The face of Pokes football: DAVE CHRISTENSEN

[DocHolliday]

Here goes amigos...

I, just like the majority here, have been critical of our head coach at one time or another this season.

If anyone knows anything about me, they know I'm never am prone to sugarcoating anything --that I tell it from the gut as often as possible.

After further personal consideration, while I feel that many of the criticisms of Coach C have been warranted this season (I think he'd even admit he's not been on his A-game thus far in '12) and they've been more than pointed out by all of us...I must still conclude that I'm not ready to throw in the towel on him and this administration.

As early as before this season - and especially last season, I felt we had the right coach for the right time...this season is one that tests a fans patience, and that's what all of us are: fans. As such, we can and do get 'fanatical'.

I posted after I returned home to Cheyenne last night after the game that this just might be one of those seasons that teams run into every now and then -- and I'll hold to that still.

I see no evidence that this team has quit, or that Christensen does not have the same zeal & enthusiasm he's always appeared to have for this job...last night's blow-up at Calhoun I'll put to the account of frustration more than anything else.

I still think this guy can be a great head coach eventually...personally I give him and the entire team a mulligan on the year...he still needs a bit more time before a final verdict regarding his tenure may be summarized, another recruiting class or two as well -- and NEXT SEASON will no doubt be a huge one where the rope won't be as long - obviously.

I think Christensen is a fighter...and he's taking the losing this season personally.

I believe Christensen and the coaching staff will use the rest of this season and the off season as fuel to be prepared to have a 2013 Cowboys season like the one we were all expecting here in 2012.

I say that changing course now will set us back - and suggest we stay the course - find the resolve, re-group, finish this season as strongly as possible -- and return next season all the better for the adversity the club has gone through so far this season.

Losing sucks and stings like a bitch -- otherwise winning wouldn't feel so good.

I say Coach C should get a vote of confidence - and be prepared to go to War at The War in a big way in 2013.

[WYO1016]

Agreed. This season has been extremely frustrating for all of us, but firing HCDC is a horrible solution. The guy is getting the players in to make a difference, he just needs to iron out his coaching points. Our offense is looking better and better each season. Is our defense bad? Yes. Have they improved over the course of the season? YES. Adjustments are being made, and there is sure as hell fire in HCDC's gut. I for one support him and the team 100%, and hope that we can AT LEAST kick the hell out of the sheep in a few weeks.

(If not the official wyonation tailgate may turn into a post-game wake as well.)

[SDPokeFan]

If the players he is getting are so much better, why is the team three points from being winless? Why do we have a defense ranked at the bottom or near the bottom of every statistical category? Why did we lose to an FCS team, which has never happened, EVER, in the history of the program, even the Vic Koenning days? What evidence do you have to suggest he is doing a "good job" when he has the same record that got Joe Glenn fired and has this team staring at a 2 or 3 win season at best?

[djm19]

Does anyone have sources within the team (players, etc as friends) that has a REAL sense of how the players feel right now. Do they like DC? Do they think he is a prick? Is there mutiny soon (if not already)????

[wyocowboy2014]

Does anyone have sources within the team (players, etc as friends) that has a REAL sense of how the players feel right now. Do they like DC? Do they think he is a prick? Is there mutiny soon (if not already)????

I think the vast majority are ok with him. Granted he's a football coach so just like most he is a prick. I do hear some really don't care for him but just like any team some will hate. I think most players focus there hatred on position coaches and coordinators not dc.

[djm19]

ACS saga? Was that DC related? Every year I see the list of guys leaving and it makes me wonder why. I know that "family' is the good ol' reliable excuse because many people fear questioning that, but makes me wonder how many leave cause of coaches.

I actually like DC. I am definitly a critic. Not going to sugar coat that. But I think he can recruit talent. We just need some help on the staff. Our defense has some talented dudes playing like talented duds.

[cypoke]

He doesn't have the Glen recruits to save his ass anymore... He drove damn near every athlete out of there that his staff didn't recruit. Only Kyle Magnuson, Nick Carlson, Josh Leonard, and Patrick Hartford are the only ones left from 08 Glen recruiting class that originally came in with over 20 players. He deserves what he is getting for treating them like s***.. He even drove many of his own prized recruits outa there. There are quality coaches on staff for instance Kaligis and Greener and his strength staff are quality people and coaches. but they can't be themselves or even coach the way they would like because of DC. For the most part Greener can't even run his own strength program, C makes him do Missouri strength and winter conditioning programs.

