This is mostly for the UW fans that don't have access to much news about UW football and fall practice. I'll try to put some articles and links here for that purpose.
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/08/08/sports/uwsports/2997868f1a76486f8725760c0000e00c.txt
By AUSTIN WARD
Star-Tribune staff writer
Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:36 AM MDT
LARAMIE -- Gabe Knapton survived the gauntlet.
That accomplishment was no small feat for anybody at the end of Wyoming's second practice.
But for a linebacker coming back from a knee injury and chasing the kind of shape that helped him emerge as a star last year, Knapton's negotiation of all the laps, pushups and sit-ups on Friday was an encouraging sign for a defense which badly needs him healthy.
And while other Cowboys were dragging themselves off the field, it looked even better for UW when Knapton announced he had enough energy to follow up the grueling workout with another in the weight room.
"I've been doing so much extra stuff trying to get back," Knapton said. "Right now I'm probably going to go back in there and work out a little more. I just want to get [the leg] back up to 110 percent, better than it was.
"I've still got a little bit left in the tank. Not a lot, but a little."
Nobody seemed to have much in reserve after new coach Dave Christensen unveiled another piece of his Winner's Edge conditioning program, though Knapton perhaps had some left over from a spring spent mostly on the sideline.
The sophomore was clearly frustrated at times to be missing the action and a chance to build on his breakout freshman campaign back in April, but now that he's back, Knapton is doing all he can to make up for it.
"He's not 100 percent yet, and he's got to go through this day-to-day grind of practice and stuff to get that leg back into that kind of shape," defensive coordinator Marty English said. "He's good, and when he's running his reps, he knows what he's doing. But as practice goes on his leg kind of fatigues on him a little bit, and that's just going to take time, take days.
"But when he goes, he goes hard. It's just getting that leg to be in shape enough that when we get to Sept. 5 [and the season opener against Weber State], it doesn't fatigue."
If wearing out is still an issue, Knapton has done a good job hiding it.
His physical numbers in the weight room have all improved over the summer.
The ball-hawking ability that produced 92 tackles last season is still plainly evident even without pads on.
And though Knapton has had to add a brace to protect his knee, it hasn't slowed him down a bit -- and like everybody else on the roster, he had plenty of chances to show off his speed on UW's new makeshift track.
"That's just part of our Winning Edge Program, part of our conditioning," Christensen said. "I mean, if you train hard enough all summer, it should be a breeze. Apparently some guys didn't do quite what it took to get ready to go, but we'll get them there. We'll get them there, we have a lot of time still.
"The key now is just getting the practice habits down and making sure everybody understands the speed and the tempo of our practices, that's first and foremost when you have 47 new players out there -- you've got a lot of teaching to do in that area."
The lesson is already sinking in.
Every time a member of a particular unit failed to make the time allotted for a lap, the whole group had to do it over. And unlike Knapton, not all the Cowboys are looking for extra reps.
"It's real tough, it takes a lot of mental toughness, but it's going to help us out tremendously in the season," Knapton said. "It just gives us a good chance, gets us where we need to be to succeed."
"We kind of knew it was going to be tough, and that was a little tougher than I thought it would be, but we've just got to be mentally tough and you can get through anything basically."
Knapton might not be the fittest yet, but he's got the survival part down.
LAUNCH PADS: The Cowboys haven't exactly been shy about getting physical without pads, so the intensity will almost certainly be ramped up this morning.
UW will add shoulder pads to the mix during a workout leading up to the team's annual Media Day, which should improve both the competition and the ability to assess the Cowboys at this point.
'We'll be OK -- two gosh-darn cloth practices, you don't find a whole bunch out," Christensen said. "[Today] we'll put shoulder pads on so we can get a little more physical, and then we'll start to see some things. Obviously, a couple days after that we'll get the pads on.
"That's football, we've got to practice at a certain speed and tempo, and we're going to [hit]. But our practices should be faster now than when we're in full pads because we're lighter."
Not for long.
Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or [email protected].
COWBOYS TRACKER
FRIDAY: Wyoming practiced for the second time since camp opened, working out in the morning and closing the session with a grueling conditioning drill.
ADDED PROTECTION: The Cowboys will add shoulder pads to go with their helmets when they practice today before their annual Media Day.
HE SAID IT: "I've still got a little bit left in the tank. Not a lot, but a little." -- UW linebacker Gabe Knapton after the Winner's Edge workout.
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/08/08/sports/uwsports/doc4a7ba9b84aea9024625774.txt
Camp opens with QBs jockeying for starting spot
By ERIC SCHMOLDT
Star-Tribune staff writer
Friday, August 7, 2009 7:23 AM MDT
LARAMIE -- All of the options are finally here.
