The Cowboys, for a lack of better words, are off to an abysmal start to the season.
Through their first two games the Cowboys have featured one of the worst offenses in the nation. Currently, they are second to last in total offensive yards, just ahead of a Western Michigan team that is also 0-2 to start the season.
The Cowboys are also one of the most penalized teams in the nation, averaging eight penalties a game through their first two games after being one of the least penalized teams in the nation all of last year.
On the bright side of things, however, it seems like things can only go up from here for the Cowboys. Starting quarterback Evan Svoboda reiterated that as well after their head-scratching loss in the home opener against Idaho.
“We’re at, kind of, the bottom point, but like I’ve been telling the guys right now, it’s only up from here,” Svoboda said.
The Cowboys will have a big opportunity to avenge their home opening loss with old conference rival BYU rolling into town on September 14.
Get to know BYU
BYU is off to a much better start than the Cowboys, winning out in their first two games against Southern Illinois and SMU. They even received two votes in the most recent AP (Associated Press) Top 25 poll.
The Cougars are led by junior signal caller Jake Retzlaff, who has completed 60% of his passes through two games and thrown for four touchdowns along with two picks. He’ll likely be looking for wide receiver Chase Roberts, who has snagged nine catches for 134 yards, but hasn’t found the endzone on any of his catches.
“Retzlaff is playing at a really high level, he’s got a very good arm, he’s very mobile,” head coach Jay Sawvel said.
“Chase Roberts at receiver and Keanu Hill at tight end are two big threats that we’re [also] going to have to deal with,” Sawvel added about the Cougar offense.
The Cougars have been efficient defensively so far this season, holding both their opponents so far to just 246 yards per game and only allowing them to 14 points per game collectively.
“They’re good across the board,” Sawvel said of the Cougars’ defense. “We’re going to have to play really good up front.”
Can the Cowboys clean up their game?
The Cowboys’ 16 penalties so far this season have cost them 135 yards. You could also argue that it cost the Cowboys a game tying touchdown against Idaho, when the Cowboys found themselves first and goal on the Idaho one yard line until a false start pushed them back five yards. That ultimately led them to settle for a field goal to make the score 17-13, which ended up being the final score of the game.
“We got to clean it up,” senior free safety Wyett Ekeler said after the home opener. “Can’t win games with a lot of penalties.”
Sawvel pointed out execution as one of the biggest reasons why the Pokes are making so many mistakes. He noted that much of the play calling or even running those plays in practice isn’t as much of an issue as it is just executing a play cleanly and properly in an actual game.
“We haven’t executed as well as what we need to and we have to improve at that at a number of positions,” Sawvel said.
Will this young offensive unit be able to find success soon?
The Cowboys, at least in the last couple of years, really haven’t been known much for their offense. However, that doesn’t mean that the Pokes can’t rack up offensive yards and touchdowns, even against a good defense.
Svoboda and his offensive entourage this year are all relatively new and inexperienced at the collegiate level. With several underclassmen playing in their first season and Svoboda himself only starting three games so far in his career, the growing pains have been obvious and abundant.
“That was his third start, right? This isn’t a guy that started for two years or something like that,” Sawvel said of his starting quarterback and his struggles.
“All [our] skill receivers are new, right? So there’s mistakes that they make on certain things as well, that we have to work through and get better at,” Sawvel added.
Despite the mistakes, confidence has not been lost on this young offensive crew, amongst both the coaches and the unit themselves. And with that belief is the hope that the results will soon match the potential of this offense.
“It’s a young group that really needs to prove themselves and prove who we can be, and I know we are more than capable of doing that,” Svoboda said.
A rivalry renewed
The last time the Cowboys played BYU was in 2022, where the Cougars were able to outlast the Cowboys 28-14 in Provo. However, the series dates much further back as both teams were conference rivals for much of a century.
“This will be a big deal to everyone in the state of Wyoming,” Sawvel said. “Not only are you playing an old rival, you’re playing a quality opponent at home.”
From 1921 to 2010, the Cowboys and the Cougars played in four different conferences together until the Cougars became an independent school in 2011 and eventually joined the Big 12 conference in 2023.
The Cougars have won the contest 46 times compared to the Cowboys’ 30 wins in the rivalry. The Cowboys will seek their first win against the Cougars since 2003, where they beat the Cougars inside War Memorial Stadium 13-10.
