Josh Barge Weighs in on Former High School QB Evan Svoboda

LARAMIE -- Eighty-five.

That's the number of days in a row the temperatures in the Greater Phoenix Area have hit triple digits. That streak is sure to remain intact when the Cowboys arrive in Tempe Aug. 31 to take on Arizona State.

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"Hope the kids don't die of dehydration," former Wyoming wide receiver Josh Barge joked over the phone on Monday evening. "Hope Evan is getting them ready for this."

Evan Svoboda said it's simple: "Stay hydrated. You have to stay hydrated."

While that game plan is set in stone, Wyoming's first-year starter will soon shift his focus to solving the Sun Devils, a team he grew up watching from his hometown of Mesa, less than seven miles east of Mountain America Stadium.

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The 6-foot-5, 245-pound gunslinger has one-career start under his belt. That came last fall at Texas in front of more than 100,000 fans. He was filling in that night, completing 17-of-28 throws for 136 yards. The Cowboys took a 10-10 tie into the fourth quarter in Austin.

That was Andrew Peasley's team.

Now, it's all his.

Barge, who played in Laramie from 2002-05, served as Svoboda's offensive coordinator at Red Mountain High School. He heard about the big arm when the freshman arrived on campus. He quickly saw with his own eyes, this signal caller was different.

"He was really on our radar as a sophomore and even started a game his junior year," said Barge, who has been on the staff since 2012. "We knew the dude had a Casey Bramlet arm. He had that arm as a freshman. We always thought, man, if we can reel this guy in ..."

Svoboda had the misfortune of sitting behind a starter, Hyrum Boren, who tossed a school record 30 touchdowns during his senior season. The Air Force commit threw for more than 2,200 yards and nearly added 1,000 more on the ground to go along with 11 touchdowns.

Svoboda bided his time.

Then, it all backfired.

"What hurt him is, right when spring ball hit, COVID hit," Barge said, referring to Svoboda's senior campaign. "We didn't come back to school after March 3 until August. We had to install a brand-new offense over Zoom meetings. We didn't get to practice with them until mid-August."

Svoboda completed 87-of-156 passes for 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns in just seven games. The Mountain Lions missed the playoffs. Svoboda had limited game film to pass on to college recruiters. Barge, who snagged 54 balls for 709 yards and four touchdowns at UW, did what he could, including sending tape along to coaches at his alma mater.

Wyoming kicked the tires, but ultimately went in a different direction. So did Svoboda, landing at Snow College in Utah.

"QB's are getting judged on their junior year," Barge added. "He had one game of junior film."

Snaps were far and few between at the junior-college level, but the Cowboy coaching staff once again kept an eye on Svoboda. His frame, along with his physical tools, made him a high-risk, high-reward player.

He signed on the dotted line in 2022 and, once again, has waited his turn.

Now, it all appears to be paying off.

"I was just talking with (Wyoming offensive analyst and former UW teammate Jovon) Bouknight about him, his accuracy kept him from being top-tier here," Barge said. "He can throw it goal line to goal line, I bet. What we really wanted to do more of with him, we wanted to run him more. We just didn't have a plan if he got hurt. He was a tank in high school let alone now, 30 pounds heavier. We wanted to do more read-option and QB power read with him, what (Wyoming) did with him last year. He's built for that. I always tell people two things with Evan: He's really good at running and, if he doesn't turn the ball over, you're going to win a lot of football games. That's what you want, along with a QB who can make big plays.

"... He's got the arm talent. If you get him on the move, rolling out of the pocket, he shares a lot of characteristics with Josh Allen."

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Barge said the current coaching staff at Red Mountain is excited for Svoboda's opportunity in the desert. Tickets are going fast. His family has already secured a suite and they know how to have a good time, Barge added.

What Svoboda will we see in Tempe? That's to be determined. What Barge does know is, he will lay it all on the line, arguably one of his best traits as a player.

"People are really excited down here," he said. "It's pretty cool he's getting to play a game at home."

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