Wyoming’s Bye Week Couldn’t Have Come at a Better Time

LARAMIE -- The list is so extensive, Jay Sawvel brought an entire sheet of paper with him Monday to his weekly press conference.

Wyoming's first-year head coach followed that up by repeating something he said after Saturday night's win over Air Force.

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"This (bye week) comes at a great time for us," he said, accompanied by a sarcastic smile. "Always thought the way the schedule was would work to our advantage a little bit: Five (games), get a break. Four, get a break. Three. I Just, you know, kind of wish that we were in maybe a better overall physical state.

"This bye week will help us, but (there's) still going to be a little bit of time before we get, you know, a lot of the pieces back that we need to have back."

How bad is the damage? What are the statuses for that Oct. 12 meeting with San Diego State?

* Safety Isaac White (foot/ ankle) doubtful

* Safety Wyett Ekeler (thumbs) doubtful

* Safety Andrew Johnson (thumb) probable

* Defensive end DeVonne Harris (elbow) questionable

* Defensive end Kevin Sjogren (lower body) out for the season

* Cornerback Tyrese Boss (hand) unknown

* Offensive guard Jack Walsh (shoulder) doubtful

* Offensive guard Wes King (knee) out

* Center Nofoafia Tulafono (lower body) will play

* Offensive tackle Nate Geiger (knee) unknown

* Offensive lineman Luke Sandy (knee) unknown

* Running back Dawaiian McNeely (knee) out for the season

* Running back Harrison Waylee (knee) out

* Running back DJ Jones (personal) unknown

* Full back Caleb Driskill (hand) out

* Wide receiver/ returner Caleb Cooley (ankle) questionable

* Wide receiver Devin Boddie Jr. (hip) probable

* Wide receiver Alex Brown (knee) will play

* Quarterback Evan Svoboda (nose) will play

Yes, even the Cowboys' junior quarterback suffered a broken nose in that 31-19 victory. His helmet was forcefully ripped off twice in that tilt with the Falcons. Sawvel said he believes the first instance caused the most damage.

"So, they came to me in the first half and said they have a concern -- he's got a nasal fracture," Sawvel said. "If he stops getting air, then he won't be able to play. But he didn't stop. He still had the ability to breathe. (He) just played through that.

"... He doesn't care about that. Like, that's not going to bother him."

Svoboda completed 15-of-21 passes for 165 yards. He also rushed for 70 more and scored two touchdowns, including the dagger late in the fourth quarter when he gashed the Air Force defense on a 17-yard sprint to the end zone.

Caleb Merritt, a wide receiver turned cornerback, will now receive work at the nickel spot, according to Sawvel. Wrook Brown typically mans that position. He will cycle back to the safety spot with Wyett Ekeler out with two broken thumbs and Isaac White doubtful with a foot/ ankle injury. White said he will get an MRI this week.

Andrew Johnson also suffered a broken right thumb against North Texas. He played against the Falcons, but will have a pin inserted during the off week. He is expected to play against SDSU.

"We went two straight years where Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White never came off the field," the head coach said. "We've played five games and they've played together twice, you know? I mean, that's part of it, too. So we got to make some adjustments, and that's going to be part of it this week."

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Rex Johnsen got the start at right guard in place of Jack Walsh. The Cowboys rushed for a season-high 173 yards. Running back Sam Scott, who got the lion's share of the work with DJ Jones out of the lineup for personal reasons, capped his night with 97 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Jones' return is currently unknown.

Starting left guard Wes King went down with a knee injury early in the third quarter. He was taken off on a cart. Sawvel said he expects the sophomore to miss a couple of weeks. Alex Conn, a transfer from Iowa Western via Nebraska, stepped in and finished the game against Air Force.

Nofoafia Tulafono went down late in regulation, holding his right knee after being rolled up on. It apparently looked worse than it was. Sawvel said with confidence the senior captain will be OK and ready to go against the Aztecs. Tulafono also finished out the game last Saturday night.

Sawvel announced last week that Harrison Waylee's plan is to redshirt this season. That means he will play in four games -- five if the Cowboys land in a bowl game -- so he will be afforded an extra year of eligibility. The senior running back could be back in the fold by Oct. 26 when the Cowboys take on Utah State in Laramie.

"I'd say there's probably an outside chance he could play against San Jose State," Sawvel said, referring to the Oct. 19 meeting with the Spartans. "I would say that's probably stretching it ... Look, I'm not going to put him out there unless he is like 105% on a 100% scale."

Waylee suffered a knee injury late in fall camp and was forced to go under the knife. Early hopes were the Iowa product could return by conference play.

The Cowboys will practice three times this week, Sawvel said, going through hour-plus workouts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

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