LARAMIE – There is not a harvest of Wyoming victories to celebrate.
 
Jay Sawvel is still looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at the head of the Cowboy family as the program prepares for the season finale at Washington State before a consequential offseason.
 
"I'm thankful to be the head coach at Wyoming," Sawvel said during his Monday press conference. "Even though this isn't the kind of year that anybody wants and isn't the kind of year we want to ever see again, I'm still thankful for the people I work with player wise each and every day. I'm thankful for the opportunity to coach in a state like this in a place where football is important."
 
The Cowboys (2-9) are coming off a 17-13 loss to No. 11 Boise State. A fully engaged crowd of 18,094 showed up to watch UW nearly pull of an upset that could have impacted the College Football Playoff bracket.
 
"I think we've had a really good game atmosphere at all of our games this year. To be honest, I didn't know how that was going to be on Saturday," Sawvel said. "Our fans showed up and our fans did a great job. I said it in the preseason, I said it during the season, I'll say it now – you can't just say these things when everything is all good – we have the best fan base in the Mountain West.
 
"They're passionate, I get it. They're frustrated, I get that, too. Because I am (frustrated), too."
 
UW limited the Broncos (10-1), who will host the Mountain West championship game, to 1-for-10 on third down, 0-for-2 on fourth and 167 passing yards.
 
Heisman Trophy contender Ashton Jeanty helped the visitors escape with 169 yards rushing, including a 61-yard touchdown scamper.
 
"We respect Wyoming a ton," Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. "Their coaches, their players, how they recruit, how they do their thing and how they go about their business.
 
"We knew this was going to be a battle, and it was."

Per NCAA rules, Sawvel is not allowed to make specific comments about recruits until signing day on Dec. 4. However, UW's first-year head coach said the 2025 class is trending up thanks to the atmosphere at the War.
 
"Our fans had a huge part for us this weekend because we had three commits come out of the weekend," Sawvel said. "We still have a couple more that I think we'll get. There's one player that you could probably shake your head, like, how are getting this player? A lot of it just had to do with the people here in Wyoming and the fan base. Again, I say thank you to them."
 
The Pokes lost starting quarterback Kaden Anderson to an injury late in the second quarter. The redshirt freshman, who passed for 116 yards and a touchdown in the first half, is questionable for Washington State.
 
Evan Svoboda will start if Anderson is not cleared to play against the Cougars (8-3) on Saturday at Martin Stadium in Pullman (4:30 p.m., The CW).
 
"We left a little bit on the table; we've got to come up with some completions," Svoboda said after passing for 87 yards and taking two sacks in the second half. "That's on me, I've got to give my playmakers a chance. Just leaving a little bit on the table we've got to capitalize on all the opportunities in a big game like this."
 
Washington State quarterback John Mateer has completed 64% of his passes for 2,957 yards with 28 touchdowns (tied for fifth in the FBS) and six touchdowns. The sophomore also leads the team with 770 rushing yards and has also run for 14 touchdowns, which is a single-season program record for a quarterback.
 
Wide receiver Kyle Williams has 56 receptions for 967 yards to lead the passing game. His 12 touchdown catches are second in the FBS behind San Jose State standout Nick Nash's 14. Running back Wayshawn Parker, a freshman, has added 690 rushing yards and four touchdowns to the Cougars' potent attack.
 
Defensively, the Cougars have allowed 29.3 points (98^th) and 437.1 yards (118^th) per game. Linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah has 68 tackles and defensive back Ethan O'Connor has four interceptions to lead the team.
 
Washington State was No. 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings two weeks ago before losing 38-35 at New Mexico and 41-38 at Oregon State.
 
"In this offense we're built for it," Mateer said. "We're built to win shootouts and to score a lot of points."
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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