Sports

Wyoming Football Coach Blames Rival For Poor Planning After 300-Pound Lineman Obliterated Fan

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Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jay Sawvel responded to video of a Wyoming player shoving a rival fan.


Colorado State football fans stormed the field after a rivalry win over Wyoming on Saturday in Fort Collins. One attendee was obliterated after entering the path of a 300-pound defensive lineman.

Video captured the moment in real time amid a Colorado State celebration. Wyoming’s coach has since weighed in on the shove.

Jayden Williams pushed a Colorado State football fan.

It came after a disappointing showing in the Border War. The Rams entered as three-point favorites. They left as three-touchdowns victors.

CSU outgained the Cowboys by 123 yards. The defense forced four turnovers. Wyoming did not convert a third or fourth down. The game was one-sided.

Colorado State scored the final 21 points of the contest. It celebrated by hoisting the Bronze Boot. Fans joined in by rushing onto the field.

Jayden Williams, a 294-pound defensive tackle for Wyoming, came into contact with a rival fan. He took him off his feet with a forceful two-hand push.

Video of the incident quickly surfaced on social media. Head coach Jay Sawvel has been made aware.

Wyoming football will punish Jayden Williams.

Sawvel does not condone his defensive tackle’s actions. Williams will be dealt with when the team returns to practice. The coach did, however, point out the poor logistics of Colorado State’s Canvas Stadium.

“We have a lot of fans that rush our field, too,” Sawvel said. “It’s not like we’re guiltless of anything in college football, but one thing is that our visiting sideline and locker room are on the same side. There’s no crossing the field. We had to cross the field there. They could’ve put us on the other sideline… and we’d never have to cross fans.”

Field rushing has been a hot topic in college football over the last few years. Protocols have been put in place to reduce player-fan interactions. Most involve keeping the crowd off the field until after teams have departed to the locker room.

That didn’t happen at Colorado State. Sawvel placed some blame on the Rams. The situation could’ve been avoided with a sideline switch.

That does not mean that Williams will evade punishment. It will be handled in-house.