LARAMIE — If Wyoming doesn’t pick up the first down, this game was all but over.

Facing a 4th-and-5 at midfield with 3:36 remaining in regulation and the Cowboys trailing by seven, running back Samuel Harris headed to the left slot. Tight end Kyle Frendt did the same, only on the opposite side. Wideout Deion DeBlanc was to his immediate right.

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Kaden Anderson slapped his hands together, reeled in the shotgun snap and immediately whipped the ball in the direction of the latter.

DeBlanc, who earlier returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown — and was clocked at 22.2 miles per hour in the process — hauled in the near-lateral throw, made one defender miss and dove for the first down. Frednt got just enough of his man to get him off course. Harris, the speedster they call “Tote” drew plenty of attention to that side of the field, too.

Four plays later, the sophomore signal threw a laser to receiver Charlie Coenen between a pair of San Jose State defensive backs and the former walk-on took care of the rest, cruising 45 yards into the end zone and tying this one up.

The Cowboys scored 21 unanswered in the final frame and running back Terron Kellman made all the video-game moves in a 28-yard highlight reel touchdown run to complete the comeback, 35-28.

That all-important first-down pickup, Jay Sawvel pointed out Monday, was sparked by rookies. Harris, Frendt and DeBlanc are all true freshmen, were on the field, trusted in one of the game’s biggest moments.

 

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While many programs around the country are simply shopping for free agents to fill out their respective rosters during the offseason months, Wyoming’s staff still follows a development model, implemented by former head coach Craig Bohl.

High school prospects are still valued around here.

“I thought last year our freshman group was a really good group,” Sawvel said. “This year, the freshman group that’s here right now, to me, is clearly the most well-rounded, talented group that we’ve had.”

Cornerback Tyson Deen also played in this improbable victory. So did linebacker Steven Perez. Sawvel said defensive end Cade Brook will likely get in on the action this fall. Same with linebacker Parker Moore and possibly even offensive lineman Johnathan Bush.

That’s not all.

“Look, we’re not far away from where Ke’Lyn Washom might get dusted off,” he said, referring to the 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver from Houston. “I mean, we couldn’t cover him last week. You thought (SJSU’s Danny) Scudero made us look bad, we couldn’t cover this guy.”

Quarterback Mason Drube also has a chance to make a big impact this season, starting this week.

The three-star quarterback out of Gillette will run the Cowboys’ scout team in preparation for Saturday’s meeting with Air Force. The dual-threat signal caller will attempt to mimic the already-complicated triple-option attack that now has a serious throwing element.

The Falcons rank ninth in the 12-team Mountain West in the passing category, averaging 214.3 yards per game. That’s just a handful of percentage points behind Wyoming (216.3) and Fresno State (218.2). Liam Szarka has thrown for 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s completing better than 63% of his attempts.

Cade Harris is the fourth-leading receiver in the conference with 492 yards.

“Between Mason and our slot backs, whoever those are, we’ve got a couple people replicating Cade, No. 21, for them,” Wyoming defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl said. “They are going to be vital, because you got to prep so much speed, speed, speed, speed, speed, because you can’t replicate how fast these pictures are going to be. So, it’s going to be huge for us.”

As far as the recipe of recruiting success, Bohl added, waiting to see how guys perform at summer camps — and the first few games of their senior season — has proved invaluable.

“It can show you a lot about work ethic and just development and everything,” he said. “And that’s been huge for us. I mean, a guy like Steven (Perez), he just turned 18 like a week ago, you know? So, you get these young guys that are growing into their bodies.”

Here are some additional news and notes from Wyoming’s weekly press conference:

* The Cowboys will be sporting some new coal-inspired duds in this year’s Border War meeting with Colorado State. Check those out right HERE.

* Senior Andrew Johnson suffered a concussion that kept him out of last Saturday night’s tilt with San Jose State. Fellow starting safety Jones Thomas was also sidelined, a late scratch, Sawvel said, courtesy of an ailing hamstring. Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg sustained a right thigh bruise in a Week-3 meeting with Utah. He hasn’t been in the lineup since. Sawvel said that should change Saturday in Colorado Springs. “That’d be a great thing for us, offensively, to pick him back up,” he said of the senior. “I just saw him a little bit ago. He was in a great, great (mood), you know, he was as upbeat as I’ve seen him in a long time. So, I’m kind of taking that to where he must be feeling pretty good.”

* Brooklyn Cheek had no idea when he woke up Saturday morning that he would be the starting free safety. Neither did Sawvel. With Thomas unable to go, the Cal transfer got the assignment. He was on the field for 84 snaps, his first plays on defense in a Wyoming uniform. How did his baptism by fire turn out? “He did a pretty good job,” Sawvel said, adding SJSU threw the ball 56 times. “There were things that he could clean up in certain calls and certain situations, but for the first time doing that, it was good.”

* How did the Cowboys slow down a Spartan offense that amassed 212 yards of total offense and 21 points over the first 15 minutes of last Saturday night’s game? “Our defensive coaches had a good plan, and we just stayed in the plan,” Sawvel said. “Like I told Aaron after the game, like, as a defensive coordinator, you’re always going to have a game where things just go to crap right off the bat. So, you got to look at it and evaluate it for, OK, is it what we’re doing? Is that the issue? Or is it kind of how we’re doing it? We just got to settle guys down and get them playing right.” That unit responded by blanking Walker Eget and Co. over the final three quarters of play.

* Sawvel said DeBlanc slowly made his way to the home sideline after a muffed punt early in the third quarter. As good as the rookie has been on offense, special teams have been an adventure. His coach sought him out and immediately told him to lift up his chin. Three snaps later, edge rusher Tyce Westland strip-sacked Eget, giving the Wyoming offense the ball back. No damage done. “His whole, like, biorhythm changed, you know what I mean? So, he was a guy that thought he was going to lose us a game, and then really, at the end of the game, he kind of helped us win a game, because on a 4th-and-5, he dug in and got us a five-and-a-half yard gain on a screen. So he’s got a ton of value to us.”

* Wyoming’s offense hasn’t finished better than 80th in the country since Josh Allen was under center back in 2017. This current version of the Cowboys sits at No. 92 overall in the FBS, averaging 357.7 yards an outing. In that win over SJSU, that unit rolled up 413 yards. It’s the second time this season that number has been reached. “We’re trying to get there, OK? We’ve got work to do,” Sawvel said. “So, we’re trying to get there.”

* Air Force (1-5, 0-4) and Wyoming (3-3, 1-1) will meet Saturday inside Falcon Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The Cowboys haven’t won in Colorado Springs since 2017, dropping three straight at the Academy. Air Force has a slight edge in the overall series, 31-28-3.

* The Roaring Repeater Podcast will air again this Tuesday with Cody Tucker and Jared Newland behind the mic inside our Cheyenne studios. Make sure to watch our social media feed, where we’ll be asking you, the fans, for any questions you may have before the home opener. Here is last week’s episode.

* As always, make sure you are following us on social media: Facebook and X. Also, have you downloaded our totally free app yet? You can do that right HERE. You can also sign up for our daily newsletter right HERE. Catch up on all the latest Wyoming football news right HERE.

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