Svoboda played his first career “cowboy football” in the win.

LARAMIE – Jay Sawvel has been trying to get it launched for most of the last month.

He repeats himself over and over, but the numbers — and the optics — don't do Wyoming's first-year head coach any favors.

Evan Svoboda took on Air Force on Saturday night and completed just over 44% of his passes. The junior quarterback was picked off three times – including a pick-six on his first attempt of the season – fumbled once and averaged nearly 116 yards through the air per game.

Scroll to the bottom of the FBS stats when it comes to the pass efficiency category. That's where you'll find the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Arizona product. He was ranked 128th nationally out of 129 signal callers entering this competition. The number: 86.5. Only in the state of New Mexico Parker Awad was worse.

So why should we believe Sawvel that Wyoming fans will one day be happy that Evan Svoboda is their QB?

Nights like this.

“We played Cowboy football,” Sawvel said Saturday after the Cowboys earned their first win of the 2024 season, defeating their Front Range rivals in Laramie 31-19. “We stayed in there the whole time.”

It all started with No. 17.

Here too, Svoboda had a slow start. He overshot his targets, put too much speed on short throws and threw those scary wide receiver screen passes that never seem to work.

We've seen how this plays out.

In spite of all. Wyoming found the end zone on its first possession of the night, turning a failed fake punt into a six-play, 46-yard drive that culminated with an 8-yard dash into the end zone thanks to a running back Sam Scott.

Svoboda failed to complete a pass in the first 15 minutes and the score was 0-3. He was successful on six of his next seven throws in the second quarter, but they were only 46 yards.

He also only managed 17 yards on the ground on three carries during that period.

At halftime there were a few boos for the home team. The offense, once again seemingly stuck in neutral, gave the 23,000-plus spectators at War Memorial Stadium a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Calls for support Kaden Anderson came fast and furious on social media. This is nothing new. It's amazing that the big Texan isn't trending on X yet.

Wyoming has been a real punching bag in the third quarters of the game so far this fall. How bad was it? 52-0. So bad. That certainly wouldn't change against Air Force, a team that traditionally eats the game clock and grabs the teeth-gnashing fourth-and-shorts. Not to mention, this Cowboy offense had only managed 83 yards of total offense up to that point.

Most would have recorded loss #5.

Svoboda had other plans.

He connected with consecutive passes of 32 and 33 yards to the wideout Chris Durr Jr. and tight end John Michael Gyllenborgrespectively. Despite his right guard Wes King Sawvel was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury and was able to keep his offense on the field with a 4th and goal from the two.

Svoboda followed the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Scott through the hole and pushed past the white stripe to give the Cowboys a 14-13 lead.

He wasn't finished there yet.

On the subsequent possession, he linked up again with Durr and Gyllenborg. The first one for 16 yards. The next was a throw to the boundary for 13 on a 3rd-and-8. It was a hit that reminded us of another guy here who used to wear the same jersey number. Svoboda also connected with TK King for a baker's dozen. He added 22 on a scheduled run.

King would take a jet sweep handoff on the 11th play of the drive and rush to the pylon.

After the Air Force running back Aiden Calvert After a 37-yard drive into the end zone with 7:00 left in regulation, it was once again a one-score affair, and Svoboda's legs put this team in the win column.

The dagger came in the form of a 17-yard shot up the middle. He took the shotgun shot, faked the handoff to Scott, and followed his return run into the teeth of the Falcons' defense. After blasting through that opening, he turned left and sailed untouched into the brown-gold Teton Mountains.

The celebration that followed wasn't pretty, but it told a story. It was like he was literally trying to shake an 800 pound gorilla off his back.

“It's emotional. It's very emotional,” Svoboda said after finishing his night with 15 of 21 throws for a season-high 165 yards. He also rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns on a dozen attempts in his first collegiate win. “JYou know, it's a great feeling. Like I said, we're going to embrace it, we're going to ride it and we're going to ride it.

“…It's a little bit of weight (lost), but that's what the position brings. It's a big task, but nothing is too big. Nothing is impossible.”

Teammates and coaches swore for weeks that Svoboda would be fine. His confidence was good. They believed in him, regardless of what those numbers and those records said.

They raved about his leadership and said he was the right man under center.

Saturday night was an “I told you so” moment for many of them.

“That guy over there, Evan, did his best,” said Gyllenborg, who hauled in four passes for a season-high 70 yards. “And you know, it was fun. It’s really fun to play football, be competitive and win.”

“I’m extremely proud of Evan,” Scott added after rushing on 19 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown. “He’s a great quarterback. I supported him without a doubt.”

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS ON 7220SPORTS:

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* Pokes outscore Air Force in the second half for a 31-19 win

* Turning point, unsung hero and what's next for UW football

* LIVE FILE: Wyoming vs. Air Force

* Hulstrom: “I wanted to be a cowboy”

* Prepare for Game Day: Air Force

* BREAKING: Seven Mountain West Teams Ink Bonding Agreement

* Show us your picks: Week 5

* Read Sunn: “No, seriously, you start”

* Know Wyoming's Enemy: Air Force Falcons

* Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 3

* Cowboys are “buried” in the middle of the eight.

* Waylee, of Wyoming, plans to play four games in the fall

* Wyoming Football: Pre-Air Force News and Notes

Sawvel has consistently said his QB has improved over the course of this season. After a 44-17 setback at North Texas seven days ago, he admitted it's not happening as quickly as he'd hoped, but he's still all-in on Svoboda.

This conversation just intensified after this trip.

And rightly so.

Is Svoboda a finished product? Not at all. Is there work to do? Absolutely. Did he resemble the guy most of you wanted to replace? Andrew Peasley last season? Yes.

In this win over Air Force, Svoboda showed grit, toughness and the ability to make plays when it mattered most. It looked very similar to its predecessor.

The insights are impressive. It's not the consistency.

Will that come sooner rather than later? One can hope.

If this guy shows up, Wyoming has a chance to get out of this hole. If the guy from Tempe climbs below center, the losses will mount, the peanut gallery will bark.

This includes the guy who writes this column.

“Evan is going to be a really good player at the University of Wyoming,” Sawvel reiterated. “He kind of needed an escape, you know? I mean, I realize he didn't throw for 450 yards or anything. I understand that. But what happened was that in the second half we scored points, points, It was a very productive result – the big run at the end – he was in charge and playing football tonight.

“I am so proud of this child. I'm happy for him. (He's a) big, strong guy. When he hugged me afterwards, I think he almost broke my back. But I’m really happy for him.” and the way he did tonight is something he can build on and that’s definitely good to see.

– The 50 Greatest University of Wyoming Football Players