[JimmyDimes]

He doesn't have the Glen recruits to save his ass anymore... He drove damn near every athlete out of there that his staff didn't recruit. Only Kyle Magnuson, Nick Carlson, Josh Leonard, and Patrick Hartford are the only ones left from 08 Glen recruiting class that originally came in with over 20 players. He deserves what he is getting for treating them like s***.. He even drove many of his own prized recruits outa there. There are quality coaches on staff for instance Kaligis and Greener and his strength staff are quality people and coaches. but they can't be themselves or even coach the way they would like because of DC. For the most part Greener can't even run his own strength program, C makes him do Missouri strength and winter conditioning programs.

We've lost by less points total than a few f-word games last year that your boy Ben Durbin played in. I'm sick of you haters. Joe Glenn got his ass handed to him more than not and I like him. Some of you guys pretend like Joe Glenn's poop doesn't stink.

Our starting quarterback has not finished 4 games.....all 4 we would have won if he was either healthy or didn't have to go off on some stupid refs for letting players get in cheap shots.

I'm not happy with the losses, but I'm not going to bash our current head coach because of a couple things that are out of his control.

[Danmully]

To be fair if dc was still playing tcu byu and utah every year he would be getting his ass kicked like glenn. In fact our biggest loss to byu was under dc's watch. I think we have to give him at the very least a few more years to get it going tho.

[stymeman]

yeah if we don't beeet the sheeeep then somethings wrong for sure internally

[SDPokeFan]

He doesn't have the Glen recruits to save his ass anymore... He drove damn near every athlete out of there that his staff didn't recruit. Only Kyle Magnuson, Nick Carlson, Josh Leonard, and Patrick Hartford are the only ones left from 08 Glen recruiting class that originally came in with over 20 players. He deserves what he is getting for treating them like s***.. He even drove many of his own prized recruits outa there. There are quality coaches on staff for instance Kaligis and Greener and his strength staff are quality people and coaches. but they can't be themselves or even coach the way they would like because of DC. For the most part Greener can't even run his own strength program, C makes him do Missouri strength and winter conditioning programs.

We've lost by less points total than a few f-word games last year that your boy Ben Durbin played in. I'm sick of you haters. Joe Glenn got his ass handed to him more than not and I like him. Some of you guys pretend like Joe Glenn's poop doesn't stink.

Our starting quarterback has not finished 4 games.....all 4 we would have won if he was either healthy or didn't have to go off on some stupid refs for letting players get in cheap shots.

I'm not happy with the losses, but I'm not going to bash our current head coach because of a couple things that are out of his control.

You have no proof of that statement. And with Brett playing the entire game, we only beat Idaho by three points.

[SDPokeFan]

Tell me one good team DC has defeated since he got here. Go ahead, I'll wait, because there isn't one.

[gbpoke]

Tell me one good team DC has defeated since he got here. Go ahead, I'll wait, because there isn't one.

If you're looking for a BCS conference team that is ranked in the Top 25 you're right there aren't any. But there are a few good teams that DC has beaten. He beat a pretty good Fresno State team his first year here--the one with Ryan Mathews--in the New Mexico Bowl. Wyoming beat a pretty decent Toledo team on the road in 2010, a bad year by the way for the Pokes. Last year he beat SDSU which was a pretty good team.

[kansasCowboy]

To be fair if dc was still playing tcu byu and utah every year he would be getting his ass kicked like glenn. In fact our biggest loss to byu was under dc's watch. I think we have to give him at the very least a few more years to get it going tho.

Also to be fair, Glenn never had to play those teams with no less than 11 freshman on the field either. Glenn came to Wyo and had a fully loaded Offense. And a decent set up of D players. As I explained in another post, Glenn left DC absolutely nothing to work with. Don't believe me? We had no QBs , No RBs and one unproven WR in Leonard. D was an issue, but at least wasn't as bare as the Offense was. So yeah, our biggest loss was under DC, but DC took us to a bowl with a bunch of freshman while Glenn using a fully loaded offense could barely get four wins his first year. And if you remember DC went down to Utah and only lost 10-22. Hardly a blowout considering we had the lead clear into the fourth quarter.
Nonetheless, the difference lies in who else was blowing us out...Glenn was getting blown out by UNM, SDS, I'm pretty sure CSU got in there also, Bowling Green, unranked Texas A&M.
DC, #3 Texas, #10 Texas, #5 Boise St. I can't really think of any others.

