Unlike the 2007 Utah-Wyoming game, there will be no guarantees of wins coming from Wyoming’s football coach this year when the two schools meet for the first time in 15 years this Saturday in Laramie.
Cowboys coach Jay Sawvel was effusive in his praise for the No. 20 Utes, who visit War Memorial Stadium this weekend for the first time since Utah and Wyoming were both in the Mountain West Conference.
The talent gap between the Utes, who are now in the Big 12, and the Cowboys, still in the Mountain West, is the largest it’s been in the lengthy series, which has been played 83 times over more than a century.
Sawvel, who’s been Wyoming head man since last season, is aware of the challenge his Cowboys are up against this weekend.
“We have a big game this week against an incredibly good opponent,” Sawvel said in his weekly press conference. “I vote in, I think the USA Today (coaches) poll is what it is. I had them 12th a week ago. I had them 10th this week. I see this. I value them a lot more than maybe what someone else on the outside is right now. They’re really good.
“They’re averaging 53 points a game. They’re allowing nine-and-a-half. They’ve got a quarterback, Devon Dampier, that I don’t think we’ve stopped, ever. So we’ve got to try to figure out a way to do that," he continued. “But they also have an incredibly good offensive line with two outstanding offensive tackles that are as good as what you’re going to find anywhere in the country.
“And they don’t have a weakness in it. I mean, they’re good in the return game. They’re extremely strong on defense and physical and play very hard, well coached.”
Sawvel has prior experience coaching against Utes offensive coordinator Jason Beck, Dampier and receiver Ryan Davis.
The Cowboys played New Mexico last season, winning 49-45. In that game, Dampier threw for 164 yards and a touchdown with an interception on 52% accuracy. Where Dampier made the biggest impact was on the ground, rushing for 207 yards and scoring three times on 12 carries, including an 85-yard touchdown run that put New Mexico up 45-35.
Davis had six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Dampier would later throw a pick-six and the Lobo defense would give up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter in the Wyoming win.
Due to that shootout, Sawvel knows exactly how dangerous Dampier can be — especially since he has improved his accuracy and hasn’t turned the ball over so far this season.
“As a thrower, he does, he makes a lot of different throws. He does it very well. He is proficient within what they do offensively. He’s in a scheme now that fits him even better than it did two years ago,” Sawvel said.
Dampier’s ability to not just run the offense, but to improvise when plays break down or if he’s pressured, has been one of his strong suits as a player.
“I think that’s the most frustrating thing defensively when you play against a quarterback like this. It’s hard enough to put yourself always in the right spot to where you feel like, OK, we’ve got this play stopped,” Sawvel said. “Then all of a sudden, it’s the unscripted things that he can do that all of a sudden just break a play down or break a defense down and can keep a drive going and everything that way.”
“And that’s the stuff there that he is so, so good at,” he continued. “But he’s improved in every way from a couple years ago and obviously now he’s got far more weapons and a far better offensive line than what he has ever had.”
Sawvel also pointed out how Beck creatively uses his personnel, with defensive players like cornerbacks Smith Snowden and Jackson Bennee and linebacker Lander Barton getting meaningful snaps on the offensive side of the ball.
“Obviously the same offensive coordinator from last year at New Mexico,” Sawvel said. “They do so many good things in the run game and so many different things utilizing personnel. Look, they’ve got two outstanding players in Smith Snowden and the linebacker Lander Barton, who play on offense, and they utilize these guys all over the place.”
What stands out when Sawvel is watching film is Utah’s offensive line, one of the best in the country, especially tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu.
“What makes them so good is that they’re not only huge, but they move extremely well. They’re talented, talented people. Physical, play hard, the whole picture,” Sawvel said. “You watch it, it doesn’t take very long when you’re watching a video to go, man, both these tackles are tremendous.”
Utah is a 23.5-point favorite on the road this Saturday, and Sawvel knows it would take a perfect performance from his team to knock the Utes off.
“Kyle Whittingham has a great football team. That’s going to be a big, big challenge for us Saturday night. And for us to put ourselves in position to win a game, we’re going to have to play extremely, extremely well,” Sawvel said. “And look, that’s the goal that you try to find every week. I’m not going to minimize anything about it. That’s a great program and they’ve got a really, really good team.”
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