First half struggles have been the name of the game for the 2-3 Wyoming Cowboys under head coach Jay Sawvel in his second year at the helm. No other game exemplifies that sentiment more than the Cowboys’ 31-17 homecoming loss to the UNLV Rebels this last weekend.
Despite being gifted an unforced turnover on the opening play from scrimmage and out-gaining the Rebels in total offensive yards by exactly 100 yards, the abhorrent amount of miscues–highlighted by a pair of blocked punts returned for easy touchdowns–proved to be too much for the Cowboys in that one.
ANOTHER BLOCKED PUNT. ANOTHER TOUCHDOWN.
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) October 5, 2025
SPECIAL FREAKING TEAMS
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The biggest adversary for this team through their opening five games of the season hasn’t been the opposition lining up across from them–it has been themselves.
With the Cowboys slowly running out of games to resolve their inconsistencies, a home game against a shaky San Jose Staté Spartan squad seems like the perfect opportunity to right the ship.
Get to Know San Jose State
The Spartans feature one of the best aerial attacks in the Mountain West conference, averaging a league best 304.2 yards through the air per contest and are also fourth in the conference in total passing touchdowns at nine. Their ability to produce yards through the run has been a different story, however, as the Spartans only rank 11th out of 12 teams in rushing offense.
Their high-powered offense putting up eye-popping numbers hasn’t necessarily translated to much success this season as Spartans currently match the Cowboys’ overall record at 2-3 but did win their conference opener against New Mexico by a final score of 35-28. However, two of the Spartans’ losses have come by two or less points, so the Spartans certainly won’t be an easy out by any means.
Walker Eget stands at the center of the Spartans’ offensive assault as he holds the mark for the most pass attempts and completions so far this season in the Mountain West. Regardless, Eget has struggled somewhat with consistency this season, as he only ranks as the sixth most efficient passer in the league.
“He’s a very good quarterback and they’ve also got a couple of really good receivers,” Sawvel said.
That receiving group is led by Danny Scudero, one of the premier receivers in the entire nation, let alone the Mountain West. Scudero leads many statistical categories in the conference, catching an insupposable 40 balls this season for 665 yards and four touchdowns. His 665 total receiving yards comfortably leads the nation by nearly 100 yards.
🏃💨@ScuderoDanny #ThisIsSparta | #AllSpartans pic.twitter.com/hnkOGTYnuG
— San José State Football (@SanJoseStateFB) October 4, 2025
“He’s got a lot of movement, a lot of wiggle, those types of things that can create issues for defensive backs,” Sawvel said of Scudero.
The Spartans also feature three other receivers that have caught for over 100 yards this season, certainly presenting a challenge for this Cowboy defense–one they have certainly proven they are up for so far this season.
How Can the Cowboys Get Over Their First Half Woes?
The first half of games this season have been anything but kind to the Cowboys so far this season.
In first halves alone, the Cowboys are averaging a measly 5.2 points in the first half of games this season and a lot of their mistakes seem to pile on early in the game.
The question remains–why is this the case?
“Offensively, we know we want to get off to a good start and we’re pressing,” Sawvel admitted. “I do think that’s happening for a number of our players.”
No better example of this is when quarterback Kaden Anderson threw his first and only interception against the Rebels last weekend. After an easy score was called back fifteen yards due to an offensive pass interference penalty, the rookie quarterback seemed to force a ball towards the end zone on third down, one that was under thrown and picked off.
REBS GET THE PICK
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) October 5, 2025
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That knocked the wind out of a momentous second half comeback attempt by the Cowboys in that one, an effort that was forced by a harrowing first half effort by the Cowboys.
“I think there’s a lot of variety of factors, and we’ve got to get this fixed because we’re not giving ourselves enough of a chance in the first half,” Sawvel said.
Injuries Beginning to Plague Cowboys Once Again
Injuries and depth issues were a major contributing factor to a 3-9 campaign a season ago for Sawvel–and the injury bug seems to be rearing its head once again this season as multiple playmakers on either side of the ball are questionable heading into the Cowboys’ home tilt against the Spartans.
Sawvel noted that two key skill players on the offense, tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and wide receiver Chris Durr Jr are both questionable heading into the weekend. Safety Andrew Johnson is also questionable on the defensive side of the ball. Fortunately, running back Sam Harris will be set to play by game time.
