LARAMIE – What did the roars coming from the Wyoming locker room sound like late Saturday night?
 
Well, the cacophony of pure joy was penetrating the walls inside the High Altitude Performance Center to a decibel level that had a Denver television reporter making his first trip to 7,220 feet wondering if the sounds were real.
 
Four weeks of frustration was released by the Cowboys after a cathartic 31-19 victory over Air Force in front of a raucous crowd of 23,068 at War Memorial Stadium.
 
Jay Sawvel became the second head coach in program history to notch his first win at the expense of the Falcons. The Paul Roach era began with a 27-13 win over Air Force in 1987.
 
"We have the best fans in the Mountain West. I firmly have believed that," said Sawvel, whose predecessor, Craig Bohl, also recorded his first MW win over Troy Calhoun's team in 2014. "We needed to give them something to be excited about."
 
There wasn't much to cheer about at the intermission.
 
UW's defense sniffed out a fake punt with Jordan Bertagnole and Ben Florentine tackling up man Kemper Hodges short of the sticks at the Air Force 46-yard line, which led to an 8-yard touchdown scamper by Sam Scott in the first quarter.
 
But the Falcons scored 13 unanswered points and limited the Pokes to 83 total yards at halftime.
 
"We knew coming out of halftime we were going to have to bring a lot of energy and play passionate," linebacker Connor Shay said. "That's what we did."
 
Evan Svoboda, who had been riding the struggle bus during the team's 0-4 start to the season, started to look like the confident leading man who was bold enough to select jersey No. 17 when he arrived on campus.
 
UW's 6-foot-5, 245-pound quarterback had a 32-yard completion to Chris Durr Jr. and a 28-yard completion to tight end John Michael Gyllenborg to move the offense into the red zone on the opening drive of the second half.
 
Svoboda bulled his way in for a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal to give the Cowboys a 14-13 lead.
 
"He was in charge, and he played football tonight," Sawvel said of Svoboda, who finished 15-for-21 passing for 165 yards and rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns. "I'm so proud of that kid and I'm happy for him. Big, strong guy, I think when he hugged me afterwards, he about broke my back."
 
After the defense forced a three-and-out to quickly end Air Force's first drive of the third quarter, Svoboda squeezed a 13-yard completion to Gyllenborg between two defenders on a third-and-8.
 
Scott also converted a third-and-1 during an 11-play, 94-yard drive capped with a 3-yard touchdown run by Tyler King to extend UW's advantage to 21-13.
 
The Cowboys had the ball for 11 minutes, one second of the third quarter and outscored Air Force 14-0 during the frame.
 
"Having the ball was in our favor," Scott said. "Air Force usually does that. We flipped the script on that."
 
Following the loss at North Texas a week earlier, Sawvel said Scott (97 yards rushing, one touchdown), Gyllenborg (four catches, 70 yards) and King (three targets, one touchdown) would be featured more to help Svoboda rewrite the story on offense.
 
Durr, who flashed his skills throughout the spring and fall camp, added three catches for 71 yards.
 
"Our O-line and Sam and Evan, they ran and ran and ran," Gyllenborg said. "They just kept running and it was awesome to watch. That's what won us the game, our O-line and that push and Sam just kept going. … (Durr) is just a playmaker. He's young and confident and just goes out and makes plays. I think we'll be seeing more of that going forward. It was just fun."
 
On one of the most critical plays of the game, backup quarterback Kaden Anderson came in and converted a third-and-4 with a 23-yard screen pass to Durr. Svoboda had to watch from the sideline after his helmet came off on the previous play.
 
And two other performances of note came from backup guards, Rex Johnsen and Alex Conn, who filled in for the injured Jack Walsh and Wes King, respectively, in dominate fashion.
 
"It means everything," Svoboda said of the team rallying around him in the conference opener. "It boosts my confidence for sure. They have my back; I have their backs. I really appreciate those guys, and I love them to death."
 
John Hoyland added a 23-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-13 early in the fourth quarter. The Falcons made it a one-score game on Aiden Calvert's 37-yard touchdown run.
 
Svoboda stuck the dagger in with a 17-yard touchdown run with 2:13 remaining. QB1's shoulder pads felt a lot lighter after the Pokes began MW play 1-0.
 
"It's very emotional," Svoboda said. "It's a little bit of weight but that's what comes with the position. It's a big job but nothing is too big."
 
Sawvel said his team never wavered over the last month as the losses and injuries mounted. The celebration in the victorious locker room is only the beginning for these Cowboys.
 
"It was time to plant our flag," Sawvel said when asked what changed at halftime. "That was the adjustment."
 
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. 
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.