Wyoming Couldn’t Take Bogar Off Field During Career Outing
LARAMIE -- Esaia Bogar was on the field last Saturday for 60 of the Cowboys' 67 defensive snaps.
That's never part of the game plan, Aaron Bohl admitted. It also, in part, is why Dartmouth transfer Thaddeus Gianaris was limited to just three plays.
"You just couldn't take him off the field," the third-year defensive coordinator said. "Which is encouraging."
The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., product tallied 11 tackles and brought Colorado State quarterback Hauss Hejny down in the backfield for a 4-yard loss in the third quarter. Though Bogar wasn't officially credited with a sack, he was Wyoming's top-rated defender in Fort Collins, earning an overall score of 80.6, according to Pro Football Focus.
The next closest defender, freshman cornerback Kendall Griffin, landed a 70.5.
Bogar finished with just 13 total tackles last fall, his first year in a Cowboy uniform. Multiple injuries to his right hand forced him into a heavily-wrapped cast, covering even his fingers. That certainly didn't help matters in 2025.
"He must be pissed that he wore that club all last year by the way he plays right now," head coach Jay Sawvel said on Monday. "He ran his ass off in the game the other day, and the motor to him was off the charts. You could see it coming."
Bogar, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound edge rusher, made lightwork of tackles during spring and fall camp. When a tight end was inserted on the perimeter, the Riverside City College transfer was seemingly always the first in the backfield.
Landon Pace was on the receiving end of a few of those clinics. So were starters Jake Wilson and Kyle Frendt.
Wyoming's new starting right guard Giovanni Panozzo has also gone toe-to-toe with the silent-but-violent Bogar in practice. The results, at times, were much the same.
"He's a heck of a player, for sure," the 314-pound sophomore said. "He has grown so much since he got here. I can't wait to see where he goes from that (performance at CSU) because if that's what he put on two days ago, there's a lot of football left. He can really do something. He's really good for us."
One of Bogar's most-impactful plays in the opener didn't feature a stat at all.
Early in the second quarter, Hejny stepped up in the pocket and found his favorite target, RJ Vick, on a crossing route. The Wake Forest transfer took full advantage of Wyoming nickelback Desman Hearns slipping on the play, cruising 41 yards up the east sideline inside Canvas Stadium.
Behind the play, yellow hankies joined Hejny in the backfield. Starting left tackle Toriyan Johnson, with both of his big mitts, repeatedly hit himself in the helmet.
A blatant hold -- one that could've almost been a horse-collar -- erased that explosive play. The Rams were forced to punt after a failed third down.
Sawvel wasn't surprised one bit with Bogar's impact.
"There were times in fall camp that you'd watch a practice, defensively, and go over to the offensive meeting, and the first thing they'd say is, 'Bogar is a pain in the ass,'" he added. "There's truth in that."
Imagine what Bogar could do with the Cowboys leading on the scoreboard? That's the space Bohl wants to see the senior living in.
"If you hold people from scoring early, then you make them press a little more later," he said. "I think he showed the ability that we can lean on him."
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Gallery: Wyoming Cowboys at Colorado State Rams
Gallery Credit: Hilario Cadena photos