Last Week of Fall Camp Underway for Cowboys

LARAMIE -- "OK, the offense won that one."

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Those words have rarely, if ever, been uttered by Jay Sawvel since he arrived in Laramie as the defensive coordinator back in 2020. The third-year head coach was referring to last Saturday's 95-play scrimmage inside War Memorial Stadium, but that statement is also mostly true when referring to that unit over the last 14 months, whether it's practice or an actual game.

By now, you know the numbers: Wyoming averaged just 16 points per game last fall. Only five teams in the nation were worse: Ball State, Charlotte, Oklahoma State and UMass.

Those teams finished a combined 10-50. The latter didn't win a single game. The Cowboys and 49ers both went 1-11.

To make matters even more maddening for Sawvel and Co., his defense ranked in the Top 50 and was No. 2 behind only Ohio State inside the 20-yard line.

The proverbial "blowtorch" was taken to the offense, starting with the dismissal of play-caller Jay Johnson. Starting quarterback Kaden Anderson entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. So did running backs Terron Kellman and Damashja Harris, along with the team's leading receiver Chris Durr Jr.

Sawvel Monday named Tyler Hughes the Cowboys' new starting signal caller. The graduate transfer is reuniting with former William and Mary offensive coordinator Christian Taylor, who sold him on the FCS program in Williamsburg, Va., in the first place.

Soon, fans will learn names like Justin Popovich, Markell Holman and Ke'Lyn Washom, among many others. The kids have grown up, too: Samuel "Tote" Harris, Kyle Frendt, Jake Wilson and Eric Richardson among them.

It's the final week of fall camp. Prep for the first opponent, Border War rival Colorado State, is now on the horizon. These two rivals will meet for the 118th time on Sept. 5 inside Canvas Stadium.

What Head Coach Jay Sawvel Had to Say:
"The scrimmage went well Saturday. I think we were about 95 plays. Sunday we came out and practiced with pads on, today came out and practiced with pads on. We will give the players a day off, it'll be tomorrow, then we'll get into our first opponent on Wednesday. I think, from a health perspective, we're in a solid place. You know, you got a couple of bumps and bruises here and there, but it'll be good for guys to have a couple of days where, physically, you know, we're not doing anything.”

Extra Points:
The Cowboys return one of the top safeties in the Mountain West in Jones Thomas and one of the top nickel corners in Desman Hearns. Both were preseason All-MW selections by numerous publications.

Thomas appeared in and started 11 games for the Cowboys. He is the Cowboys’ leading returning tackler from 2025 with 57. He also tied for the team lead with two interceptions and added four pass breakups. He recorded an interception for a touchdown against Hawai’i. He had a career-high 12 tackles for the Pokes at Fresno State.

The Fort Collins native also tied a career-high with seven solo stops, as he also had seven against Air Force. He added eight tackles against Utah and UNLV.

Hearns appeared in12 games with 11 starts in his first season with the Brown and Gold. He finished the season with 35 total tackles with 29 solo stops. He also added two tackles for loss. He tied for the team lead with two interceptions and forced two fumbles. He also tied for the team lead with five pass breakups.

He added an interception in both the Northern Iowa and Colorado State games. He forced fumbles against Utah and UNLV. He recorded eight tackles twice doing so against Utah and San Jose State, as he recorded eight solo stops against SJSU.

The Pokes have depth at the position with players like Brooklyn Cheek, who started a contest last season against SJSU, along with Jaden DaCosta, who was a valuable special teamer. Cheyenne native Drew Jackson, along with Kaiden Kimble-Turner and Elvin Ampofo, who redshirted last season, are also in the mix.

Wyoming also added players in the transfer portal: Jett Vincent and Da’Marion Brownlee. Vincent saw playing time during his stint at Colorado State, with Brownlee playing Missouri Southern. Wyoming also added a talented player to play in the nickel position in Travis Franklin Jr. out of Jacksonville State.

* A UW press release contributed to this article

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