The Wyoming Cowboys didn’t have a lot of bright spots in their 40-34 loss in double overtime Saturday at Syracuse – their second overtime loss of the year and their fourth consecutive loss by a touchdown or less.
But there was Karsten Sween.
The freshman came into the Carrier Dome as Wyoming’s No. 2 quarterback. He came out as the starter after completing 19-of-27 passes for 201 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.
“If there’s a positive to take, it was the play of Karsten Sween. He did a great job,” coach Joe Glenn said, adding Sween would start for the Cowboys (1-4) this week at New Mexico. “We need him, it’s obvious – his decision- making, the way he throws the ball. He did a nice job.”
Sween admitted he was “pretty nervous” when he first went in against Syracuse. His first pass forced Hoost Marsh to make a diving catch; later, he knocked helmets with Devin Moore while calling an audible.
But it was Sween who led Wyoming’s 14-play, 92-yard drive late in the fourth quarter – by that time, Sween said he felt confident – that forced overtime. Sween’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Marsh tied the game with just five seconds left.
“(The game) started to slow down a little bit,” Sween said. “It’s tough on the road, definitely. I played a little bit at home against Utah State, but this is a totally different game – faster, more stuff to think about.”
Not that Jacob Doss was bad. He has completed almost 62 percent of his passes this year, including 14-of-22 for 125 yards at Syracuse. But he has thrown five interceptions, and turnovers doomed Wyoming last year, when the optimism of a 4-1 start evaporated with an 0-6 finish.
Florida: Running back DeShawn Wynn, the team’s leading rusher with 354 yards, has a sprained right knee and is questionable for Saturday’s game against LSU.
Utah State: Riley Nelson, a freshman who has thrown three passes, will replace Leon Jackson as the starting quarterback Saturday against Fresno State.
Ohio: Linemen Tommy Stuck and Paul Johnson and defensive lineman Wesley Dunlap were suspended indefinitely after arrests on charges of underage consumption, assault and driving under the influence, respectively.
Clemson: Alfred Cary Cox Sr., captain of the Clemson and South Carolina teams in the 1940s, died Saturday. He was 83.
