September 4, 2024 |
Photo – Wyoming Football – Courtesy gowyo.com
The Wyoming Cowboys were back at work on Monday getting ready for week two and trying to forget about the nightmare loss in Tempe Saturday night.
Wyoming will face Idaho this week in the Laramie home opener. The resilient Vandals gave #3 Oregon plenty of trouble Saturday before falling 24-14.
Head Coach Jay Sawvel was blunt during this week’s news conference. Wyoming’s performance on the road in Tempe was disappointing. His team needs to regroup and rediscover its identity.
Idaho was picked in the preseason to finish third in the Big Sky after a 9-4 season last year that included a run to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. The Vandals’ defense appears to again be a strength. Last season, the Vandals were ranked 14th nationally among FCS teams in allowing opponents only 306.8 total offensive yards. All four of Idaho’s starting defensive linemen returned for this season. Their doggedness was on display Saturday.
Oregon went into the game a 44.5 point favorite. They were happy to get out with a 10-point win.
Coach Sawvel admitted that his team was stunned early Saturday night. The Cowboys lost their capacity to be balanced in the opening drive and could not regain their composure on either side of the ball.
The coach said the loss was a wake-up call for Wyoming. Sawvel said the Pokes still believe they’re good football team. They’ll have come out Saturday and play like one.
