LARAMIE -- The play action sucked in the linebackers.
The edge rushers crashed. Nearly the entire secondary did, too.
Wyoming quarterback Evan Svoboda reeled in the shotgun snap and briefly tucked the ball into the belly of running back Sam Scott. He yanked it away once the defensive end committed, coasting to his right before planting his foot and turning up field.
San Diego State safety William Nimmo Jr. read the play perfectly. The 205-pound junior had the Cowboys' signal caller in his sights.
He wasn't the only hunter on the field.
Justin Erb, who lined up on the left side of the formation, just behind the outside hip of the left tackle, also bolted to his right, becoming the lead blocker on the play. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound walk-on, with both arms extended, got his hands on the speedy Nimmo, shoving him right out of the frame.
Svoboda was celebrating in the end zone 51 yards later, giving Wyoming a brief 24-17 fourth quarter lead.
That is just a small example of what earned the tight end a scholarship this offseason. Jay Sawvel said it wasn't a difficult decision to award the Wakefield, Neb., product a full-ride.
"We feel like, going forward, we would get value out of that," Wyoming's head coach said Tuesday, adding that Erb is also a "positive player" on four additional special teams' units. "He has a role in certain situations."
Roughly 48 hours after that 27-24 setback against the visiting Aztecs, Erb -- who was still paying for two of his three daily meals, along with room and board and tuition -- downplayed the magnitude of that block and the end result.
The bad? Well, that robbed him of his first-career catch.
Late in the first quarter, Svoboda, again in the shotgun, danced around in the pocket before firing a pass toward the home sideline. That's where Erb was drifting.
"I was kind of sweating, but I was ready for it," Erb admitted. "He caught the ball a little bit in front of me. I tried to catch him, but got a good head start on me."
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He will instead hang his hat on the eight total tackles he tallied on special teams. Six of those were the solo variety.
That's the linebacker in him.
Erb played the position during his first two collegiate seasons at Western Iowa. He registered just 12 tackles for loss in 2022, including one for loss, in just six games. Erb was on his way back to Council Bluffs when he received a text from Wyoming's defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl.
The two developed a relationship when Erb was a standout at Wakefield High School, where he lined up at linebacker, running back and wildcat quarterback in an 8-man league.
The Cowboys wanted him to walk-on. IWCC offered him more, including the opportunity to play in two national championship games. Erb and the Reivers hoisted JuCo's most-coveted prize in '22.
While he has the shiny, diamond-encrusted jewelry -- Erb said, "We got a big 'ol ring" -- he always wanted more. Bohl gave him that opportunity.
"He said they had a spot for me at tight end if I wanted it," he added. "I said, 'Yeah, I'll take it.'"
Sawvel is sure glad he did. Erb's versatility is what sets him apart.
While the days of the prototypical fullback are likely relegated to the dustpan of football history, the senior can still play the part. Though he may be buried on the depth chart behind tight ends John Michael Gyllenborg, Jake Wilson, Isaac Schoenfeld and Svoboda, Erb can still hold his specialist title and pave paths out of the backfield.
"Wherever they need me, I'd be open to it," he added, followed by a slight shoulder shrug.
What is a certainty, Erb is done paying for pancakes and burgers at the team's training table.
"When he first told me, I was kind of speechless," he said, referring to receiving that scholarship offer. "It means a lot to me. I worked pretty hard to get to this spot."