OCTOBER 30, 2024|
Photo – UW Cowboy logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
After a rough 1-and-7 start to the season, Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson will be under center Saturday afternoon when the Cowboys take on New Mexico.
Head Coach Jay Sawvel confirmed the move at quarterback during his weekly news conference on Monday.
Sawvel said the two-point loss to Utah State came down to a lack of Wyoming scoring touchdowns and settling for field goals.
Sawvel admitted that his offense had plenty of opportunities to make plays and score points but squandered their chances to make the most of the situation.
Anderson, a redshirt freshman signal caller from Southlake, Texas, has appeared in six games this fall. He’s mainly entered late in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys were facing certain defeat.
His chance to see more action came this week against the Aggies after Sawvel, looking to shake things up, went to a two-quarterback system.
Junior Evan Svoboda made his seventh-straight start against Utah State and was under center for the first two drives of the night. The second — an 8-play, 55-yard possession that took 5:19 off the clock — led to a 43-yard John Hoyland field goal—but not a touchdown.
Svoboda saw another opportunity under center in the first half, but he was picked off with 1:13 remaining, and the Aggies took a 17-10 lead at halftime.
Head coach Sawvel talked about the decision to pull Svoboda and put in Anderson as the quarterback for the second half.
Sawvel’s rambling answer offered a hint at the frustrations haunting the Cowboy program as Halloween approaches. The headline in the Casper Star Tribune suggested that Sawvel’s number could soon be up, as well. “Will Jay Sawvel survive his first season at Wyoming?”, blared the question on Tuesday.
In the Cowboys’ locker room, the Wyoming players themselves still believe in their head coach, even if some sports writers around the state don’t.
Bruised, banged up, and hobbled together as they are, Wyoming enters Saturday’s matchup against a retooled New Mexico team as a 7.5 point underdog.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
