By james art 
ALBUQUERQUE, NM, — Nerves? What nerves?
Caden Anderson connected on 20 of 29 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns Saturday afternoon in a 49-45 road win over New Mexico. He added another score on the ground from seven yards out on the first play of the second quarter.
The redshirt freshman, making his first career start under center, led the Cowboys with four straight touchdown drives.
Has this team finally found their quarterback?
If this performance is any indication, that answer is obvious.
“It was fun, man,” Anderson said after the game, flashing a big smile. “I was just out there having fun, playing ball. It was a really great time.”
Not for Lobo.
The 6-foot-4, 221-pound product from Southlake, Texas completed five of his first seven throws. The fifth was a perfectly placed 15-yard punt into the end zone that was hauled in by the tight end John Michael Gyllenborg. That throw came on 4th and 2. It gave the Cowboys a brief 14-13 lead late in the first quarter.
On the ensuing offensive possession, Anderson controlled a shotgun snap, looked left and unleashed a long ball down the east sideline. Jaylen Sargenthis favorite target of the day, caught it in stride as he blew past the New Mexico safety Bryson Taylor.
The end result? A 68-yard touchdown.
Sargent finished his career day with 186 yards on six catches.
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“I think he did a really good job of keeping us in the game,” Wyoming head coach Jay Sowell said. “And, obviously, he was accurate on some key throws to Sargent, which I thought was great. I think he was accurate on a few third balls of the Chris Durr Jr in critical situations. You know, his management of things was really, really good.”
How rare was this outing?
The last time Wyoming’s signal caller threw for more yards was when Cam Coffman did it against New Mexico in 2015. He finished with 366 in a 38-28 loss to the Lobos. Since then, that program has had just four 300-plus yard performances.
Andrew Peasley was the last to achieve this feat. That came in last year’s home finale against Hawaii. He torched the Rainbow Warriors for 319. It was also the last time the Cowboys scored 35 points in the first half.
They did it again on Saturday.
The sixth touchdown of the day served as a dagger.
After being called for pass interference on the previous play, wide out Justin Stevenson suffered an Anderson 27-yard field goal with 4:44 left in regulation. That score gave Wyoming a four-point lead. It stayed there too.
“He can really sing the ball. He can put her on the money,” the defensive end said Tice Westlandwhose sack in the fourth quarter sealed the win. “It’s good to see our offense do that. That is what it is capable of doing. That was really nice to see.”
Harrison Whaley made its debut in 2024 in Albuquerque. The senior running back missed the first eight games with a knee injury suffered late in fall camp. A smile creased his face when asked about his impressions of Anderson.
Let’s just say that energy is not an issue.
“Before the game even started, he was just really pumped up,” Whaley said. “He’s saying, ‘We’re going to go out there and win this. I’ve got your back, you’ve got my back’ and all that and that. Even during the match he was just super excited.
“I’m not going to lie, I’ve never met a quarterback who talks a lot. I mean he’s from Texas and he backed up (University of Texas QB) Quinn Ewers when he was in high school. So, you know, he’s taking over, he’s just used to it.”
Anderson wasn’t just talking to his featured back, either.
He went nose to nose with the 6-foot-4, 250-pound rusher Moso’oipala Tuitele after throwing an interception late in the third quarter. An employee nearby tried to break it up. Anderson got his money.
Flags flew.
Both players were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I need to calm down a little bit, for sure,” Anderson admitted. “After the interception, I said to myself that I will not speak anymore. So then I started playing better. I just have to keep my head in the game and I have to stop talking so much.”
He certainly made an impression on his head coach.
“There’s so much to build on with this guy,” Sawvel said. “So we’re excited … I’m proud of the way Caden played today.”