http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/no-111-wyoming/
The Quad Countdown: No. 111 Wyoming
By PAUL MYERBERG
Location: Laramie, Wyo.
Nickname: Cowboys.
Last year’s ranking: No. 92.
What was said:
If only the Cowboys could put together a half-decent offense to complement their terrific defense. There is no reason to think the defense will take a step back from its top 25 ranking in 2007, and it may improve. Unless Sween takes a major step forward –- or one of his challengers steps up and takes the job -– the Cowboys will again have trouble being consistent. Their only hope is that the running back position is strong and deep enough to mask an inefficient passing attack. If they can move the ball, Wyoming can get into a bowl game; if they cannot, the Cowboys will again face a losing season.
Re-ranking: No. 105.
2008 record and recap: (4-8, 1-7). Wyoming made some late-season noise with its road upset over Tennessee (ushering out the Phil Fulmer era), but this was a season of real struggles, especially — yet again — on the offensive side of the ball. As has been the case over the last handful of seasons, the Wyoming defense did all of the heavy lifting, allowing only 329.7 yards of offense per game. Though the unit did allow 27.6 points per game, this has more to do with the poor field position often given to them by an offense prone to turnovers and quick possessions. The main culprit for these offensive deficiencies? Perhaps the nation’s worst passing attack. The Pokes averaged only 117.7 yards per game through the air with a terrifying 8-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Three different signal callers earned starting time, and only one (the recently transferred Chris Stutzriem) finished with a passer rating above 100. With a strong defense and a stellar running game (178.3 yards per game), it’s unfortunate that Wyoming couldn’t have cobbled together merely a mediocre passing game; that’s the difference between 4-8 and 6-6. The sub-.500 finish, Wyoming’s seventh in the last nine seasons, led to coach Joe Glenn’s dismissal after six years in Laramie. Wyoming tabbed the former Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen as his replacement, hoping his B.C.S. conference experience can provide an immediate boost to an anemic offensive attack.
High point: The 16-13 win over Tennessee gave the Pokes a 3-1 mark under Glenn against SEC opponents. Though Tennessee Coach Phil Fulmer was fired earlier in the week, the victory also insured that the nation would soon be enjoying the blissful era of the new U.T. Coach Lane Kiffin, whose wit and tact have charmed all of the college football nation. Wyoming’s lone Mountain West victory came in a 35-10 win over San Diego State. S.D.S.U. also fired its coach, Chuck Long, after the season; Wyoming: coach killers.
Low point: Wyoming’s offensive deficiency reared its ugly head in conference play as the Pokes scored more than 20 points only twice in these eight games (in addition to S.D.S.U., a 31-20 loss to Colorado State in the season finale). Wyoming lost to the conference’s top three teams — B.Y.U., Utah and T.C.U. — by the combined score of 138-14.
Tidbit: Wyoming’s statewide population of 532,668 makes it the least populated state in the country despite its being the 10th largest in size. Vermont, with an estimated population of 621,270, is the only other state within 100,000 residents of Wyoming. Even Rhode Island (an estimated 1,050,788 people), our smallest state, nearly doubles Wyoming’s residents despite being one-63rd the size. There will be a quiz on this later.
Tidbit (coaching edition): Four Wyoming coaches have gone on to win at least 89 games after leaving Laramie. Bob Devaney, who went 35-10-5 at Wyoming from 1957 to 1961, finished 101-20-2 at Nebraska from 1962 to 72, winning two national championships. Pat Dye, 6-5 in 1980, went 99-39-4 at Auburn (1981-92). Dennis Erickson, 6-6 in 1986, has gone 125-54-1 at Washington State, Miami (Fla.), Oregon State, Idaho and Arizona State since 1987. Finally, the former Purdue coach Joe Tiller, who went 39-30-1 with the Pokes from 1991 to 1996, finished 85-62 with the Boilermakers from 1997 through last fall.
Former players in the N.F.L.: 9 – Casey Bramlet (Baltimore Ravens), LB Patrick Chukwurah (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), K Aaron Elling (Oakland Raiders), WR Malcolm Floyd (San Diego Chargers), OT Adam Goldberg (St. Louis Rams), OT Chase Johnson (Minnesota Vikings), DE Corey Mace (Buffalo Bills), CB Derrick Martin (Baltimore Ravens), S John Wendling (Buffalo Bills).
