(PHOTOS) Party in Pokeland: Cowboys prevail against conference opponent Air Force

LARAMIE, Wyo. – “It was time to raise our flag,” Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said immediately after the Wyoming Cowboys defeated the Air Force Falcons in a high-energy 31-19 game. Tonight, homecoming hopes prevailed as although the Pokes are still 1-4 on the season, they are 1-0 in conference play.

The Pokes had a difficult start to the season. The star quarterback couldn't get things going offensively and had noticeable problems passing the ball. That wasn't evident tonight as Svoboda led his team with two touchdowns of his own, passing for 165 yards and rushing for 70 yards.

Svoboda's excitement was clear in his post-match press conference when, despite cheers from the nearby dressing room, he said a win like tonight was urgently needed.

“A win like this is huge. Especially a conference opener. The only way to go from here is up – that’s the biggest thing,” Svoboda said.

Sawvel, however, said he would celebrate if the Cowboys had more wins than losses.

“But we continued to hit all the points of the program that I care about and tonight we played the right way and so we'll continue to build on that,” Sawvel said.

Notably, running back Sam Scott was the first player of the game to put numbers on the board with an eight-yard touchdown rush. That would be Wyoming's only touchdown in the first half until Svovboda's touchdown rushes in the third and fourth quarters and wide receiver Tyler King's touchdown rush late in the third quarter.

Overall, Wyoming managed 361 yards compared to Air Force's 322 yards. Wyoming also tried and accomplished significantly more than its Mountain West opponent. The Pokes were also much more efficient on third and fourth down conversions. The Cowboys went two-for-two on fourth down conversions, while Air Force converted zero times on the same number of attempts.

Svoboda wasn't the only one with his efficient passing game. Backup QB Kaden Anderson briefly took the field in place of Svoboda and completed a crucial third down pass to keep Wyoming moving.

On the receiving end, tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. received a total of 70 and 71 yards, respectively. Defensively, linebacker Shae Suiaunoa led the way with 13 total tackles. All in all, the team effort seemed to be enough to put Wyoming ahead in conference play. And the support of Wyoming fans legitimizes these efforts.

“We have the best fans in the Mountain West. I truly believed in that and we had to give them something to be excited about,” said Sawvel. “We weren’t happy with the start of the season. We still have a hole to dig out, but the players in this program have a lot of work ethic.”

With a decisive lead in conference play, Wyoming now faces a two-week break before facing its next conference opponent at home on October 12th. The Cowboys will face San Diego State, which just finalized its deal to join the Pac-12 in 2026, in the war this Saturday at 1:30 p.m

For more information about the UW Cowboys, including the team's roster and schedule, visit the University of Wyoming Athletics website.

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