Laramie, Wyo. - The Wyoming Cowboys fell to San Diego State 27-24 on Saturday inside War Memorial Stadium. The Pokes played tough, but multiple costly errors gave the Aztecs the edge.. The Pokes now have a 1-5 record on the season and 1-1 in Mountain West Conference play.
First Quarter Highlights: San Diego State received the kick-off, but failed to make anything happen offensively. Following a SDSU punt, Wyoming took over on their own 15-yard line, but the Cowboys went three-and-out. The Aztecs got the ball back, and Wyoming's Sebastian Harsh made a crucial stop, forcing SDSU into a 4th down situation. Like many teams have done against Wyoming this year, the Aztecs tried to convert on the 4th down but failed to do so.
On Wyoming's next possession, quarterback Evan Svoboda threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage. Thankfully, he made a touchdown-saving tackle at Wyoming’s 10-yard line. The defense came to the rescue again, with Harsh making another critical stop. San Diego State settled for a 22-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead with 6:27 left in the first quarter.
Wyoming immediately responded with a trick play. QB Evan Svoboda handed the ball off to running back Sam Scott, who then flicked the ball back to Svoboda, who found WR Jaylen Sargent wide-open for a 70-yard touchdown—Sargent's first career TD. Wyoming took a 7-3 lead, and the crowd erupted with a roar that was likely heard across the plains. The excitement was short-lived, as later in the quarter, Svoboda threw a 41-yard pick-six with two seconds remaining in the first quarter. Wyoming took the over on a fair catch on the punt. On the ensuing drive, Svoboda completed a 19-yard pass to John Michael Gyllenborg, but a 41-yard pick-six on the next play gave the Aztecs a 10-7 lead with two seconds left in the first quarter.
Second Quarter Action: Following the disastrous pick-six to end the first quarter, the Wyoming defense, led by DeVonne Harris and Braden Siders, continued to make big plays, forcing SDSU into a punt. Wyoming’s offense, however, couldn’t capitalize, and punter Jack Culbreath booted a short 32-yard punt, which gave the Aztecs great field position at their 43-yard line.
Tyrecus Davis made an essential pass breakup on 3rd down. SDSU attempted a big pass to the endzone, but the Cowboys forced an incompletion that was reviewed.
Wyoming’s next possession saw more creativity. A nine-yard catch by Scott set up a gutsy fake punt that resulted in a 17-yard gain by Jayden Williams. Sam Scott broke free for a 27-yard run, moving the ball to the SDSU 12-yard line. After a pass interference call, Wyoming had 1st and goal, and Scott punched it in from two yards out, putting the Cowboys ahead 14-10 with 9:08 left in the second quarter.
SDSU answered with a touchdown drive of their own, taking over the lead 17-14. Connor Shay snagged a live ball late in the quarter, but Wyoming couldn’t get much going. Hoyland’s 50-yard field goal attempt at the end of the half missed wide right.
Third Quarter Momentum: Coming out of the locker room, Svoboda led Wyoming on a promising drive but faced some setbacks, including a penalty and a near-touchdown pass ruled incomplete. John Hoyland tied the game at 17-17 with a 42-yard field goal with 10:05 left in the third quarter.
The Cowboys' defense continued to step up, with Dante Drake forcing a key stop. Svoboda's 51-yard touchdown run, their biggest of the game, gave Wyoming a 24-17 lead.
Fourth Quarter: SDSU responded quickly with a pair of big pass plays, the second resulting in a touchdown that tied the game at 24 with 13:54 left in the fourth. Wyoming's offense stalled, and after a short punt, SDSU capitalized with a long run, setting up a 26-yard field goal to take a 27-24 lead with 7:35 remaining.
Wyoming had one last chance. Svoboda scrambled for a 24-yard gain, but the Cowboys could not convert on the following plays, ending the game with a heartbreaking 27-24 loss.
Sawvel's Reaction: Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel expressed frustration during his post-game press conference with the media, citing that Wyoming had too many mistakes to be in a position to win the game.
"The team that makes the least mistakes wins," Sawvel said. "We made critical mistakes too often in all phases of the game. You could go on and on and there’s just times that we just didn’t finish the play off like we needed to. We made mistakes you can’t make to win a game like that. We did everything we could to win this game, and we did that in a lot of different ways."
Wyoming Key Stats
Passing
Evan Svoboda: 12/31 completions, 181 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, 39% completion rate, 85.5 passer rating
Receiving
John Michael Gyllenborg: 4 receptions, 48 yards, long of 19, 12 yards per catch
Jaylen Sargent: 2 receptions, 84 yards, one touchdown, long of 70, 42 yards per catch
TK King: 2 receptions, 34 yards, long of 19, 17 yards per catch
Total: 6 receivers with 12 receptions for 181 yards, one touchdown
Rushing
Sam Scott: 20 carries, 94 yards, one touchdown, long of 27, 4.7 yards per carry
Evan Svoboda: 14 carries, 55 yards, one touchdown, long of 51, 3.9 yards per carry
Total: 4 rushers for 41 carries, 190 yards, two touchdowns, 4.6 yards per carry
Special Teams
John Hoyland (K): 1/2 on field goals, long of 42
Clayton Culbreath (P): 7 punts, 297 yards, 42.4-yard average, long of 57, 3 inside the 20
Defense
Shae Suiaunoa (LB): 10 total tackles, seven solo, 1.5 TFL
Sebastian Harsh (DE): 6 total tackles, five solo, one sack, 4 TFL
Andrew Johnson (S): 6 total tackles, five solo, 0.5 TFL
Dante Drake: 5 total tackles, 1.5 TFL
Edit: Too much driving on Saturday, I had my notes all messed up lol. I have made corrections.
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