Top five N.F.L. players from Wyoming: Wyoming has a 2009 National Football Foundation Hall of Fame inductee in Jay Novacek, but little depth past the former Cowboy and Conrad Dobler. Washington State holds on to the title for the fourth straight day.
1. TE Jay Novacek (St. Louis, Phoenix, Dallas; 1985-95)
2. OG Conrad Dobler (St. Louis, New Orleans, Buffalo; 1972-81)
3. RB Dave Hampton (Green Bay, Atlanta, Philadelphia; 1969-76)
4. FB Jerry Hill (Baltimore; 1961-70)
5. FB Vic Washington (San Francisco, Houston, Buffalo; 1971-76)
Team
Conference: Mountain West.
Head coach: Dave Christensen (Western Washington ’85), entering his first season. Christensen comes to Laramie from the University of Missouri, where he spent the last eight seasons as the offensive coordinator. Prior to Missouri, Christensen served as an assistant at Toledo (1992-2000; the final four season as coordinator), also under Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel. His extensive tenure as an F.B.S. offensive coordinator has shown Christensen to be one of the nation’s top offensive minds. Most significantly, Christensen is credited with being the inventor of the no-huddle, pass-first spread offense on the college level, something he brought up from the high school ranks in 2005. Since making the switch from a traditional offense to the spread, Missouri has gone 37-16, including 22-6 over the last two seasons. Christensen finished second in the voting for the 2007 Frank Broyles Award, honoring the top assistant coach in the country. To see just how effective this offense can be, look no further than the dynamic, quick-strike capabilities of the Missouri offense as piloted by Chase Daniel, the recently graduated Heisman contender. While the Daniel-led offense focused on the pass, Christensen tinkered with the look to give his predecessor, Brad Smith, more running opportunities, showing how the attack can be altered to match personnel. Christensen’s offensive background is undoubtedly what attracted Wyoming, but his hands-on experience in program building is another strong asset. Under Pinkel, Christensen helped build winners at Toledo (73-37-3 from 1991-2000) and Missouri (59-41 from 2000-8); the Tigers won only 60 games in the 16 years before their arrival. For Wyoming, a program that has recently fallen behind the top teams in the Mountain West Conference, landing a coach of Christensen’s stature is a welcome stroke of good luck. While it may take the former Missouri assistant two recruiting classes to find players well suited to his offensive style, the Cowboys should not find themselves in the basement of the M.W.C. for very long.
Tidbit (defense edition): Perhaps the most intelligent decision Christensen has made since taking over at Wyoming in December was retaining and promoting former Cowboy linebacker coach Marty English to defensive coordinator. A member of Glenn’s staff as the LB coach for each of the past six seasons, English will lend a familiar voice to an already strong defense, as well as maintain the 3-4 base defense Wyoming has used to great success over the last handful of seasons.
Returning starters: 15 (7 offense, 8 defense).
Key losses: The most painful losses on offense are that of running backs Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon. Both finished their careers among the top three rushers in school history (Moore first at 2,963 yards; Seldon third with 2,762 yards). As seniors, Moore and Seldon again finished one-two on the team in rushing, with Moore — a first-team all-M.W.C. pick — leading the way with a career-best 1,301 yards. The Cowboys also lost two multiple-year starters off their offensive line in center Tim Bond (34 career starts) and guard Kyle Howard (40). Both earned all-Mountain West honorable mention as seniors. On defense, the Pokes will struggle replacing inside linebacker Ward Dobbs, the team’s leading tackler as a junior (98 stops) and senior (a career-best 101). He earned all-conference honors in each of his final three seasons, including a first-team selection as a senior. Dobbs finished his stellar four-year career with 40 starts. Wyoming also lost linebacker Mike Juergens, a pass-rush specialist out of the 3-4 look (a team-best five sacks), and strong safety Quincy Rogers, who finished fifth on the team with 59 tackles.
