Wyoming Football: News and Notes Ahead of San Jose State

LARAMIE -- What would a Monday press conference be without more injury news?

Jay Sawvel announced weak-side linebacker Connor Shay (shoulder) and offensive guard Alex Conn (lower body) will miss Saturday's tilt at San Jose State. Those two join an ever-growing list that last week included both starting safeties Isaac White and Wyett Ekeler, along with two starters on the offensive line, guards Wes King and Jack Walsh.

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The latter four, Wyoming's head coach said, are questionable heading into this Week-8 matchup. Same can be said for middle linebacker Shae Suiaunoa (concussion protocol), defensive end Tyce Westland and nose tackle Ben Florentine (both undisclosed), who will all be practicing this week.

Full back Caleb Driskill (hand) and return man Caleb Cooley (ankle) were in uniform against San Diego State last Saturday. Edge rusher DeVonne Harris played 17 snaps in his return from an elbow injury in the season opener. Safety Andrew Johnson, despite having thumb surgery during the bye week, started against the Aztecs.

Quarterback Evan Svoboda also played Saturday with a broken nose.

If you're keeping track at home, here is the latest injury report:

* Running back Harrison Waylee (knee - out)

* Running back Dawaiian McNeely (knee - out for the season)

* Running back DJ Jones (personal - out)

* Offensive guard Wes King (knee - questionable)

* Offensive guard Jack Walsh (shoulder - questionable)

* Offensive guard Alex Conn (lower body - out)

* Center Luke Sandy (knee - out)

* Offensive tackle Nate Geiger (knee - out)

* Safety Isaac White (foot/ ankle - questionable)

* Safety Wyett Ekeler (thumbs - questionable)

* Linebacker Shae Suiaunoa (concussion - questionable)

* Linebacker Connor Shay (shoulder - questionable)

* Defensive end Tyce Westland (unknown - questionable)

* Defensive end Kevin Sjogren (lower body - out for the season)

* Defensive tackle Ben Florentine (unknown - questionable)

* Defensive tackle Lucas Samsula (knee - out for the season)

* Defensive tackle Caleb Robinson (knee - out for the season)

"We're not going to put a player on the field that would be at risk of injuring something worse or something different," Sawvel said. "We want to make sure that we can do that and we also have to be, you know, realistic in the fact that if you take someone that's been out for weeks, or something like that, there's a game-conditioning factor that comes into it, too. Just because that guy's back, he's not exactly what you may wish he exactly was when he first left. And so, you know, we have to be mindful of that. So, we have to work a number of people this week."

Believe it or not, there were other topics of discussion Monday:

* After Saturday's 27-24 loss to SDSU, Sawvel said that both quarterback Jayden Clemons and wide receiver Devin Boddie Jr. "retired" from football. The rookie head coach wanted to clarify those comments Monday. "He had personal reasons to not be on the team," Sawvel said of Clemons, a senior signal caller from Utah. "Right now, the door is open for him if he does get a chance to come back ... I don't want that insinuated like that he just left the team or something like that."

* Sawvel said last week that in an emergency, Jake Wilson would be the Cowboys' third-string running back behind Sam Scott and Jamari Ferrell. The true freshman from Montgomery, Texas is listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds. He's also a tight end. Sawvel said that was and is indeed true that Wilson could get some work. Still, the head coach is being mindful of burning redshirts, saying cornerback Markie Grant has appeared in three games, linebacker Gary Rutherford in two and Wilson one. Players can line up in four games, plus the postseason, without losing their redshirt status. "I'm going to protect redshirts on all those players, but Jake Wilson's still a guy that, you know, I would imagine this week still needs to be ready to play."

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* Gear up for game day: San Diego State Aztecs

* San Diego State's new-look offense a familiar one for Sawvel and Co.

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* Injuries, for the first time, hampering Wyoming's Isaac White

* Jay Sawvel on Chris Durr Jr: 'We need to get him the ball'

* What is going on with Wyoming's snapping issues?

* Spoke with Harrison Waylee on Monday and he once again doubled down that he is indeed coming back next season. There will be a story on that to come. The senior running back also shared his plans for this year. He said he has already been medically cleared and plans to return Oct. 26 against Utah State. Waylee said he will also play against New Mexico, Colorado State and Boise State. If the Cowboys do make the postseason, he will be eligible to play in a bowl game, too. "He is running, squatting, doing all the things that you need to be doing," Sawvel said of Waylee. "Because of that, now he's making a kind of rapid acceleration."

* Jayden Williams' 17-yard dash on a first-half fake punt against SDSU was just as impressive on film as it was live. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle took a direct snap on a 4th-and-6 at the UW 44-yard line and bolted right through the Aztecs' front. Is there a chance we'll ever see the big man in a goal-line situation? "Yeah, that's something that we've kicked around before," Sawvel said with a smile. "You know, maybe we'll discuss that when we get there. I know (Jordan) Bertagnole has asked that many times before, too. So, we'll kind of see."

* How impressive has it been to witness Ken Niumatalolo, a lifelong coach of the option attack, come to San Jose State and reinvent himself in a spread offense? "They've done a really good job with that in the fact that you know what he's done in the past," Sawvel said, referring to the former Navy coach, who spent 15 seasons in Annapolis. "... They've done a good job with the system and they're being very productive offensively, which is a huge challenge."

* SJSU possesses the No. 8 passing offense in the country, averaging 331.7 yards per game through the air. Quarterback Emmett Brown has thrown for 1,551 yards and 16 touchdowns. His favorite target, Nick Nash, already has 806 yards receiving on 62 catches. He has also found the end zone 10 times.

* Sawvel was still shaking his head about San Diego State's first offensive drive of the fourth quarter nearly 48 hours after the fact. After a 51-yard touchdown run from Svoboda to give the Cowboys a seven-point lead, Danny O'Neil, who once again Monday was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week, connected with wide receiver Jordan Napier on a 53-yard strike on 3rd-and-10 strike. Those two hooked up again the following play. Napier hauled in a 27-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. "You know, we've got to get better at certain things. I realize it. I'm frustrated, too," Sawvel said, calling the sequence above "inexcusable" "I don't want the 3rd-and-5 ball to go out of bounds or get dropped, OK? I'm pissed off just like everybody else is, too. But, you know, we're continuing to go and work. Our players are doing a good job."

* Wyoming (1-5, 1-1) and SJSU (4-2, 2-1) are slated to kickoff Saturday at 2 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.

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