By james art 
LARAMIE — It’s never too early to talk about a border war, right?
The Cowboys (2-7, 2-3) and Rams (6-3, 4-0) will square off for the 116th time on the football field Friday night after this bye week. Both teams are off this weekend and have extra time to think about this rivalry game.
Jay Sowell said, however, that he would proceed with caution in an effort to temper the emotions that come with a game like this.
“Everybody in the program knows what this is and what this game entails, what this game means to everyone in this building, everyone on this campus and everyone in this state,” he said of that meeting with Colorado State. “I don’t even know if we’re going to have to talk a lot, but we’re going to push the right buttons at certain times.”
Sawvel said when he was a graduate assistant at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz from 1996-98, the Hall of Fame head coach handed out “packages” before the annual rivalry game with USC. The literature inside covered the history of the game, teams and programs. Holtz, who was 9-1-1 against the Trojans during his 11 years on the sideline in South Bend, had been telling his players all week the importance of this game.
However, recruits will be given a test.
Pass and play. Failure, sit down.
“We didn’t actually dress a kid for the game because he failed the test,” Sauvell said with a laugh.
Will he do the same with his own team?
“I don’t know if we’re going to get that far, but, I mean, I’ve thought about it,” he said. “Look, rivalries are what college football is all about.”
Here are some other news and notes from Sawvel’s weekly press conference:
* Tight end To John Michael Gyllenborg right arm was in a sling during Saturday’s outing in Albuquerque. Sebastian Harsh also left the game. The left foot on Monday’s sideline was in a brace. The same can be said for the offensive guard Wes King. Wideout Jaylen Sargent it also fell in the fourth quarter. He got a concussion. Running back Sam Scott didn’t even make the trip. He was dealing with a bone bruise in his knee. Wide receiver TK King and defensive end Braden Siders were also not present. King took a brutal head shot against Utah State. Siders also suffered a concussion. Will any of these guys be back against CSU? Sawvel said that on Monday, Sargent, TK King, Harsh and Gyllenborg should be ready. The Siders, Sawvel added, may also be ready for Fort Collins. Scott is questionable. Wes King is likely out for the season after re-injuring his knee.
* Wyoming will practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. Sawvel, along with some helpers, will be out recruiting.
* Sawvel again talked about his team’s mindset and how nice it was, for a change, to see their collective work pay off in a 49-45 win over the Lobos. “I was happy for the players and the fact that week after week after week they kind of tried and did what we asked them to do and then we fell short,” he said. “We didn’t do it that day. So it was good. It was positive. There’s a lot to build on.”
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
* What happened to Wyoming’s defense in Albuquerque?
* Find out why Sawvel and Co. they waited to make a move at QB
* MW Players of the Week: Anderson airs it
* Wyoming QB Kaden Anderson shines in the starting role
* Pokes beat Lobos in Saturday’s shootout, 49-45
* LIVE FILE: Wyoming vs. New Mexico
* A turning point, an unsung hero, what’s next for UW football
* Wyoming RB Sam Scott will not play in New Mexico
* 7220sports.com Kickoff Show: Welcome back Whaley
* Get ready for game day: New Mexico Lobos
* Show us your picks: Week 10
* Cayden Anderson of Wyoming on late father: ‘He would have been very proud’
* Wyoming cornerback Keeney Parks shows promise on the perimeter
* Wyoming’s head coach also talked about the culture of the program. This was in relation to a matter of retaining players already in that dressing room before the season on the transfer portal. “We’ve got a good football program here that’s going to be a tough season, right? And the difficult season is due to inconsistency in certain positions, at times, lack of experience in certain positions. And, you know, injuries are something every team deals with every year. What you don’t want is injuries to the wrong people, but I think overall a lot of our players realize that there’s a lot of good in terms of how they train every day, and that grass isn’t always better. green, if you try to go somewhere else we’ll be in a good place.”
* Why is this staff waiting so long to make the change at QB? Caden Anderson Monday was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week. He also earned the Manning All-Star of the Week Award after completing 20 of 29 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns in that win over New Mexico. He also added another score on the ground. You can read all about this solution properly HERE.
* What on earth happened to the Cowboys defense in Duke City? That unit yielded 576 total yards, 412 of which came on the ground, courtesy of the quarterback Devon Dampier and running back Eli Sanders. You can read about it properly HERE.
* Justin Stevenson scored the eventual game-winning touchdown last Saturday at New Mexico. Sawvel said he was impressed with the redshirt freshman for a number of reasons. “We did some good things on the perimeter the other day,” he said. “I thought Justin Stevenson was one, you know, I talked to him quite a bit after the Utah State game about playing a full game all the way, blocking and doing that. Just his effort on the perimeter that day was so good, and it should continue to be that way.”
* Don’t forget to download for free 7220sports.com app to keep up with all the latest Wyoming football news. You can do this right HERE. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter properly HERE. Never miss the Roaring Repeater Podcast or the 7220 Sports Kickoff Show with Cody Tucker and Jared Newland. You can find these past episodes HERE.
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* Did you miss any of our New Mexico coverage? Check all this properly HERE.
Top 50 University of Wyoming Football Players
The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other award won outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.
This is not a one man job. This task requires a group of experts. Joining 7220’s Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.
We all compiled our own list of 50 and let the computer averages do the work. Think BCS – we just hope this catalog is fairer.
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
– Top 50 University of Wyoming Football Players