Players to watch: For the first time in the history of the Countdown, we begin by acknowledging the defense. The Pokes have earned this distinguished honor with their play over the past two seasons, especially given how ineptly their offensive counterparts have performed. The Wyoming defense takes it cue from perhaps the best line in the Mountain West. They are led by the senior defensive tackle John Fletcher, a second-team all-conference pick each of the last two seasons. Fletcher had 10.5 sacks as a junior, good for 11th in the F.B.S. While that total dipped to 4.5 last fall, that had more to do with increased attention from opposing offenses than any drop in the level of his play. Fellow senior Mitch Unrein earned honorable mention all-Mountain West in both his sophomore and junior seasons; he has 6.5 sacks over the last two years, including a team-best 11 in 2007. At nose guard, Fred Givens is adept at clogging up blockers, an asset in Wyoming’s 3-4 base defense. This threesome of linemen has started each of the last 24 games for the Pokes, giving them one of the most experienced defensive fronts in the nation. The Cowboy linebacking corps is led by the senior outside linebacker Weston Johnson, who had a breakout 2008 season (78 tackles, 4 for loss) in his first year as a starter. Gabe Knapton, a sophomore, pleasantly surprised Poke fans with a very strong rookie season, finishing second on the team in tackles (92). Three starters return in the secondary, including the team’s leading returning tackler in free safety Chris Prosinski (an honorable mention all-conference pick) and the brothers Gipson — junior Marcell and sophomore Tashaun. Marcell and Tashaun started all 12 games for the Cowboys last fall, Tashaun as a true freshman. To the best of the Countdown’s knowledge, they are the only brothers starting on the same defense in the F.B.S. With eight returning starters, there is no reason to believe the Cowboy defense will take any major steps back this fall; bringing back English as defensive coordinator will only ease the transition to a new head coach. On the other hand, the offense is sorely lacking in playmakers. Quarterback play, a major concern last fall, returns two players with game experience. The senior Karsten Sween, who has started 21 games for the Pokes, struggled mightily as a junior. He threw for six interceptions in only 70 attempts while completing only 48.6 percent of his passes. The junior Dax Crum, who opened the 2008 season as the starter, was only marginally better: 429 yards and 2 touchdowns with a 52.5 percent completion percentage. Like Sween, Crum threw six interceptions. The position may see another challenger in the juco transfer Robert Benjamin, but he doesn’t arrive on campus until the fall. The Cowboys will face a very difficult task in replacing Moore and Seldon, two of the most prolific rushers in school history, but feel confident that Darius Terry, a junior, will pick up the slack after serving in a backup role in each of the last two seasons. The new offense will place a premium on difference makers at wide receiver; unfortunately, the Pokes lack experience beyond their top three players at the position. The senior Greg Bolling, who led Wyoming in both receptions (26) and yards (271) last season, is the best of the bunch. One player to watch is the sophomore Brandon Stewart, who had 251 yards receiving on only 13 receptions as a freshman. He posted those numbers despite missing the first five games because of an injury. The offensive line returns four players with at least 10 career starts, most noticeably the two-year starters Sam Sterner and Ryan Otterson. Stepping in at Bond’s old center spot will be the senior Russ Arnold, who has started at both center and right guard in his career.
Position battle to watch: As mentioned, the Wyoming wide receivers will have plenty of opportunities to shine in Christensen’s new offense. However, though Bolling, Stewart and the junior David Leonard (16 catches for 187 yards in 2008) have game experience, untested players will need to step up in order for the new offense to be run properly. One other Cowboy who could see his role increased is Donate Morgan (top five name thus far on the Countdown), a former juco transfer who caught 11 balls in his first season in Laramie. The main goal will be locating depth behind this quartet. This spread look often features a four-receiver set, with one position (the Y receiver) usually a tight end. In that case, the Cowboys will look to the senior Jesson Salyards, who finished second on the team with 21 receptions in 2008. If history is any guide (see former Missouri tight ends Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker), those numbers should increase in 2009.
2009 schedule:
Sept. 5 Weber State
Sept. 12 Texas
Sept. 19 @ Colorado
Sept. 26 U.N.L.V.
Oct. 3 @ Florida Atlantic
Oct. 10 New Mexico
Oct. 17 @ Air Force
Oct. 31 @ Utah
Nov. 7 B.Y.U.
