Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel looks on before an NCAA...

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel looks on before an NCAA football game against Arizona State on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. Credit: AP/Rick Scuteri

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Mountain West Conference issued a public reprimand to Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel on Sunday in response to his public criticism of game officials following the Cowboys' game against Utah State on Saturday.

Sawvel was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 27-25 loss for arguing a pass interference call against Wyett Ekeler. The combined 30 yards in penalties moved Utah State into position to score a touchdown.

Sawvel addressed the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during his postgame news conference.

”… Yeah, I regret that," he said, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. "I thought it was a pretty quick hair trigger, too. I don’t want to say a whole lot else about that stuff, because, to be honest, right now, I’d say I’m a horse (expletive) head coach, and I think we’ve had some horse (expletive) officiating.”

The Cowboys are 1-7 in Sawvel's first season.

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