But, I will agree with you, I think he needs a few more years to get going.

[kansasCowboy]

Tell me one good team DC has defeated since he got here. Go ahead, I'll wait, because there isn't one.

If you're looking for a BCS conference team that is ranked in the Top 25 you're right there aren't any. But there are a few good teams that DC has beaten. He beat a pretty good Fresno State team his first year here--the one with Ryan Mathews--in the New Mexico Bowl. Wyoming beat a pretty decent Toledo team on the road in 2010, a bad year by the way for the Pokes. Last year he beat SDSU which was a pretty good team.

Don't forget Air Force last year. Besides he's also beat CSU every year which that in itself has to count for something.
But Glenn I remember we beat Virginia (Good win), TCU (Good win/Down year for them),

But, do you want to know the real difference. DC up until this year has been winning the games we are supposed to win. Which has made all the difference.
Unlike Glenn who beats TCU and the very next week gets lambasted by UNM! Or beat by UNLV, or Blown out by BGSU,
I can always understand losing to a top rated team, especially when we ourselves are not at that point yet. What I can't understand is losing to team of equal or less status, especially getting blownout by them...That's the difference.
I got to be honest though. I think our schedule this year has been deceivingly better than most thought it would be.
4-2 Texas (Top 20)
6-1 Toledo (Will probably win out this year and be a top 15 team)
6-0 Cal Poly (Top FCS team)
1-6 Idaho (Struggles, and will continues, But I bet they beat the number 1 wac school UTSA)
6-1 Nevada (Possible top 25 team, and possible conference Champion.)
3-3 Air Force (Should have won, but, just like the rest of the year, complications insued)'

So, seriously, it's not like we've lost two a bunch of nobodies. Yes, I can and will say, I've seen the difference in our Offense when we play with Smith, and I see what we are like when we have Thompson or Kirk.
Smith had us moving against Toledo, once he was out, Offense stalled. Smith hands down would've beat Cal Poly. Nevada, I think we would've moved the ball and ran the clock out. Thompson couldn't and Kirk screwed up a a critical play. I think with the amount of time Thompson had to throw the ball on 4th down during AFA, Smith probably would've scrambled and I even saw the openings he would've taken. The drive would've continued. Game changer? Possibly.
It's all woulda, coulda, shoulda. But it's done. We've played top, tough teams and have been in every single one of those games. Our schedule is getting no easier. But, we have started to come together as a team. 4-3 Fresno State. 5-1 Boise State.
I think we are right at the cusp of even turning this year around. Wait and see.

[Danmully]

not to beat the point anymore but....

DC's worse losses

63-19 utah state
37-15 temple
24-22 cal poly
42-16 unlv
45-0 #5 tcu
52-0 #25 byu
24-0 colorado

Glenn's look about the same. the conference is now much poop than it was 3 years ago. hopefully we start winning some games.

[kansasCowboy]

not to beat the point anymore but....

DC's worse losses

63-19 utah state
37-15 temple
24-22 cal poly
42-16 unlv
45-0 #5 tcu
52-0 #25 byu
24-0 colorado

Glenn's look about the same. the conference is now much poop than it was 3 years ago. hopefully we start winning some games.

Stop making stuff up. We haven't lost to CSU under DC. Keep throwing stuff out there though.

[Cuttslam]

not to beat the point anymore but....

DC's worse losses

63-19 utah state
37-15 temple
24-22 cal poly
42-16 unlv
45-0 #5 tcu
52-0 #25 byu
24-0 colorado

Glenn's look about the same. the conference is now much poop than it was 3 years ago. hopefully we start winning some games.

Stop making stuff up. We haven't lost to CSU under DC. Keep throwing stuff out there though.

Where did he say we lost to CSU under DC in this post?

[ELKMT]

Danmully wrote:
not to beat the point anymore but....

DC's worse losses

63-19 utah state
37-15 temple
24-22 cal poly
42-16 unlv
45-0 #5 tcu
52-0 #25 byu
24-0 colorado

Glenn's look about the same. the conference is now much poop than it was 3 years ago. hopefully we start winning some games.

Stop making stuff up. We haven't lost to CSU under DC. Keep throwing stuff out there though.

Apparently he is not making stuff up since CSU and Colorado are different schools, keep commenting though.

[ELKMT]

If this team wins out this year DC will have an identical winning percentage to Joe Tiller's first four years. Do I think we can win out? Not really but it is possible. I do believe good things will happen next year though.