Nov. 14 @ San Diego State
Nov. 21 T.C.U.
Nov. 27 @ Colorado State
Game(s) to watch: This will be a banner home season for the Pokes, as the program hosts three teams who finished in the top 16 of the final B.C.S. ranking (Texas, B.Y.U. and T.C.U.). The home date with Texas is likely the biggest game – in terms of national recognition – in Wyoming football history. In M.W.C. play, the Cowboys will need to get wins over U.N.L.V., San Diego State and New Mexico to stay out of the conference cellar.
Season breakdown & prediction: I predict some difficulties for Wyoming this fall as the team experiences the growing pains associated with learning the intricacies of Christensen’s new offense. This, when combined with the normal learning period that comes with any coaching change, makes them my pick to finish last in a very, very strong Mountain West. Having said that, there is reason to believe that the team may surprise some people. For starters, this team did win four games last fall (albeit only one in conference play) with a pitiful offensive attack. Even if the offense makes only marginal improvement, wouldn’t this team be able to repeat last fall’s win total, perhaps even add another victory? Certainly, yes. But a difficult nonconference schedule (Florida Atlantic is going to be a tough game), combined with a deadly M.W.C. stretch (from Air Force through T.C.U.), will doom the Pokes to a rebuilding season. It would have been easy for the university to hire a coach whose philosophies would have fit the incumbent personnel; if they hired a good coach, Wyoming could have even squeezed out a bowl trip this fall. However, Wyoming thought about the big picture, and hired a coach who can take this program not only to lower-tier bowl games but to the top of the Mountain West. It won’t happen this season, but the Pokes are in good shape for the future.
Dream season: Christensen’s first season with the Cowboys is a resounding success: 8-4, 6-2 in the M.W.C. That’s good enough for second place in the best non-B.C.S. conference in the F.B.S.
Nightmare season: Wyoming fans should give their new coach all the leeway in the world, but a 1-11 first season, if combined with poor play on both sides of the ball, would be cause for concern.
Where do Wyoming fans congregate: The best place for Wyoming football talk is GoWyoGo.com, part of the Rivals network.
The Quad Countdown: No. 111 Wyoming
By PAUL MYERBERG
Location: Laramie, Wyo.
Nickname: Cowboys.
Last year’s ranking: No. 92.
What was said:
If only the Cowboys could put together a half-decent offense to complement their terrific defense. There is no reason to think the defense will take a step back from its top 25 ranking in 2007, and it may improve. Unless Sween takes a major step forward –- or one of his challengers steps up and takes the job -– the Cowboys will again have trouble being consistent. Their only hope is that the running back position is strong and deep enough to mask an inefficient passing attack. If they can move the ball, Wyoming can get into a bowl game; if they cannot, the Cowboys will again face a losing season.
Re-ranking: No. 105.
2008 record and recap: (4-8, 1-7). Wyoming made some late-season noise with its road upset over Tennessee (ushering out the Phil Fulmer era), but this was a season of real struggles, especially — yet again — on the offensive side of the ball. As has been the case over the last handful of seasons, the Wyoming defense did all of the heavy lifting, allowing only 329.7 yards of offense per game. Though the unit did allow 27.6 points per game, this has more to do with the poor field position often given to them by an offense prone to turnovers and quick possessions. The main culprit for these offensive deficiencies? Perhaps the nation’s worst passing attack. The Pokes averaged only 117.7 yards per game through the air with a terrifying 8-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Three different signal callers earned starting time, and only one (the recently transferred Chris Stutzriem) finished with a passer rating above 100. With a strong defense and a stellar running game (178.3 yards per game), it’s unfortunate that Wyoming couldn’t have cobbled together merely a mediocre passing game; that’s the difference between 4-8 and 6-6. The sub-.500 finish, Wyoming’s seventh in the last nine seasons, led to coach Joe Glenn’s dismissal after six years in Laramie. Wyoming tabbed the former Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen as his replacement, hoping his B.C.S. conference experience can provide an immediate boost to an anemic offensive attack.
