Wyoming QB Hughes Out With Fracture

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel confirmed on Monday that senior quarterback Tyler Hughes has a small fracture in his right forearm. The injury keeps Hughes out of Saturday night’s game against UTEP in El Paso. Sawvel described the break as a minor issue, noting that not all bones in the human body are equal in importance. He said the team is not treating the injury as overly prohibitive and expects to have a clearer timeline after Hughes sees a doctor later in the day.

Hughes suffered the injury during the first half of Wyoming’s 41-35 victory over UNLV on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He took a hard hit near the sideline and stayed in for two more plays. On one of those plays, he completed a 32-yard pass to Ke'Lyn Washom. He also threw a 10-yard pass to running back Samuel Harris out of the backfield. After that, Hughes could no longer grip the ball properly, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Landon Sims replaced Hughes under center. Two snaps later, Sims rolled into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, extending Wyoming’s lead to 31-21. Sims, a junior from Alabama, will likely start the game in El Paso. He has completed two of six passes this season, including an 18-yard touchdown throw to Jake Wilson in Las Vegas. Sims is recovering from a third ACL surgery on his left knee, which occurred last November. He has rushed for 37 yards and two touchdowns in limited action this fall.

Hughes has been the most productive player in the Mountain West Conference over the last four weeks. He has rushed for 492 yards and five touchdowns. He has also completed more than 66% of his passes for 530 yards and four touchdowns. His performance helped lead the Cowboys to a perfect mark in conference play during that span. Reports on social media suggested Hughes might miss the rest of the 2026 season, but Sawvel pushed back on that idea. He said the team is waiting for more information from Hughes’ medical appointments before declaring a final timeline.

Offensive coordinator Christian Taylor will use the week to design a game plan suited to the starting quarterback’s skill set. The choice between Sims and Mason Drube remains open. Sawvel said the team has confidence in both players. He noted that he has always felt Wyoming has good quarterbacks in the program. The coaching staff will decide on the emergency quarterback option when the team travels to West Texas.

Wyoming enters the game with a 6-3 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference play. UTEP is 1-8 overall and 0-5 in its league. The teams will meet for the 34th time on Saturday night at the Sun Bowl in El Paso. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will air on FS1.