The Cowboys will be taking on the Washington State Cougars on the road for their game of the year, fresh off a near upset of the Mountain West regular season champions, Boise State.
The game will mark the end of the first year of the Jay Sawvel era, as the Cowboys are not eligible for any post season play this season.
Get to know Washington State
Outside of a recent stumble of two straight losses, the Cougars have been one of the better teams, particularly offensively, in the nation this year and reached as high as 18 in the AP poll before dropping out after suffering two straight losses to New Mexico and Oregon State.
Interestingly enough, the Cougars’ loss to New Mexico is just two weeks removed from the Cowboys’ upset of the Lobos, where an incredible offensive burst sparked by quarterback Kaden Anderson saw the Cowboys defeat the Lobos 49-45.
The Cougars’ offense has been firing on all cylinders, even in lieu of their recent two game skid. The Cougars rank 12th in the nation in total offense, averaging 454.5 yards per game. John Mateer has commandeered the Cougars’ explosive offensive under center, as he’s thrown for 2,957 yards with 28 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. Mateer has also led the team in rushing in six out of 11 of their games and leads the team in overall rushing yards as well.
MATEER WON'T BE DENIED 💪
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) November 24, 2024
He gives @WSUCougarFB back the lead! pic.twitter.com/OIZden1Eww
“This is an extremely good quarterback. We’ve seen a lot of them this year, and he’s right at the top of that list, for sure,” Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said of Mateer.
How will the Cowboys size up in their final game of the season?
The Cowboys are very familiar with defending an explosive and balanced offensive such as the one the Cougars have been running this year. The Cowboys have played against three Mountain West squads with offenses ranking within the top 10 in the nation in total offense, with those teams being Boise State, New Mexico and Utah State. While the Cowboys may be familiar playing against these efficient offenses, they haven’t necessarily been efficient at defending them. Against those three teams, the Cowboys have given up a total of 1,306 yards and 11 touchdowns.
While the Cougars’ defense isn’t nearly as impressive as their offense, only ranking 117th in the nation, the Cowboys will still have their hands full offensively, especially seeing as mentioned starting quarterback Anderson is questionable for the contest after undergoing concussion protocols in the Cowboys’ 17-13 loss against Boise State. That leaves Evan Svoboda, who started at quarterback in the first eight games of the season, to play under center, despite the fact the 6’5, 245 pound junior has been practicing at tight end of late.
“I’m still working at quarterback, I’m still the backup, I’m still getting reps…although I’m playing a little bit at tight end,” Svoboda said after he played the entire second half in place of Anderson against Boise State.
Can the Cowboys end a disappointing season with a win?
No matter who is out on the field or what the circumstances are heading into this game, the Cowboys are still going to give their all in their final outing of the 2024 season in hopes of ending the season with a win.
If the Cowboys are to lose this contest, they will cap their season off with a 2-10 overall record. That record will be their worst since 2015, where the Cowboys finished off with a 2-10 record in the second year of the Craig Bohl era.