High point: The 16-13 win over Tennessee gave the Pokes a 3-1 mark under Glenn against SEC opponents. Though Tennessee Coach Phil Fulmer was fired earlier in the week, the victory also insured that the nation would soon be enjoying the blissful era of the new U.T. Coach Lane Kiffin, whose wit and tact have charmed all of the college football nation. Wyoming’s lone Mountain West victory came in a 35-10 win over San Diego State. S.D.S.U. also fired its coach, Chuck Long, after the season; Wyoming: coach killers.
Low point: Wyoming’s offensive deficiency reared its ugly head in conference play as the Pokes scored more than 20 points only twice in these eight games (in addition to S.D.S.U., a 31-20 loss to Colorado State in the season finale). Wyoming lost to the conference’s top three teams — B.Y.U., Utah and T.C.U. — by the combined score of 138-14.
Tidbit: Wyoming’s statewide population of 532,668 makes it the least populated state in the country despite its being the 10th largest in size. Vermont, with an estimated population of 621,270, is the only other state within 100,000 residents of Wyoming. Even Rhode Island (an estimated 1,050,788 people), our smallest state, nearly doubles Wyoming’s residents despite being one-63rd the size. There will be a quiz on this later.
Tidbit (coaching edition): Four Wyoming coaches have gone on to win at least 89 games after leaving Laramie. Bob Devaney, who went 35-10-5 at Wyoming from 1957 to 1961, finished 101-20-2 at Nebraska from 1962 to 72, winning two national championships. Pat Dye, 6-5 in 1980, went 99-39-4 at Auburn (1981-92). Dennis Erickson, 6-6 in 1986, has gone 125-54-1 at Washington State, Miami (Fla.), Oregon State, Idaho and Arizona State since 1987. Finally, the former Purdue coach Joe Tiller, who went 39-30-1 with the Pokes from 1991 to 1996, finished 85-62 with the Boilermakers from 1997 through last fall.
Former players in the N.F.L.: 9 – Casey Bramlet (Baltimore Ravens), LB Patrick Chukwurah (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), K Aaron Elling (Oakland Raiders), WR Malcolm Floyd (San Diego Chargers), OT Adam Goldberg (St. Louis Rams), OT Chase Johnson (Minnesota Vikings), DE Corey Mace (Buffalo Bills), CB Derrick Martin (Baltimore Ravens), S John Wendling (Buffalo Bills).
Top five N.F.L. players from Wyoming: Wyoming has a 2009 National Football Foundation Hall of Fame inductee in Jay Novacek, but little depth past the former Cowboy and Conrad Dobler. Washington State holds on to the title for the fourth straight day.
1. TE Jay Novacek (St. Louis, Phoenix, Dallas; 1985-95)
2. OG Conrad Dobler (St. Louis, New Orleans, Buffalo; 1972-81)
3. RB Dave Hampton (Green Bay, Atlanta, Philadelphia; 1969-76)
4. FB Jerry Hill (Baltimore; 1961-70)
5. FB Vic Washington (San Francisco, Houston, Buffalo; 1971-76)
Team
Conference: Mountain West.
Head coach: Dave Christensen (Western Washington ’85), entering his first season. Christensen comes to Laramie from the University of Missouri, where he spent the last eight seasons as the offensive coordinator. Prior to Missouri, Christensen served as an assistant at Toledo (1992-2000; the final four season as coordinator), also under Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel. His extensive tenure as an F.B.S. offensive coordinator has shown Christensen to be one of the nation’s top offensive minds. Most significantly, Christensen is credited with being the inventor of the no-huddle, pass-first spread offense on the college level, something he brought up from the high school ranks in 2005. Since making the switch from a traditional offense to the spread, Missouri has gone 37-16, including 22-6 over the last two seasons. Christensen finished second in the voting for the 2007 Frank Broyles Award, honoring the top assistant coach in the country. To see just how effective this offense can be, look no further than the dynamic, quick-strike capabilities of the Missouri offense as piloted by Chase Daniel, the recently graduated Heisman contender. While the Daniel-led offense focused on the pass, Christensen tinkered with the look to give his predecessor, Brad Smith, more running opportunities, showing how the attack can be altered to match personnel. Christensen’s offensive background is undoubtedly what attracted Wyoming, but his hands-on experience in program building is another strong asset. Under Pinkel, Christensen helped build winners at Toledo (73-37-3 from 1991-2000) and Missouri (59-41 from 2000-8); the Tigers won only 60 games in the 16 years before their arrival. For Wyoming, a program that has recently fallen behind the top teams in the Mountain West Conference, landing a coach of Christensen’s stature is a welcome stroke of good luck. While it may take the former Missouri assistant two recruiting classes to find players well suited to his offensive style, the Cowboys should not find themselves in the basement of the M.W.C. for very long.
