LARAMIE — Jay Sawvel has been trying to make that happen for the better part of the last month.
He’s doing the same thing over and over again, but the numbers and optics aren’t doing the University of Wyoming’s first-year head coach any favors.
Evan Svoboda entered Saturday night’s game against Air Force, completing just over 44 percent of his passes. The junior quarterback had three pickoffs, including a pick-six on his first attempt of the season, but had one fumble and averaged just under 116 yards per game.
For the pass efficiency category, scroll to the bottom of the FBS stats. There you have the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Arizona product. He entered the tournament ranked 128th nationally out of 129 signal callers. That number: 86.5. Only New Mexico State’s Parker Awad was worse.
So why should we believe Sobel that someday Wyoming fans will be happy that Evan Svoboda is their QB?
Even on nights like this.
“We played Cowboy football,” Sobel said Saturday after the Cowboys defeated their Front Range rivals 31-19 in Laramie for their first win of the 2024 season. “We were in it the whole time.”
It all started with number 17.
Svoboda was late again this time. He was overshooting targets, putting too much effort into short throws, and throwing horrible wide receiver screen passes that never seemed to work.
We’ve seen how this plays out.
Nevertheless. Wyoming found the end zone on its first possession of the night, turning a botched fake punt into a six-play, 46-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard dash into the end zone courtesy of running back Sam Scott. The high tide has been reached.
Svoboda failed to complete a pass in the first 15 minutes, resulting in a score of 0-3. In the second quarter, he hit the target on six of his next seven throws, but only gained 46 yards.
He added just 17 yards on the ground on three carries in that span.
At the end of the first half, boos rained down on the home team. The attackers once again appeared to be on neutral ground, inflicting severe PTSD symptoms on the more than 23,000 people inside War Memorial Stadium.
Calls for backup for Kayden Anderson grew quickly and furiously on social media. It’s nothing new. It’s surprising this big Texan isn’t trending in X yet.
Wyoming has been a punching bag in the third quarter of games so far this fall. How bad could it have been? 52-0. That’s the worst. Certainly, that wasn’t going to change against the Air Force, a team that traditionally gobbles up the game clock and picks up tooth-grinding No. 4 shortstops. Not to mention, this Cowboy offense had only gained 83 yards of total offense up to that point.
Most people would have chalked up the loss to number five.
Svoboda had other plans.
He connected on back-to-back passes to wideout Chris Darr Jr. and tight end John Michael Gillenborg for 32 and 33 yards, respectively. Despite right guard Wes King being sent off the field with an apparent foot injury, Sobel continued to attack on the field, scoring his fourth goal from the duo.
Svoboda followed the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Scott through the hole and through the white stripe to give the Cowboys a 14-13 lead.
He didn’t stop there.
On the ensuing possession, he connected with Doull and Gyllenborg again. First is 16 yards. Next, on third-and-eight, he threw a ball to the boundary line and reached 13th base. It was a blow that reminded me of another man here who once wore the same number. Svoboda also connected with TK King and acquired Baker’s Dozen. He added 22 points on the scheduled run.
King would take a jet-sweep handoff on the 11th play of the drive and bolt on the pylon.
Svoboda’s foot put his team in the win column after Air Force running back Aiden Calvert crossed 37 yards into the end zone with seven minutes left in regulation to make it one point again.
The dagger appeared in the form of a 17-yard burst in the middle. He took a shotgun snap, pretended to give Scott, and ran back into the teeth of the Falcons’ defense. After he broke through the opening, he turned left and plunged into the untouched brown and gold Teton Mountains.
The celebration that followed wasn’t pretty, but it told a story. It was literally like trying to shake an 800 pound gorilla off my back.
“It’s emotional. It’s very emotional,” Svoboda said after finishing the night with a season-best 165 yards on 15-of-21 completions. He also had 70 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 12 attempts in his first college win. “You know, it feels great. Like I said before, we’re going to embrace it, ride it and move on with it.”
“…There’s a little bit of weight (put down), but that’s what this position is like. It’s a tough job, but it’s not too big. Nothing is impossible.”
Over the course of several weeks, teammates and coaches vowed over and over again that Svoboda would be fine. His confidence was good. Despite what the numbers and records showed, they believed in him.
They rave about his leadership and say he’s a good fit under center.
Saturday night was a “I said so” moment for many of them.
“That guy over there, Evan, made a great play,” said Gillenborg, who caught four passes for a season-high 70 yards. “And, you know, it was fun. It’s really fun to play football and compete and win.”
Scott, who had 97 yards rushing and a touchdown on 19 carries, added, “I’m extremely proud of Evan.” “He’s a great quarterback. I definitely had his back.”
More UW football news via 7220SPORTS:
* Rant and praise: Air Force edition
* Polk outscored Air Force in the second half to win 31-19.
* Turning points, unsung heroes, and what’s next for UW football
* Live File: Wyoming vs. Air Force
*Hallstrom: “I wanted to be a cowboy.”
* Getting Ready for Game Day: Air Force
*Breaking News: Seven Mountain West Team Ink Binding Contract
* Show us your picks: Week 5
* Read Sun: “No, seriously, you’re starting.”
* Learn about Wyoming’s enemy, the Air Force Falcons
* NFL Wyoming Cowboys: Week 3
* The Cowboys are becoming “lost” in the middle eight.
*Wyoming’s Whaley will redshirt and appear in four games this fall
* Wyoming Football: News and notes ahead of Air Force
Sobel has said multiple times that his QB has gotten better as the season has progressed. After a 44-17 loss to North Texas seven days ago, he admitted the game wasn’t coming together as quickly as he would have liked, but he’s still committed to Svoboda.
After this outing, the story picked up even more speed.
That’s also natural.
Is Svoboda a finished product? Absolutely not. Is there work to be done? absolutely. Did he resemble the player many of you wanted to replace Andrew Peaslee last season? yes.
In this win over Air Force, Svoboda showed grit, toughness and the ability to make plays when it matters most. It was very similar to his predecessor.
The sight you can glimpse is impressive. There is no consistency.
Will it happen sooner or later? You can expect it.
If that guy shows up, Wyoming has a chance to climb out of this hole. If a player from Tempe were to climb under center, the losses would mount and the peanut gallery would howl.
This includes the person writing this column.
“Evan is going to be a really good player at the University of Wyoming,” Sobel reiterated. “He needed some kind of breakout, right? I mean, I know he wasn’t throwing 450 yards or anything like that. I get that. But what happened was; In the second half, we scored, we scored, and he changed things up and scored a big goal at the end. He played football tonight.
“I’m so proud of that kid. I’m happy for him. (He’s) a big, strong guy. When he hugged me afterwards, he hugged my waist. But I’m really happy for him.”And I think he can build on this and see how he performed tonight. That’s certainly a good thing.”
Top 50 University of Wyoming football players
The rules are simple. What influences did the players have while at Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status, or other honors earned outside of UW are irrelevant when it comes to this list.
This is not a job you can do alone. This task required a committee of experts. Joining Cody Tucker in 7220 are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn and Kevin McKinney.
We all created our own list of 50 and let the computer average it out. Think BCS — we want this catalog to be more fair.
Don’t agree with our choices? Feel free to share your thoughts on Twitter: @7220 Sports – #Top50UWFB
Gallery credit: 7220Sports.com
– Top 50 University of Wyoming Football Players
