Never turn off the TV, no matter how hopeless the situation may be.
The last two years of Cowboy football have been a rollercoaster, to put it mildly.
The season-ending win against Washington State in 2024 was a pleasant way to end an otherwise disappointing first year for Jay Sawvel.
This year started similarly, and it began to suffer from the same headache-inducing mistakes as of late.
Against UNLV, special teams cost the Pokes any chance of pulling off a conference upset.
Early on Saturday, San Jose State’s tandem of QB Walker Eget and WR Danny Scudero tormented Wyoming’s secondary to the tune of 4 touchdown connections in the first half.
The third quarter wasn’t any better as a stalemate ensued.
Then, the 4th quarter happened, and all the bad juju that had plagued the Wyoming Cowboys lifted for 10 minutes of gameplay.
Laradise’s sorcery was in full force.
First Downs: WYO 20 – SJSU 21
Third Downs: WYO 4/12 (33.3%) – SJSU 6/19 (31.5%)
Fourth Downs: WYO 1/3 (33.3%) – SJSU 1/2 (50%)
Total Yards: WYO 413 – SJSU 383
Passing Yards: WYO 304 – SJSU 340
Rushing Yards: WYO 109 – SJSU 43
Times Sacked: WYO 2 – SJSU 2
Penalties: WYO 6 for 60 yards – SJSU 10 for 80 yards
Turnovers: WYO 3 – SJSU 2
A tale of two halves – and Spartan personnel.
SJSU QB Walker Eget and WR Danny Scudero could do no wrong in the first 30 minutes of play.
The latter managed to tie a school record for TD receptions within that time – something that doesn’t instill confidence into your defense.
But both Spartans were banged up and forced to play limited snaps in the second half.
And with Wyoming stopping San Jose’s run game in its tracks, any hitch in the Spartan aerial assault would prove significant, if not, fatal.
2nd and 3rd string quarterbacks Xavier Ward and Tama Amisone were no threat as they passed for a combined 45 yards and one interception on 8/18 passing.
But despite the infirmary tent being active for San Jose State, Wyoming had to force the action to capture any momentum before it was too late.
Enter LB Brayden Johnson.
On a fluky off-the-helmet deflection, Johnson was in the right place at the right time and was able to house the interception for a 65-yard TD that supercharged the Cowboy crowd.
The next SJSU drive took five minutes off the clock, but Wyoming forced them to punt.
A Poke TD tied the ballgame at 28, and wouldn’t you know, Jay Sawvel’s crew rode the high of a juiced War Memorial crowd into another stop.
No doubt about it, Wyoming’s defense ignited the fire needed for the sizable comeback and – for the first time this season – the offense complemented them with a terrific effort of their own.
After last week’s debacle, this was more of a mixed bag.
The positive – Deion DeBlanc returned a punt in the 1st quarter for a 73-yard touchdown that helped alleviate the Spartan offensive onslaught.
The negative – DeBlanc muffed a punt return early in the 3rd quarter that gave San Jose State prime field position on the 10-yard line. Somehow, the Cowboys forced a red-zone fumble, preventing them from scoring.
Kicker Erik Sandvik nailed his PATs, and punter Bart Edmiston pinned two of his five punts inside the 20.
After three quarters, offensive coordinator Jay Johnson’s unit was responsible for just seven points and showed little sign of turning the tide.
But thanks to a DeBlanc punt return TD and a Johnson pick-six, Wyoming was within a possession with less than ten minutes to go.
The next two drives felt like out-of-body experiences.
Starting on their own 15, Kaden Anderson found a way to propel the offense down the field.
It didn’t hurt that they were aided 30 yards at the beginning of the drive thanks to pass interference and roughing the passer penalties.
After converting a 4th-and-five, Anderson found Charlie Coenen for a big-play, 45-yard TD to knot the game up at 28.
After yet another stop by the Cowboy defense, Wyoming was saddled with 1:13 left and a chance to alter the narrative.
Out of the shoot, Anderson found RB Samuel Harris for a 52-yard reception that landed them inside the Spartan 30.
Two plays later, RB Terron Kellman maneuvered his way into the open field and ran his way into the endzone with 40 seconds remaining.
The 21 points scored in the 4th quarter were more than Wyoming’s total points in all but the win over Northern Iowa (10, 6, 20, and 17).
Is this a sign of things to come for an offense that has been stuck in molasses, or was it simply a Laradise aberration?
We won’t know until the Pokes take the field next week in Colorado Springs, but let’s give Anderson, OC Jay Johnson, and the entire offense their flowers for coming up big and putting on a show when it mattered most.
It’s amazing how one win can shift the outlook on a season.
With a loss, it was going to be difficult to see the Cowboys reaching bowl eligibility.
But now sitting at 3-3, the next two games are pivotal.
A road trip next week to Air Force awaits. The Falcons have been in shootouts week in and week out, but haven’t had the defense to match. In their last five games, they have given up 49, 49, 44, 34, and 51 points.
After that, the Border War comes into focus with the Rams bussing into Laramie on October 25th.
A split is required for bowl hopes, but there is a realistic pathway where Wyoming wins both and finds itself 5-3, along with being 3-1 in Mountain West play.
This is the moment for Wyoming to firmly climb itself out of cellar-dweller territory.
Don’t tumble down the ladder.
Up Next: At Air Force (MW) on October 18th (1:30 p.m. MT) on CBSSN.
Let us know your thoughts on the Cowboys’ 4th quarter comeback against San Jose State in the comments!