Tidbit (defense edition): Perhaps the most intelligent decision Christensen has made since taking over at Wyoming in December was retaining and promoting former Cowboy linebacker coach Marty English to defensive coordinator. A member of Glenn’s staff as the LB coach for each of the past six seasons, English will lend a familiar voice to an already strong defense, as well as maintain the 3-4 base defense Wyoming has used to great success over the last handful of seasons.
Returning starters: 15 (7 offense, 8 defense).
Key losses: The most painful losses on offense are that of running backs Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon. Both finished their careers among the top three rushers in school history (Moore first at 2,963 yards; Seldon third with 2,762 yards). As seniors, Moore and Seldon again finished one-two on the team in rushing, with Moore — a first-team all-M.W.C. pick — leading the way with a career-best 1,301 yards. The Cowboys also lost two multiple-year starters off their offensive line in center Tim Bond (34 career starts) and guard Kyle Howard (40). Both earned all-Mountain West honorable mention as seniors. On defense, the Pokes will struggle replacing inside linebacker Ward Dobbs, the team’s leading tackler as a junior (98 stops) and senior (a career-best 101). He earned all-conference honors in each of his final three seasons, including a first-team selection as a senior. Dobbs finished his stellar four-year career with 40 starts. Wyoming also lost linebacker Mike Juergens, a pass-rush specialist out of the 3-4 look (a team-best five sacks), and strong safety Quincy Rogers, who finished fifth on the team with 59 tackles.
Players to watch: For the first time in the history of the Countdown, we begin by acknowledging the defense. The Pokes have earned this distinguished honor with their play over the past two seasons, especially given how ineptly their offensive counterparts have performed. The Wyoming defense takes it cue from perhaps the best line in the Mountain West. They are led by the senior defensive tackle John Fletcher, a second-team all-conference pick each of the last two seasons. Fletcher had 10.5 sacks as a junior, good for 11th in the F.B.S. While that total dipped to 4.5 last fall, that had more to do with increased attention from opposing offenses than any drop in the level of his play. Fellow senior Mitch Unrein earned honorable mention all-Mountain West in both his sophomore and junior seasons; he has 6.5 sacks over the last two years, including a team-best 11 in 2007. At nose guard, Fred Givens is adept at clogging up blockers, an asset in Wyoming’s 3-4 base defense. This threesome of linemen has started each of the last 24 games for the Pokes, giving them one of the most experienced defensive fronts in the nation. The Cowboy linebacking corps is led by the senior outside linebacker Weston Johnson, who had a breakout 2008 season (78 tackles, 4 for loss) in his first year as a starter. Gabe Knapton, a sophomore, pleasantly surprised Poke fans with a very strong rookie season, finishing second on the team in tackles (92). Three starters return in the secondary, including the team’s leading returning tackler in free safety Chris Prosinski (an honorable mention all-conference pick) and the brothers Gipson — junior Marcell and sophomore Tashaun. Marcell and Tashaun started all 12 games for the Cowboys last fall, Tashaun as a true freshman. To the best of the Countdown’s knowledge, they are the only brothers starting on the same defense in the F.B.S. With eight returning starters, there is no reason to believe the Cowboy defense will take any major steps back this fall; bringing back English as defensive coordinator will only ease the transition to a new head coach. On the other hand, the offense is sorely lacking in playmakers. Quarterback play, a major concern last fall, returns two players with game experience. The senior Karsten Sween, who has started 21 games for the Pokes, struggled mightily as a junior. He threw for six interceptions in only 70 attempts while completing only 48.6 percent of his passes. The junior Dax Crum, who opened the 2008 season as the starter, was only marginally better: 429 yards and 2 touchdowns with a 52.5 percent completion percentage. Like Sween, Crum threw six interceptions. The position may see another challenger in the juco transfer Robert Benjamin, but he doesn’t arrive on campus until the fall. The Cowboys will face a very difficult task in replacing Moore and Seldon, two of the most prolific rushers in school history, but feel confident that Darius Terry, a junior, will pick up the slack after serving in a backup role in each of the last two seasons. The new offense will place a premium on difference makers at wide receiver; unfortunately, the Pokes lack experience beyond their top three players at the position. The senior Greg Bolling, who led Wyoming in both receptions (26) and yards (271) last season, is the best of the bunch. One player to watch is the sophomore Brandon Stewart, who had 251 yards receiving on only 13 receptions as a freshman. He posted those numbers despite missing the first five games because of an injury. The offensive line returns four players with at least 10 career starts, most noticeably the two-year starters Sam Sterner and Ryan Otterson. Stepping in at Bond’s old center spot will be the senior Russ Arnold, who has started at both center and right guard in his career.
