LARAMIE – Wyoming has outscored its first five opponents 58-51 in the second half.
 
And that's despite being outscored 28-6 by Utah after the intermission in the 31-6 loss on Sept. 13.
 
The glaring issue for the Cowboys (2-3, 0-1 Mountain West) this season has been painfully slow starts offensively with only 10 total first-quarter points and 26 total first-half points to date.
 
UW trailed 24-3 at halftime on the way to a bitter 31-17 loss to UNLV in last week's MW opener.
 
Head coach Jay Sawvel wants to hear the cannon being shot earlier and more often when the Pokes host San Jose State on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
 
"We're not going out and playing in a rhythm, we're pressing too much and it's almost like we've got to get them regrouped before we stop pressing," Sawvel said of the offense during his Monday press conference. "Our last two second halves we've played better offensively but our first halves have been poor. We've got to get that fixed."
 
UW trailed 21-3 at the intermission and 28-3 early in the third quarter of the non-conference finale at Colorado before rallying to cut the deficit to 10 points in the fourth quarter. The Buffaloes ultimately prevailed, 37-20, at Folsom Field.
 
The momentum from the second half in Boulder did not carry over to the game against the Rebels, who led by 21 points at halftime thanks in large part to returning two blocked punts for touchdowns.
 
UW starting quarterback Kaden Anderson orchestrated a five-play 75-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter.
 
Then it appeared the Cowboys were within one score when Anderson connected with Sam Scott for a 5-yard touchdown, but the officials huddled after the play and called offensive pass-interference in the end zone. UNLV came up with an interception on the next play and UW's comeback attempt slipped away on the hail-covered field.
 
"We've just got to get rolling; we've got to get starting early," Anderson said. "I know what I can do, and I know what this offense can do. We can be really special. Something's not clicking right now, and we've got to figure it out."
 
The Pokes were without wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. in the second half and tight end John Michael Gyllenborg for the entire game against UNLV due to injuries. Sawvel did not have a timetable for the return of Anderson's top two targets in the passing game.
 
Scott sparked the offense with 49 yards rushing and 47 yards receiving against the Rebels. The senior is tied with freshman Samuel "Tote" Harris for the team lead in rushing with 268 yards each.
 
Terron Kellman, who had a 28-yard catch to put the offense in position for point on the second drive of the third quarter, is the third running back in the rotation.
 
"I think we have three pretty good backs," Sawvel said. "At times you could look at it and say, OK, this guy has got hot hand, and we need to keep going. Sam Scott kind of got a hot hand for us a little bit so we needed to keep going with that."
 
True freshman wide receiver Deion DeBlanc scored on a 12-yard run with 12:46 remaining in the third quarter and tight end Justin Erb caught a 6-yard touchdown from Anderson with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter.
 
The Pokes will need to give the home crowd more to cheer about in the first 30 minutes against the Spartans (2-3, 1-0), who scored 21 points in the first half en route to a 35-28 win over New Mexico to open conference play.
 
"It's hurting our team from an energy standpoint. We've got to get off to a good start," Sawvel said. "I think the other night (against UNLV) if we get off to a really good start in that game it's a totally different situation. Right now, that is paramount for us this week and in weeks going forward. We've got to start winning first quarters and right now we're not."
 
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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