By Jeff Bugher
The entire team played well from offense to defense, and onto special teams. However, we wanted to highlight a few notable MVPs from Saturday. While the game ended with a score of Texas 31, Wyomingt 10 - it is important to remember that the game was tied at 10-10 going into the 4th quarter.
MVP #1 - Quarterback Evan Svoboda:
With an undisclosed injury to starting quarterback Andrew Peasley, Snow Community College transfer Evan Svoboda was given the green light to be QB1. Head coach Craig Bohl stated in the post-game press conference that the decision to start backup quarterback Evan Svoboda was a “game-time decision”. Following the game, Svoboda stated that he was told he might play earlier in the week. “I had to step up this week, take on the reps…it kind of hit me Monday …you know, you could potentially go in and start against Texas, the number 4 team in the country, so that's when it hit me”. Svoboda became the starter against Texas with only a handful of passes in special formations the team would run occasionally. Svoboda did play the full 4th quarter against Portland State but did not throw a pass during his time in the game. Essentially, Svoboda was “unproven” coming into the Texas game. "Unproven" didn't last long, as Svoboda showed us what he could do against Texas. Svoboda's play style is a more traditional pocket passer, yet he showed us that he is mobile and can pass on the run - reminiscent of Josh Allen’s days at Wyoming. Evan did run the ball yet he typically passed the ball while running, so his rushing stats don’t show the full picture. When the dust settled, Svoboda’s stats were: 28 attempts, 17 completions (61% completion), 1 interception, 136 total yards, a long of 20 yards, and a QB rating of 94.4. Svoboda exceeded Longhorn QB Quinn Ewers in all statistics except for touchdowns thrown, pass long, and QB rating.
No Stage too Big:
Could you imagine having your first start in front of more than 101,777 people at sold-out Darrell K Royal- "Texas Memorial Stadium" in the heart of Austin, Texas, and in the biggest game of your life? That would be a daunting task for anyone in that situation. “There were a lot of emotions…I just went out there to have fun and play ball.” Svoboda said. On nerves: ” I get a little nervous before every game, but once I get that big hit, that big play…That's when it kind of all just goes away.” Svoboda continued. Svoboda’s confidence didn’t waiver: “It [the game] gives me all the confidence in the world. I mean, you're hanging in... [with] the best, and they're a great team, [and] we're a great team and we showed that and I think it gives us all the confidence, [and the] confidence moving forward."
Peasley and the Team’s Support:
With starting quarterback Andrew Peasley out for the game, Peasley remained one of Svoboda’s biggest cheerleaders. “All night he was coming up to me like he got this, encouraging me all night. Not only him, but all the other guys...and it was really nice, know it really boosted my confidence” Svoboda said. Wyatt Wieland joined in “We knew they were going to be nerves, I mean all of us had nerves and we've all played in a lot of games. But I thought through the 1st 3/4 we really stood in there and held our own and we just got to be more focused on the 4th coming out next time.” Wieland Continued “I just kinda told him [Svoboda] before the game I was like - hey, believe in yourself, believe in us, trust us to go make plays - He definitely did that tonight. So I'm grateful that he trusted us to go out there and make plays.” Easton Gibbs also had a lot to say about Svoboda’s first start: “Evan, we always knew he was a passionate guy. It was really cool to see him lead… come out there and he operated offense. That's what we told him to do, take care of the football, stay on the field. I think he did a really good job with that, especially for someone's first start. It's not the easiest place to come into. So yeah, it was impressive, and I was very proud of him. His leadership showed a lot.” Transfer running back Harrison Waylee who also played his first ever game as a Cowboy against Texas had this to say: “Him [Svobada] coming in and having to take over in a really big game is pretty impressive and the way he carried us throughout the whole game out there, impressive as well. He did what he had to do [and was] just up for the occasion.” Frank “The Tank” Crum also chimed in about Svoboda: "I'm definitely really proud of Evan. He's got the guys behind [him], so I'm proud of him for going out there and he wasn't hesitant at all nor seemed shook at all. Which is good to see from your signal caller and some confidence there, and I think he has a lot to build on for sure.” Lastly, head coach Craig Bohl spoke about Evan’s remarkable performance as well: “I thought it was pretty remarkable. I was constantly looking at the shot clock because typically a younger quarterback that's. Even though you think that's one of the first things that you look at, he never really put us in jeopardy. I think one time it was down to 0. His handling of the huddle, handling of the crowd noise and [the] silent count was good. He made some really good throws. There was one I think he was a little bit late on and that's when he got picked off. But you know, he had, he really was composed and I thought Andrew did a nice job with him along with Coach [Tim] Polasek.”