Now Wyoming's first-year coaching staff can finally start sorting through them.
UW kicked off fall practice Thursday inside the Indoor Practice Facility and the start of camp meant the resumption of the Cowboys' quarterback battle -- this time with two former starters and two unfamiliar faces.
"I think all the quarterbacks did some good things today and they all did some bad things," UW coach Dave Christensen said. "The competition's going to be great and we'll see what happens."
The competition is nothing new for senior Karsten Sween and junior Dax Crum.
Crum won the starting gig for the Pokes a year ago before giving way to Sween -- who entered Thursday in the No. 1 spot.
"I'm the number one guy right now," Sween said. "My focus is just to try to get better every day, every practice, and just take it personally. I'm not going to lose my spot. They're raising my level up and I'm just trying to hold on to that spot."
But Crum has edged him for that spot before and now two newcomers -- junior college transfer Robert Benjamin and true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels -- have arrived trying to do the same.
After tying up some loose ends academically, Benjamin finally arrived in Laramie on July 30.
He's got the shortest amount of time to grasp a new system, but is more of a dual-threat option than any of UW's other choices at quarterback and showed off both his arm and his quickness on the ground during Thursday's padless practice.
"It's a new start for me -- a new team, a new atmosphere -- so it's still taking time for me to get used to the situation, but it's going good," Benjamin said. "I'm just taking it day by day. I can't tell you [if I'll be ready for the season-opener] right now."
Carta-Samuels believes he'll be ready if he's called upon to start against Weber State on Sept. 5.
The San Jose, Calif., native spent the summer learning Christensen's offense and plans on enjoying every minute of the competition.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can and I think that can get me to [start]," he said. "But ultimately, if one of them is better than I am, I trust these coaches to make Wyoming the best football team. And I'll redshirt and do what I have to do.
"My goal is to play, as it is all three of theirs."
Asked if there was any sort of timetable for making a decision on a starting quarterback, Christensen said he'll name a starter on the Thursday before the season opener.
Until then, a new depth chart will be posted in the locker room daily.
"With two guys who have never done anything and two guys who were just here in spring, it's not the ideal situation to make an early decision [on a starter]," UW offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo said. "It's going to develop itself over time. Hopefully a guy will emerge and a second guy will be right on his tail.
"We've got a long ways to go."
Let the battle begin -- again.
Contact sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at (307) 266-0578 or [email protected].
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/08/08/sports/uwsports/2997868f1a76486f8725760c0000e00c.txt
By AUSTIN WARD
Star-Tribune staff writer
Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:36 AM MDT
LARAMIE -- Gabe Knapton survived the gauntlet.
That accomplishment was no small feat for anybody at the end of Wyoming's second practice.
But for a linebacker coming back from a knee injury and chasing the kind of shape that helped him emerge as a star last year, Knapton's negotiation of all the laps, pushups and sit-ups on Friday was an encouraging sign for a defense which badly needs him healthy.
And while other Cowboys were dragging themselves off the field, it looked even better for UW when Knapton announced he had enough energy to follow up the grueling workout with another in the weight room.
"I've been doing so much extra stuff trying to get back," Knapton said. "Right now I'm probably going to go back in there and work out a little more. I just want to get [the leg] back up to 110 percent, better than it was.
"I've still got a little bit left in the tank. Not a lot, but a little."
Nobody seemed to have much in reserve after new coach Dave Christensen unveiled another piece of his Winner's Edge conditioning program, though Knapton perhaps had some left over from a spring spent mostly on the sideline.
The sophomore was clearly frustrated at times to be missing the action and a chance to build on his breakout freshman campaign back in April, but now that he's back, Knapton is doing all he can to make up for it.
"He's not 100 percent yet, and he's got to go through this day-to-day grind of practice and stuff to get that leg back into that kind of shape," defensive coordinator Marty English said. "He's good, and when he's running his reps, he knows what he's doing. But as practice goes on his leg kind of fatigues on him a little bit, and that's just going to take time, take days.
"But when he goes, he goes hard. It's just getting that leg to be in shape enough that when we get to Sept. 5 [and the season opener against Weber State], it doesn't fatigue."
If wearing out is still an issue, Knapton has done a good job hiding it.
His physical numbers in the weight room have all improved over the summer.
The ball-hawking ability that produced 92 tackles last season is still plainly evident even without pads on.
And though Knapton has had to add a brace to protect his knee, it hasn't slowed him down a bit -- and like everybody else on the roster, he had plenty of chances to show off his speed on UW's new makeshift track.
"That's just part of our Winning Edge Program, part of our conditioning," Christensen said. "I mean, if you train hard enough all summer, it should be a breeze. Apparently some guys didn't do quite what it took to get ready to go, but we'll get them there. We'll get them there, we have a lot of time still.
