LARAMIE – Deion DeBlanc drew interest from an impressive list of "Power 4" programs coming out of high school in Houston.
 
Arkansas (SEC), Arizona State (Big 12), Oregon (Big Ten) and Houston (Big 12) had a lot to offer the speedy prospect from Texas powerhouse North Shore High School.
 
Jay Sawvel was the only head coach who made DeBlanc's entire family feel at home with Wyoming.
 
"It started with my family," DeBlanc said when asked how he ended up playing for the Cowboys. "My biggest thing was to find a head coach that loved not only me but my family, cared about my family. Not to knock other schools but that is what spaced out Coach Sawvel from all the others."
 
The honest relationship between DeBlanc and Sawvel behind closed doors is starting to pay off for the Pokes in the spotlight on Saturdays.
 
DeBlanc, who had a heart to heart with Sawvel two weeks into the season about possibly redshirting if he was unable to carve out a role on offense, had a 12-yard touchdown run against UNLV in the Mountain West opener and returned a punt for a 73-yard touchdown against San Jose State.
 
"It's really about being more mature, honestly," DeBlanc said of making an impact as a true freshman. "Maturity is the biggest thing at this level. If you can't show the coaches that you have maturity, then it's going to start off with them not trusting you."
 
Sawvel trusts DeBlanc enough to let the talented 5-foot-10, 185-pound wide receiver play through glaring mistakes.
 
With UW trailing 28-14 in the third quarter, DeBlanc muffed a punt at the 11-yard line, which the Spartans recovered for a first-and-goal at the 10.
 
If the visitors were able to cash the gift in for a touchdown or even an easy field goal, the Cowboys likely would not have been able to orchestrate the dramatic comeback win at War Memorial Stadium.
 
Sawvel and wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight had some choice words for DeBlanc as he came to the sideline with his head down.
 
"I was calm about it because Coach Sawvel was calm about it. When I came to the sideline he was just like, 'chin up, chin up,'" DeBlanc said. "Then Coach Bouknight was like, 'next play, we're still going to need you.'
 
"I got my head clear and then what really made me happy was seeing the defense turn that around."
 
On second-and-goal at the 5, defensive end Tyce Westland and nose tackle Ben Florentine tackled quarterback Walter Eget for a 4-yard loss. SJSU was called for a false start to put themselves in a more precarious third-and-14 situation.
 
Westland proceeded to sack Eget for a loss of 14 yards while also forcing a fumble, which Chisom Ifeanyi returned 15 yards to the 43.
 
So, what was the better feeling, returning the punt for an electrifying touchdown or watching Westland save the day with a strip-sack?
 
"Seeing Tyce for sure," DeBlanc said. "That was after the mistake that I made and knowing he had my back for that mistake it was like, man, we've got to go win this game. That's when I knew we were going to win and I told my teammates, if we get this ball back, we're going to win because we had belief in everybody.
 
"When we came out at halftime belief was the biggest word. I knew if everybody believed in that locker room then nobody could stop us."
 
The Cowboys clawed back to within seven points after Brayden Johnson's 65-yard interception return for a touchdown.
 
SJSU still had a good chance to escape with a stop on fourth-and-5 at the 50, but DeBlanc caught a screen pass from Kaden Anderson and broke two tackles to pick up the first down by inches.
 
"He was a guy that thought he was going to lose us a game, and then at the end of the game he helped us win a game," Sawvel said. "Because on a fourth-and-5 he dug in and got us a 5-and-a-half-yard gain on a screen. He's got a ton of value."
 
Two snaps after DeBlanc moved the sticks, Anderson completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Coenen to tie the score 28-28.
 
Terron Kellman's Houdini-like escape to turn a third-and-10 into the 28-yard game-winning touchdown capped the improbable 35-28 win.
 
"Hopefully it opens up a lot of people in the locker room's eyes to what type of team we are," DeBlanc said. "We're not just capable of dominating on special teams, not just capable of dominating on offense, not just capable of dominating on defense, but as a team."
 
The Cowboys will ride the momentum into this Saturday's game against Air Force at Falcon Stadium (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
 
DeBlanc figures to be in the spotlight again on special teams and at receiver.
 
"I'm glad he's here, and I'm glad that the lights are turning on for him in a positive way," Sawvel said.
 
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.
 
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