?

Although Wyoming was still technically finishing fall camp, preparation for Colorado State had already begun.

“We need a big day tomorrow [Saturday] and then we get into game week, full-go game week,” Sawvel said. “We’ve been working on CSU the last few days. So at least this gives us a first look at the opponent. Then a lot of it’s just focus on us executing, us playing good, [and] us doing those things.”

One of Wyoming's defensive challenges is preparing without knowing exactly what it will see from Colorado State at quarterback.

Sawvel said the Cowboys have to prepare for the athleticism CSU possesses at the position rather than becoming overly concerned with which quarterback takes the first snap. Rams head coach Jim Mora told the media that he will announce the starting QB at 4:02 PM on Saturday, according to the Coloradoan.

The likely pecking order for QB’s should be Oklahoma State University transfer Hauss Hejny, K’Saan Farrar (who came from UConn with the coaching staff). There’s also Darius Curry, who is the only returning quarterback on the roster who will likely be the third stringer.

“They’re both talented, they’re both athletic,” Sawvel said [referring to Hejny and Farrar]. “To some degree, we don’t know how they’re going to use all their people anyway. So the thing that we’re going to have to do, no matter who the quarterback is, is be structurally sound at everything that we do.”

“I would imagine, with two good athletes like what they have, that quarterback run game will be some element to their offense,” Sawvel said. “It may only be inside the red zone, but it’ll be some element to it just because those guys move really well and they have two of them.”

Some Position Battles Aren't Over

Some of Wyoming’s depth chart remains unsettled.

Sawvel indicated two competitions in particular, cornerback and wide receiver, could continue right up until kickoff. Perhaps 4:02 PM, like Jim Mora?

“I think there’ll be some battles that go all the way till kickoff,” Sawvel said. “I think that corner is one of them. I’m not going to anoint anybody on Sunday or Monday or anything like that.”

The final pecking order at receiver could also remain fluid ever after the season starts.

“I think, potentially, what the final pecking order is at receiver to some degree could be part of that,” Sawvel said. “So I think those are two primaries that we could be looking at.”

Sawvel sees value in letting those competitions continue.

“Nobody’s earned anything. Nobody’s really done anything in a game,” Sawvel said. “What we even may go into in Week 1 could change going into Week 2 or 3.”

The competition has created a lack of complacency from becoming comfortable during camp.

“Everybody has to perform daily, and that’s a big piece,” Sawvel said. “Even a couple of the freshmen that are in there, they know every day they show up that they’ve got to practice well.”

Donaway Working His Way Back

The media also received a positive update along the offensive line.

Senior Chandler Donaway has returned to practice and is taking repetitions. The return comes following his absence from the team as fall camp started for personal reason in Texas. The 6-foot-1, 307-pound East Texas A&M transfer arrived at Wyoming with considerable experience, having appeared in 27 career games with 21 starts and more than 1,400 snaps.

“Chandler’s been practicing. He’s repping,” Sawvel said. “We’re going to check where his game readiness is as we get to early next week.”

Sawvel stopped short of guaranteeing Donaway would be ready for Colorado State.

“The anticipation is that he should be in a space where he’s able and ready to go for us at some point early in the season,” Sawvel said.

Donaway was one of the additions Wyoming made to an offensive line that entered camp with competition throughout the interior. The Cowboys also added Nebraska transfer Jason Maciejczak while returning tackles Rex Johnsen and Braylon Jenkins.

Healthy Jake Wilson Gives Offense Another Weapon

Tight end Jake Wilson is back, and he’s healthy.

Wilson was dealing with a cyst and subsequent infection.

“He’s a really well-rounded football player that is going to get better and better and better,” Sawvel said. “He blocks well, he plays hard, he catches the ball well, he can run routes.”

Sawvel believes Wilson's ceiling is significant if he can remain healthy.

“The only thing that could get in his road of being a really outstanding player is just health. That’s it,” Sawvel said. “As far as habits, work, everything that way -- this is a guy that’s a really talented player.”

Wilson and sophomore Kyle Frendt entered the season projected to play significant roles in offensive coordinator Christian Taylor's offense.

Having multiple capable tight ends also gives Taylor flexibility with personnel groupings.

“When you have good tight ends, it gives you a lot of versatility in a lot of ways -- run game and pass game,” Sawvel said.

Sawvel: This Team Feels Different

As Sawvel enters his third season as a head coach, he was asked how it feels compared with his first two seasons.

“It feels way different because we’ve got a way better football team,” Sawvel said. “That’s why it feels different.”

“When I see some of the pieces that we’ve got on this football team compared to what we had the last two years, yeah, it feels a lot different,” Sawvel said. “That’s evident all the way across the board.”

Sawvel knows he's more experienced as a head coach; he said talent has plenty to do with his confidence entering the opener.

“If I had Tyler Hughes and Sam Harris and Jake Wilson and guys like that two years ago as a head coach, I’d feel a whole lot better about then, too,” Sawvel said.

The Cowboys and Rams will kick off at 4 p.m. Saturday at Canvas Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on USA Network.

Colorado State awaits Saturday in Fort Collins.