Wyoming’s Eighth Spring Practice Puts Spotlight on Physicality Ahead of Scrimmage
- Jeff Bugher
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
LARAMIE, Wyo. — Following Wyoming’s eighth spring practice, head coach Jay Sawvel emphasized the importance of situational work, physicality, and continued growth at key positions.
“I was a good day,” Sawvel said. “We got stuff done. We had a lot of situational things with red zone work, 2-minute, which the defense kind of dominated there at the end. We know we’ve got to have a much better... there were two sacks in there, and anytime you get a sack in a 2-minute scenario, it’s kind of a killer.”
Scrimmage on Saturday
Looking ahead to Saturday’s scrimmage, Sawvel laid out the plan: “We’ll stretch at 10:30 in the morning, we’ll have a short individual, a short like pregame team period. I know we said it’s scheduled to start at 11:00, but it’ll probably be like 10:55 that we’ll get started. Somewhere in that window, we’ll start — just put the ball down and play.”
Saturday’s practice will look different, with a more controlled script. “Next Saturday will be kind of a live practice where... we’ll have scenarios of all different kinds of things that’s live,” Sawvel explained. “Sometimes when you go into a scrimmage, you just play the scenarios that show up. Next Saturday, we’ll dictate more scenarios — goal line period, all those things.”
Sawvel is clear about his priorities: “We have to build on the number of winning offensive linemen. That number’s got to be eight, nine, ten that could go in a game and win. Right now, we’re not there yet. The corner has to be an area that shows substantial improvement. We weren’t good enough at that position a year ago.”
Sawvel wants a physical showing. “I want it to be a physically violent scrimmage on Saturday. That’s going to be an expectation for the team.”
Injury Front
On the injury front, tight end Evan Svoboda will practice through Tuesday before undergoing a procedure on his finger. “He has a spiral fracture in his left small finger. He will practice Saturday, he will practice Tuesday, but they’ll have to put a pin in on Wednesday and he’ll miss the rest of spring,” Sawvel said. “He’ll be full-go, cleared within three weeks. It’s not a big injury, just one that has to be addressed.”
Defensive lineman Alex Haswell and defensive end Jordan Turnbull will both undergo procedures next week for knee and Achilles injuries, respectively. “They’ll be back during the season — probably in September,” Sawvel said.
New Running Backs Coach
With a new running backs coach Gary Herrell brought in this week, Sawvel is pleased with the hire. “I think he’s an outstanding coach. He’s fit in extremely well right off the bat. The biggest thing is just getting comfortable with terminology. I think we actually improved ourselves with that hire.”
Offensive Line
Sawvel highlighted veteran players like Jack Walsh, and Wes King and Caden Barnett as leaders in the offensive line group. “Saturday will be a big day on that,” he said. “Now it’s OK — Jake Davies has got to come along, Brandon Jenkins has got to come along, Gio Panozzo’s got to come along.”
Defense
At linebacker, Sawvel is encouraged by athleticism and length. “Desman Hearns continues to flash every day. Jones Thomas has come along. He’s got confidence, comfort, and he’s playing fast. Gary Rutherford’s a guy who could be a really good player for us. He’s 6-4-plus, creates different windows.”
Linebackers
Newcomer linebacker Braden Johnson has stood out on defense. “He’s a mature guy. He’s very physical. He benches like 420 pounds. He’s a really good blitzer — glad that he’s here.”
Corners
As for the outside corners, improvement is critical. “Keany Parks, Markie Grant, Tyrese Boss, Ian Bell... we weren’t good enough a year ago. The talent is there, but it has to show up in a scrimmage. No coaches on the field — you’ve got to get your call, get lined up, go play.”
Quarterbacks
Sawvel had high praise for quarterback Kaden Anderson’s leadership and development. “This time last year, he wasn’t a leader. Now everybody has confidence in him. He’s done a great job with his body. There’s a different level to him.”
In reviewing tape, Sawvel has liked Anderson’s command and accuracy. “His decision-making is very good. He gets the ball out quickly. There’s some really good shots he’s throwing. He’s not scared — he’ll stand in there and deliver a ball.”
Running Backs
With running back Sam Scott not participating this spring and more freshmen coming in this summer, Sawvel sees this weekend’s scrimmage as key for evaluating others in the room. “Saturday is a big deal to see where Nico Hamilton is, see where Terron [Kellman] responds. Terron has had a good spring.”
And in true Sawvel honesty, he didn’t hesitate regarding roster plans. “We are looking for a running back in the spring portal. I don’t want to ever be short in that room. A year ago, we got short in that room — we’re not going to be short again.”
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