Laramie isn't for the faint of heart in November. The wind howls off the Medicine Bow Mountains, and if you’re standing on the sidelines at Jonah Field, you’re basically in a wind tunnel. This past season, that wind felt a little bit colder than usual for the Pokes. Honestly, if you've been checking the wyoming university football score every Saturday, you know it was a rollercoaster that ended in a bit of a freefall.
Jay Sawvel’s first year as head coach wasn't exactly a fairytale. Taking over for a legend like Craig Bohl is a massive task. Bohl built a culture of "cowboy tough" football that relied on a punishing run game and a defense that would make you regret crossing the state line. Sawvel kept the grit, but the results? Well, they were a mixed bag. The Cowboys finished the 2025 season with a 4-8 record. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a fanbase used to bowl games and late-season meaningful football.
Breaking Down the 2025 Schedule and Results
The season started with so much promise. It’s funny how a couple of early wins can trick your brain into thinking a Mountain West title is coming.
- Week 1: A clinical 10-0 shutout against Akron. It wasn't pretty, but a road win is a road win.
- Week 2: The Cowboys handled Northern Iowa 31-7. At 2-0, the vibes in Laramie were immaculate.
- The Reality Check: Then came No. 20 Utah. The Utes showed up in Laramie and handed Wyoming a 31-6 reality check.
From there, it was a battle. A trip to Boulder to face Colorado ended in a 37-20 loss, despite a decent showing from the offense. The most frustrating part for fans was the inconsistency. One week, the defense looked like world-beaters; the next, they couldn't get off the field on third down.
The Border War: A Brief Moment of Pure Joy
If you ignore every other wyoming university football score from 2025, just look at October 25th. That was the night Colorado State came to town. The Border War. The Bronze Boot was on the line.
Wyoming absolutely dismantled the Rams. A 28-0 shutout.
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Kaden Anderson, the sophomore quarterback who took over the reins this year, looked like the future of the program that night. He threw for 154 yards and two scores, while the defense held CSU to a measly 63 yards in the first half. It was the kind of performance that makes you think, "Okay, Sawvel knows what he's doing." But football is a long season, and the high of the Border War didn't last long enough.
Why the Offense Stalled Out
Let's talk numbers, even though they aren't always fun. Wyoming averaged about 16 points per game. In modern college football, that's like trying to win a drag race in a tractor.
The rushing attack, usually the bread and butter of this program, was okay but not dominant. Sam Scott and Samuel Harris did their best, with Harris putting up over 550 yards on the ground, but the explosive plays just weren't there. When you can't run the ball at will in Laramie, the whole system starts to creak.
Kaden Anderson finished the year with 1,971 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. For a young guy in this system, those aren't terrible numbers. However, the 10 interceptions were killers. You've got to protect the ball when your defense is keeping you in low-scoring games, and too often, a mistimed throw or a miscommunication ended a promising drive.
The Defensive Wall Had Some Cracks
Statistically, the defense was actually pretty good. They only allowed about 20 points per game, which ranks them in the top 30 nationally. That’s the irony of the wyoming university football score history this year—the defense did enough to win almost every game.
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They were physical. They were disciplined. They just didn't get any help from the other side of the ball. Imagine holding an opponent to 13 points—like they did against Nevada—and still losing. That happened. A 13-7 loss at home to Nevada on November 22nd was probably the low point of the year.
The Coaching Shakeup for 2026
Sawvel isn't sitting on his hands. He knows the offensive output was unacceptable. Right after the season ended, he made a huge move by hiring Christian Taylor as the new Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach.
Taylor comes from the Buffalo Bills staff. Before that, he was the OC at William & Mary, where his offenses were known for being fundamentally sound but also "explosive and creative." That’s a phrase you don't often hear associated with Wyoming football. If he can bring some of that NFL-level passing concepts to Laramie while keeping the "cowboy tough" identity, 2026 could look very different.
Summary of the 2025 Wyoming Scores
| Opponent | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|
| at Akron | W | 10-0 |
| Northern Iowa | W | 31-7 |
| Utah | L | 6-31 |
| at Colorado | L | 20-37 |
| UNLV | L | 17-31 |
| San Jose State | W | 35-28 |
| at Air Force | L | 21-24 |
| Colorado State | W | 28-0 |
| at San Diego State | L | 7-24 |
| at Fresno State | L | 3-24 |
| Nevada | L | 7-13 |
| at Hawaii | L | 7-27 |
The season ended on a four-game losing streak. That hurts. Especially the finale in Hawaii, where a 27-7 loss felt like a team that had just run out of gas.
What to Look for Next
So, where do the Cowboys go from here?
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First, keep an eye on the transfer portal. With a new OC in town, don't be surprised if Wyoming looks for some veteran wide receiver help or even another body in the QB room to compete with Anderson. The Mountain West is getting more competitive, and with the new 12-team (and potentially larger) playoff systems in the future, the "Group of Five" path is more open than ever—but only for teams that can actually score points.
Check the spring game rosters. Usually, in late April, we get our first look at how Christian Taylor’s offense is taking shape. If they start throwing the ball more than 30 times a game, you’ll know the philosophy has truly shifted.
The 2025 season might have been a disappointment on paper, but the win over Colorado State showed the ceiling is still high. The bones of a good team are there. They just need a bit more spark when they have the ball.
If you're a fan, the move is to watch the early 2026 recruiting class. Sawvel's ability to keep the local Wyoming kids and the overlooked regional talent in Laramie will be the deciding factor in whether this was a one-year blip or the start of a trend. The defense is already there. If the offense catches up, the Pokes will be back in a bowl game by next December.
To get the most out of following the team next season, track the development of Kaden Anderson under the new coaching staff. His growth in passing efficiency and decision-making will be the single most important variable for the Cowboys' success in 2026. Look for more aggressive play-calling in the red zone during the early non-conference games to see if the Christian Taylor era is truly delivering the promised "explosive" change.