MVP #2 – Running Back Harrison Waylee
Quarterback Evan Svoboda wasn’t the only player starting their first game for the Cowboys against Texas. Northern Illinois transfer running back Harrison Waylee also played his first game as a Cowboy. The biggest story coming into the 2023 season was Waylee’s delayed return to action due to off-season surgery. In August, Bohl told the media that Waylee would miss "a couple of games". Fans and the team had to wait until the Texas game to see what Waylee could do for the Pokes, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. The stage and bright lights were certainly not too big for Waylee, as he immediately popped off a 62-yard run for a touchdown to score the first points of the game at the 12:45 mark in the first quarter. By the time the game was over, Harrison had 18 rush attempts, 110 yards, 1 touchdown, a long rush of 62 yards, and an average of 6.1 yards per carry,
Teammates Reaction:
Wyatt Wieland was excited to answer the question when asked by the media: “So much we've missed that we saw what he could do in spring ball and he's electric. It was definitely nice to have him back. That dude can make plays in the run game, if we can just sustain our blocks a little longer, we'll definitely help him out. But it’s great to have him back there.” Easton Gibbs shared the same sentiment: “I played against a couple of weeks ago [in practice] and he was really good back then, and I can just see he's got bigger, stronger, [and] faster. So I think he's going to be a whole other dimension to our offense. Like you guys saw, [he can] run away from dudes and we're excited to have him back, and we knew what we were getting when he got here, so it's been good.” Frank Crum also spoke about Waylee, and he certainly hasn’t forgotten about the time he played against Waylee at NIU: “Yeah, I knew who Harrison Whaley was from his NIU days [when he] had some 400 rushing yards on us. Spring ball, he was amazing and super proud of him. He can tote the ball for us. So I'm excited to see what he can do…I'm really happy to have him behind us, he reads us really well, sticks his foot the ground, gets north. and south. Definitely excited for his future as a Cowboy as well.” Head coach Craig Bohl also shared his thoughts on Waylee’s explosive debut: “Well, pretty excellent. I mean, I think you saw [not just] anybody that can run away from Texas secondary. That's just not an explosive play, that's an exponentially explosive play, and that's a gear and an element that we have not had for a while. It was good to get him out there. He's been practicing some, we limited how many reps he was going to get. I think we hit that mark.”
“Silence the whole stadium. You really could really tell. Yeah, it was a great third down conversion and you know, put the ball in Harrison's hands first game back and he does something with the explosive, you know, big, big.” Wyatt Wieland on Waylee’s 62 TD run
MVP #3 - Linebacker Easton Gibbs
Easton Gibbs was the leading tackler for the game with 10 total tackles against the #4 Texas Longhorns in their house. Saturday’s game at Texas marked Gibb’s 15th game with 10 or more tackles. During his career at Wyoming, Easton has played 35 games for the Pokes and has a total of 227 career tackles following Saturday's game. Gibbs announced during Mountain West Media Days that this will be his final year. Easton will be playing on Sundays next season, but for now, fans continue to enjoy watching his final season at Wyoming. Bohl commented on Easton’s performance against Texas: “Well, he's a good player and anytime he's challenged, he's delivered, and it was great to see him make a lot of tackles tonight.” Bohl's words were short because he doesn’t really need to give a lot of context about the defensive leader on his team, the actions on the field speak for themselves.
MVP #4 Wide Receiver Wyatt Wieland
Wyatt Wieland is a player of many trades, he had the most receptions for the game. By the of the night, he had 8 catches for 62 yards with a long of 20 yards and a “yards after carry” average of 16. Wieland also had 1 kick return for 11 yards. Here’s what quarterback Evan Svoboda had to say about Wieland’s experience: “Yeah, it helps a lot, having experienced guys in there, they're just like you know, we got your back, I got theirs. So a lot of. Trust between us and everybody.”
MVP #5 Offensive Line- The Silent Workhorses
Quarterback Evan Svoboda didn’t hesitate when asked about the offensive line during media availability on Monday. “They killed it on Saturday, really held their own against a great defensive line. They really balled out, they protected me all night and I really appreciated that.” Wyoming's offensive line starters include: LT Frank Crum, LG Wes King, C Nofoafia Tulafono, RG Jack Walsh, and RT Caden Barnett. This crew enabled the run game to work like a charm.
MVP #6 – Defensive End Sabastian Harsh
Sebastian Harsh got his MVP spot because he had 7 total tackles, 6 solo tackles, 1 sack, and 2 tackles for loss. Here’s what head coach Craig Bohl had to say: “Well, you know, Sebastian's gone through a lot, and for him to come back and be at full strength on a night like tonight, it was really good to see him play." It's safe to say that Wyoming fans expect big things from the Scottsbluff, Nebraska native in the future.
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