"The key now is just getting the practice habits down and making sure everybody understands the speed and the tempo of our practices, that's first and foremost when you have 47 new players out there -- you've got a lot of teaching to do in that area."
The lesson is already sinking in.
Every time a member of a particular unit failed to make the time allotted for a lap, the whole group had to do it over. And unlike Knapton, not all the Cowboys are looking for extra reps.
"It's real tough, it takes a lot of mental toughness, but it's going to help us out tremendously in the season," Knapton said. "It just gives us a good chance, gets us where we need to be to succeed."
"We kind of knew it was going to be tough, and that was a little tougher than I thought it would be, but we've just got to be mentally tough and you can get through anything basically."
Knapton might not be the fittest yet, but he's got the survival part down.
LAUNCH PADS: The Cowboys haven't exactly been shy about getting physical without pads, so the intensity will almost certainly be ramped up this morning.
UW will add shoulder pads to the mix during a workout leading up to the team's annual Media Day, which should improve both the competition and the ability to assess the Cowboys at this point.
'We'll be OK -- two gosh-darn cloth practices, you don't find a whole bunch out," Christensen said. "[Today] we'll put shoulder pads on so we can get a little more physical, and then we'll start to see some things. Obviously, a couple days after that we'll get the pads on.
"That's football, we've got to practice at a certain speed and tempo, and we're going to [hit]. But our practices should be faster now than when we're in full pads because we're lighter."
Not for long.
Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or [email protected].
COWBOYS TRACKER
FRIDAY: Wyoming practiced for the second time since camp opened, working out in the morning and closing the session with a grueling conditioning drill.
ADDED PROTECTION: The Cowboys will add shoulder pads to go with their helmets when they practice today before their annual Media Day.
HE SAID IT: "I've still got a little bit left in the tank. Not a lot, but a little." -- UW linebacker Gabe Knapton after the Winner's Edge workout.
http://www.trib.com/articles/2009/08/08/sports/uwsports/doc4a7ba9b84aea9024625774.txt
Camp opens with QBs jockeying for starting spot
By ERIC SCHMOLDT
Star-Tribune staff writer
Friday, August 7, 2009 7:23 AM MDT
LARAMIE -- All of the options are finally here.
Now Wyoming's first-year coaching staff can finally start sorting through them.
UW kicked off fall practice Thursday inside the Indoor Practice Facility and the start of camp meant the resumption of the Cowboys' quarterback battle -- this time with two former starters and two unfamiliar faces.
"I think all the quarterbacks did some good things today and they all did some bad things," UW coach Dave Christensen said. "The competition's going to be great and we'll see what happens."
The competition is nothing new for senior Karsten Sween and junior Dax Crum.
Crum won the starting gig for the Pokes a year ago before giving way to Sween -- who entered Thursday in the No. 1 spot.
"I'm the number one guy right now," Sween said. "My focus is just to try to get better every day, every practice, and just take it personally. I'm not going to lose my spot. They're raising my level up and I'm just trying to hold on to that spot."
But Crum has edged him for that spot before and now two newcomers -- junior college transfer Robert Benjamin and true freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels -- have arrived trying to do the same.
After tying up some loose ends academically, Benjamin finally arrived in Laramie on July 30.
He's got the shortest amount of time to grasp a new system, but is more of a dual-threat option than any of UW's other choices at quarterback and showed off both his arm and his quickness on the ground during Thursday's padless practice.
"It's a new start for me -- a new team, a new atmosphere -- so it's still taking time for me to get used to the situation, but it's going good," Benjamin said. "I'm just taking it day by day. I can't tell you [if I'll be ready for the season-opener] right now."
Carta-Samuels believes he'll be ready if he's called upon to start against Weber State on Sept. 5.
The San Jose, Calif., native spent the summer learning Christensen's offense and plans on enjoying every minute of the competition.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can and I think that can get me to [start]," he said. "But ultimately, if one of them is better than I am, I trust these coaches to make Wyoming the best football team. And I'll redshirt and do what I have to do.
"My goal is to play, as it is all three of theirs."
Asked if there was any sort of timetable for making a decision on a starting quarterback, Christensen said he'll name a starter on the Thursday before the season opener.
Until then, a new depth chart will be posted in the locker room daily.
"With two guys who have never done anything and two guys who were just here in spring, it's not the ideal situation to make an early decision [on a starter]," UW offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo said. "It's going to develop itself over time. Hopefully a guy will emerge and a second guy will be right on his tail.
"We've got a long ways to go."
Let the battle begin -- again.
Contact sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at (307) 266-0578 or [email protected].