Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel on Utah: 'They're going to win a lot of games'

Utes overcame sloppy first half to beat Cowboys, 31-6

Wyoming Cowboys head coach Jay Sawvel looks on in the second half against the Utah Utes at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Despite receiving a handful of breaks, Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel's program couldn't capitalize off uncharacteristic miscues from Utah during Saturday's Week 3 matchup at War Memorial Stadium.

Three missed field goals, a turnover in the redzone and self-inflicted penalties from the Utes gave the Cowboys several opportunities to seize momentum over the No. 20-ranked team in the country, though a sharper second half from Utah's offense proved to be the difference maker in a 31-6 victory for Kyle Whittingham's program from Laramie, Wyoming.

Here's what Sawvel had to say about his team and Utah's performance after the game.

On not being able to capitalize off Utah miscues

"We're going to have to go back and really, really evaluate where we were at offensively in this game. They're very good, OK, and so there's a part of it where you look at it and say, 'OK, did they outplay us at this spot? Or is that something there?' And then, 'How do we improve and get better?' And I don't think anybody in our program didn't think that this was going to be a very difficult game — we knew that."

"I think that we could have put ourself in a better position a couple times and done that, and we got a lot to improve at."

On the difference between first and second halves

"A big piece of it was, we were unable in the second half to consistently get them into long yardage. In the first half, we were in a little bit better spot with some of that and then, like I said, we're 10-0 going to get the ball, it's third-and-21 and give up [22 yards to Dallen Bentley]. That, to me, was kind of a backbreaker at that point.

"Because, OK, we get the ball back to start the fourth quarter, and it's a 10 point game and and you go, take your chances and go play a little bit. And, look, I'm proud of our effort. I really enjoy coaching this football team. We're going to learn from this. We'll get better."

On whether his team matched up with the Utes speed-wise

"I didn't feel like there was a difference there; I really didn't. Devon Dampier's, really good, right? And when you have all that size, alignment, and have all these different things to account for, you have to be able to consistently get off blocks and do those things. But I didn't feel from a speed standpoint — like if it was a deal where receivers were running by us, or they're giving the ball to Smith Snowden on jet sweeps and he's out running us or something — that wasn't the case."

"I think what happens is that I think that they won both sides of the line of scrimmage tonight, particularly in the second half on our defense, and really for the whole game on our offense. And I think that that was something that you know that obviously, that's a fear. That's going to be the fear that anybody that plays Utah is going to have ... not just us."

On whether Utah's defense will be the best Wyoming faces all season

"I think that's without question. Like No. 8 (Lander Barton) — I mean, that dude's a big dude. They've got a good front. They've got physicality in their secondary and they're well coached. And they time out when they really want to take their shot on blitzes and do that type of thing. And look, coach Scalley is a really good defensive coach, and I appreciate him a lot, for how well that he he does on that side of it."

On whether he was surprised Wyoming's O-line didn't have more success against Utah's D-line

"We're gonna have to watch the video to see, like, play for play like, where are we getting movement? And in some of those things, there was a couple times I think maybe we could've even hung in there a little bit more run game-wise, and stuck with it. We'd kind of do that but we were trying to achieve a balance offensively. At times, we weren't as effective in the passing game as what I would would have liked this evening as well; just in the fact that I didn't think we created enough separation, and that's something that obviously we've got to improve at and get better at as well."