Position battle to watch: As mentioned, the Wyoming wide receivers will have plenty of opportunities to shine in Christensen’s new offense. However, though Bolling, Stewart and the junior David Leonard (16 catches for 187 yards in 2008) have game experience, untested players will need to step up in order for the new offense to be run properly. One other Cowboy who could see his role increased is Donate Morgan (top five name thus far on the Countdown), a former juco transfer who caught 11 balls in his first season in Laramie. The main goal will be locating depth behind this quartet. This spread look often features a four-receiver set, with one position (the Y receiver) usually a tight end. In that case, the Cowboys will look to the senior Jesson Salyards, who finished second on the team with 21 receptions in 2008. If history is any guide (see former Missouri tight ends Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker), those numbers should increase in 2009.
2009 schedule:
Sept. 5 Weber State
Sept. 12 Texas
Sept. 19 @ Colorado
Sept. 26 U.N.L.V.
Oct. 3 @ Florida Atlantic
Oct. 10 New Mexico
Oct. 17 @ Air Force
Oct. 31 @ Utah
Nov. 7 B.Y.U.
Nov. 14 @ San Diego State
Nov. 21 T.C.U.
Nov. 27 @ Colorado State
Game(s) to watch: This will be a banner home season for the Pokes, as the program hosts three teams who finished in the top 16 of the final B.C.S. ranking (Texas, B.Y.U. and T.C.U.). The home date with Texas is likely the biggest game – in terms of national recognition – in Wyoming football history. In M.W.C. play, the Cowboys will need to get wins over U.N.L.V., San Diego State and New Mexico to stay out of the conference cellar.
Season breakdown & prediction: I predict some difficulties for Wyoming this fall as the team experiences the growing pains associated with learning the intricacies of Christensen’s new offense. This, when combined with the normal learning period that comes with any coaching change, makes them my pick to finish last in a very, very strong Mountain West. Having said that, there is reason to believe that the team may surprise some people. For starters, this team did win four games last fall (albeit only one in conference play) with a pitiful offensive attack. Even if the offense makes only marginal improvement, wouldn’t this team be able to repeat last fall’s win total, perhaps even add another victory? Certainly, yes. But a difficult nonconference schedule (Florida Atlantic is going to be a tough game), combined with a deadly M.W.C. stretch (from Air Force through T.C.U.), will doom the Pokes to a rebuilding season. It would have been easy for the university to hire a coach whose philosophies would have fit the incumbent personnel; if they hired a good coach, Wyoming could have even squeezed out a bowl trip this fall. However, Wyoming thought about the big picture, and hired a coach who can take this program not only to lower-tier bowl games but to the top of the Mountain West. It won’t happen this season, but the Pokes are in good shape for the future.
Dream season: Christensen’s first season with the Cowboys is a resounding success: 8-4, 6-2 in the M.W.C. That’s good enough for second place in the best non-B.C.S. conference in the F.B.S.
Nightmare season: Wyoming fans should give their new coach all the leeway in the world, but a 1-11 first season, if combined with poor play on both sides of the ball, would be cause for concern.
Where do Wyoming fans congregate: The best place for Wyoming football talk is GoWyoGo.com, part of the Rivals network.
