Photo by Luke Melinkovich
Over 500 Yards of Offense Fuels Encouraging Performance
Hope is growing in Laramie regarding the outlook on Cowboys football, and for good reasons. Just two weeks ago, it looked like the program was at rock bottom after what coach Sawvel described as a “tight” performance in Fargo at North Dakota State.
After that 28-0 loss, things looked bleak for the Cowboys, but after two straight conference wins and the best offensive performance the program has seen since 2019 in the victory today, the Cowboys are on a roll at 4-3 going into a tough matchup against Air Force on Friday.
Quarterback Tyler Hughes had a historic performance today, rushing for 183 yards and four touchdowns. He added 196 yards passing on 16/19 efficiency, by far his best performance on the season.
“I feel great. We’ve had a very tough past six weeks, and I think the guys did a really good job of coming in and preparing and not letting the outside noise affect what we have in these buildings,” Hughes said following the win. “This week we have to put together a good week of practice and then we go and do it again.”
Coach Jay Sawvel was impressed by the win, especially the offensive performance, but also knows that there are some things to improve going into a game against a 5-1 Air Force team next week.
“You know it’s a good sign and a good team win when you can win a game by 18 points and in some areas you’re like ‘man we could play so much better at a few things.’ That being said, I thought offensively we were extremely good, Tyler Hughes set the tone for that,” Sawvel said in the postgame press.
Sawvel also talked about the fact that after the NDSU loss, the team is worrying much less about the team they are playing, and much more about the team that the Cowboys are putting on the field. Because of that and “playing more loose,” the last two weeks have seen a much better result.
However, against an extremely unorthodox, triple option running Air Force next week, some preparation for that style will certainly be in order. Air Force took down Mountain West leading UNLV today, so the Cowboys have a serious challenge on their hands come Friday. If that game is a success, a bowl game is right within reach this year for Sawvel and company.
Game Recap
On a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon in Laramie after a chilly, snowy week, the Cowboys received the opening kickoff and started off strong, scoring points on the first drive of the game, a 37-yard field goal from reigning Mountain West special teams player of the week, Erik Sandvik. A 53-yard touchdown burst from QB Tyler Hughes with five minutes left in the first gave the Cowboys their best start on the season, up 10-0 over NIU to finish the first quarter.
The second quarter was also a strong showing for the Cowboys. With over 200 yards on the ground in the first half, including an astonishing 157 yards and two touchdowns from QB Tyler Hughes, the rushing attack looked unstoppable. While the Huskies seemed like they had little answer for the Cowboys on the defensive side, they did begin to produce some production on the offensive side, creating two solid drives which ended in field goals. End of the first half, 20-6 Cowboys.
To start the second half, the Cowboys continued to dominate in the ground game, finishing yet another drive with a 6-yard Hughes touchdown scramble, his third of the afternoon. The Huskies refused to go away, however, adding a field goal and a touchdown with a two-point conversion within the third period. Without being able to stop Hughes though, the Huskies stood little chance. To start the fourth, he added his fourth touchdown carry of the game, one of the highest single game tallies in Mountain West history.
With six minutes remaining, after a substitution at quarterback, backup Landon Sims rushed for yet another touchdown, a 10-yard scramble, the fifth quarterback rushing score of the game. A late score by NIU made the final score 41-23, putting the Cowboys up to a winning record of 4-3 with 5 games remaining. Two more wins out of those five and they will be bowl eligible for the first time since 2023.
