Wyoming
Cowboys
Preview 2007
By
Pete Fiutak
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2007 Wyoming Offense Preview |
2007 Wyoming Defense Preview
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2007 Wyoming Depth Chart
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2006 CFN Wyoming
Preview
Shhhhhhh. Here’s your deep sleeper to do big things this season.
Too much was made over a 2004 bowl win over a UCLA team without its
starting quarterback, and Wyoming never lived up to the overrated
2005 expectations falling flat on its face. The first half of 2006
was lousy, but then the mistakes and inconsistencies of the young
team slowed down, and now Wyoming is poised and ready to be a thorn
in everyone’s side in the Mountain West.
Head coach: Joe Glenn
6th year: 21-26
23rd year: 179-85-1
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 19, Def. 23, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 19 |
Ten
Best UW Players
1. WR Michael Ford, Sr.
2. QB Karsten Sween, Soph.
3. WR/KR Hoost Marsh, Sr.
4. LB Ward Dobbs, Jr.
5. CB Julius Stinson, Sr.
6. LB Luke Chase, Sr.
7. CB Michael Medina, Sr.
8. DT John Fletcher, Soph.
9. P. Billy Vinnedge, Sr.
10. RB Wynel Seldon, Jr. |
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
5-7 |
|
Sept. 1 |
Virginia |
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Sept. 8 |
Utah State |
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Sept. 15 |
at
Boise State |
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Sept. 22 |
at Ohio |
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Oct.
6 |
TCU |
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Oct.
13 |
New Mexico |
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Oct.
20 |
at
Air Force |
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Oct.
27 |
UNLV |
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Nov.
3 |
at
San Diego State |
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Nov.
10 |
at
Utah |
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Nov.
17 |
BYU |
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Nov.
23 |
at
Colorado State |
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2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
3-9
2006 Record:
6-6
Preview
2006 predicted wins |
| 9/2 |
Utah State
W 38-7 |
| 9/9 |
at Virginia L 13-12 |
|
9/16 |
Boise State L 17-10 |
|
9/23 |
Air Force L 31-24 |
|
9/30 |
at Syra. L 40-34 2OT |
| 10/7 |
at New Mexico W 14-10 |
| 10/14 |
Utah W 31-15 |
| 10/21 |
Colorado State
W 24-0 |
| 10/28 |
at TCU L 26-3 |
| 11/4 |
San Diego St
W 27-24 |
| 11/9 |
at BYU L 55-7 |
| 11/18 |
at UNLV W 34-26 |
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Easily
overlooked was an early four-game losing stretch with two overtime
heartbreakers, a 17-10 battle against Boise State, and a seven-point
loss to Air Force. The Cowboys won five of their final seven games, only
losing to tremendous TCU and BYU teams, while Karsten Sween occasionally
had the look of the type of quarterback to build an offense around. In
other words, the hype of a few years ago is now actually warranted.
Wyoming will never be able to win all the big games on talent and it has
to win the turnover battle and get most of the breaks to get by the
stars in the Mountain West, but Joe Glenn coached teams always play hard
and come up with a few wrinkles or two to pull off a few wins it
probably shouldn’t.
TCU will have the Mountain West’s best defense, and BYU’s won’t be far
behind, but the Cowboys will be almost as stingy as last year’s group
that finished ninth in the nation and eighth against the pass. The
offense should be fantastic if Sweed plays like he did over his first
four games as the starter as opposed to his last four. The backfield,
led by Wynel Seldon, should be the program’s best in several years.
To be the team that shocks the league and becomes a major player,
Wyoming has to win all the games it’s supposed to, has to beat at least
one of the big three (TCU, Utah and/or BYU), and has to own War Memorial
Stadium. By the time everyone realizes the Cowboys might be great, they
should be on their way to their second bowl game in 11 years.
What to watch for on offense:
More pop to the passing game. Wyoming won
against the bad teams by playing good defense and getting just enough
offense to get by. However, the attack went nowhere against the defenses
with a pulse. Sween has to be steadier and can’t throw interceptions
like he did late in the season when he started to press, and he’ll have
the receiving corps to help out with Michael Ford and Hoost Marsh, along
with tight end Wade Betschart, providing good, veteran targets.
What to watch for on defense: Great corner play. Safeties John
Wendling and Dorsey Golston were excellent and won’t easily be replaced.
Fortunately, the corner tandem of Julius Stinson and Michael Medina
should pick up the slack both in pass protection and as tacklers.
Stinson, particularly, is good in the open field and excellent in run
support.
The team will be far better if … it can convert on third downs.
What made Wyoming’s defensive performance so astounding was how the
offense rarely gave the other side of the ball much help. The Cowboys
were awful on third downs converting just 32% of their chances. With
Sween’s improvement, so should the ability to keep the chains moving and
the defense fresh.
The Schedule: The Cowboys should be better, but the schedule will
be a challenge. The non-conference slate is tougher than it looks with a
good opening day battle with Virginia followed up by what should be a
layup against Utah State. Trips to Boise State (considering the Broncos
are rebuilding) and Ohio could go either way. TCU and BYU have to come
to Laramie, but the finishing kick in conference play is a beat going on
the road for three of the final four games traveling to San Diego State,
Utah and Colorado State while hosting BYU. On the flip side, the Cowboys
get a nice stretch of three home games in four weeks in the middle of
the season.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior WR Michael Ford. At 6-2 and 203 pounds, Ford’s a big target who
grew into Sween’s steadiest go-to receiver. While he’s not the fleetest
receiver around and isn’t a gamebreaker, he’s always good for around
four catches a game. Now that he knows what he’s doing as the number one
man, and with Sween almost certain to be more consistent, he should be
in the hunt for all-star honors.
Best Defensive Player:
Junior LB
Ward Dobbs. With 144 tackles in his first two years, Dobbs has
established himself as one of the team’s most consistent defenders. Now
that John Wendling is gone, Dobbs becomes the leader of the back eight
and needs to be even better. The Alaska native can play inside or out
and rarely misses a tackle.
Key player to a
successful season:
Offensive tackles Ryan
Otterson and Kyle Howard. Chase Johnson and Hunter Richards were big,
veteran rocks on the outside who struggled all of last year in pass
protection. Now they’re gone and Otterson and Howard, two more big
prospects, take over. The more time they can give Sween to operate, the
better the offense will be.
The season will be a
success if
... the Cowboys go to a bowl. The program took a good step last season
with a young team that progressed and battled hard game in and game out.
Now it’s time to finally cash in on the promise after the 2004 season
and get to just the second bowl game since 1993. Anything less than
seven wins will be a big step backward.
Key game:
Oct. 6 vs. TCU. If
Wyoming has any hope of being in the Mountain West title race, it has to
be a bear at home and that starts with the conference opener. TCU will
be just about everyone’s favorite to win the title, and if the Cowboys
can pull off the shocker, the season’s expectations change in a big
hurry.
2006 Fun Stats:
- Sacks: Opponents 40 for 217 yards – Wyoming 29 for 193 yards
- Wyoming first quarter scoring: 35 – Wyoming fourth quarter scoring: 82
- Wyoming opponents red zone scoring: 30 of 31 chances (97%)