It didn’t take a hard sales pitch to get new starting quarterback Karsten Sween to commit to the Wyoming Cowboys a couple of years ago.
“We knocked him out with all the bright lights of Laramie,” Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said.
A redshirt freshman, Sween is from California. But he grew up far from the glitter of Hollywood. Sween’s hometown of Inyokern claims a population of 984 – when everybody is back from running errands, that is.
Inyokern minds its business in the high desert. Death Valley is closer than the two-hour drive to Bakersfield, the nearest city of much size. Glenn recalled “feeling tickled to death” to see Sween wearing jeans and a big belt buckle when the rifle-armed lefty arrived in Laramie for his recruiting visit.
“I’m kind of a drugstore cowboy,” Sween said with a chuckle. “I didn’t grow up on a ranch riding horses or anything. But I’m a country boy. I like the people and the small-town environment of Laramie. And I knew Wyoming likes to throw the ball.”
Glenn appears to have his quarterback of the present and the future. Coming off the bench for the second series of the second half Saturday at Syracuse, Sween completed 19-of-27 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns in the 40-34 double-overtime loss to the Orange. Sween forced overtime when he hit Hoost Marsh with a 15-yard TD pass with five seconds remaining.
As a reward for his efforts, Sween will make his first college start Saturday night when Wyoming (1-4, 0-1 Mountain West) plays at New Mexico (2-3, 0-1). Sween replaces junior Jacob Doss, who has thrown for 826 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions.
“With the keys to the car now, we expect Karsten to be even more prepared,” Glenn said. “Jacob’s numbers aren’t bad. But when we inserted Karsten, you could just see the speed of the game pick up. He’s got a bigger arm, more velocity, tight spiral. He understands the game.
“Now, can he handle it? I think so. He’s got that look in his eyes, the square jaw. He’s been waiting for this.”
Sween, 19, is mature beyond his years. He married his childhood sweetheart, Alex, in May. She also is enrolled at Wyoming, as an English education major. Sween is a psychology major with his future mapped out. He plans to become a high school counselor and coach.
Also, Sween carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Although he played high school football at nearby Ridgecrest, Calif. (population: 25,000), it was still in a lower classification. He threw for 4,367 yards and 46 touchdowns as a senior and dreamed of playing for UCLA. But the Bruins didn’t offer.
Oregon reportedly came in late after missing out on its top recruiting targets. But Sween stuck with the commitment he had extended to Glenn the previous October.
“The knock on me was that I played in a smaller division,” Sween said. “There are other quarterbacks in California who got like 10 Division I offers. I feel I’m better than them. That’s OK. When Wyoming offered me, I just really felt good about it. I wanted to go somewhere where I was wanted.”
Tom Kensler can be reached at 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com.
GAME BREAKDOWN
Players to watch
Wyoming (1-4, 0-1 Mountain West): Quarterback Karsten Sween, a 6-foot-2, 204-pound redshirt freshman, makes his first start. The return of senior safety Dorsey Golston (sprained ankle) to full-time status will aid the secondary against New Mexico’s pro-style attack.
New Mexico (2-3, 0-1): There are rumblings in Albuquerque that Lobos coach Rocky Long might try a new quarterback. Senior Chris Nelson took over in the second game when starter Kole McKamey was lost for the season with a knee injury. Nelson has thrown for seven touchdowns, but the Lobos average just 305.6 yards per game in total offense. Waiting for his chance is Donovan Porterie, a 6-4, 200-pound redshirt freshman. Porterie has completed 3-of-4 passes in spot duty.
Key stat
Wyoming ranks ninth (last) among MWC teams in turnover margin with minus-1.4 per game. The Cowboys have 13 giveaways and just six takeaways. That includes a season-best three takeaways last Saturday at Syracuse.
Key for Wyoming
New Mexico’s 3-3-5 defense is based upon deception and could present a challenge for Sween.
Key for New Mexico
New Mexico averages just 88.2 yards rushing this season and netted only 41 yards on the ground last week in a 24-7 loss to Air Force. An absence of a running game puts too much pressure on the quarterback.
TOM KENSLER
