TCY1.2 - Wyoming Cowboys - Slaughter in the West

[CraigSca]

Ok, this is my first attempt at a dynasty so I'm going to preface this with a "be gentle with me" .

I've played a few long careers with TCY in the past, and I've always been enamored with the "rebuild a destitute program into a national powerhouse" aspect. I did this with Maryland (my birth state) which really doesn't say much for my prowess (or lack thereof) because Maryland is very well thought of in TCY. Next, I chose Vanderbilt and built them into a Top 10 program (though we always had issues with Florida). Unfortunately, I never documented any of these dynasties. Thus...I humbly submit to you my Wyoming Cowboy dynasty. Why Whyoming (pun intended)? Well...not sure really. When I was in my teens, I do remember they once fielded a 10-1 team...and their basketball team once had a young Fennis Dembo on it. Those are my two memories. Mostly, I just see this as a challenge.

Settings: Highest Level
I manage depth charts, make minor decisions, handle recruiting and hire assistants. However, I've never been a big fan of fooling with play direction percentages, so I will allow the computer to adjust my game plan.

House Rules:

Will only recruit locally - Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington. If this proves to be a problem, I will obviously expand on this. However, I want to "rule" my home state and it's hot bed of college football talent.

Can only contact a recruit once a week.

The house rules may have to be more flexible, but I'll give it a shot to see how it works out.

We enter the season ranked #102 in the nation and a solid #8 pick in the Mountain West Conference. This ain't gonna be easy.

[CraigSca]

Roster Overview

To begin the regime, we decide to change the offense to a Wishbone formation. I always loved the early 80's Nebraska and Oklahoma teams. They seemed to always come up short in the end, but it was always fun to see them amass over 500 yards rushing vs. Little Sisters of the Poor Tech. I also think if we only have the running game to concentrate on, it'll give us a better chance to improve at a faster pace. On defense, I decide to remain with the 50 defense, as my roster has the distinction of not being good at anything anyway. Sigh.

Quarterbacks

Both Hunter Clark (Jr.) and Isaac Galbraith (RS - Sr.) will be duking it out to become the starter this year. They both equally stink, but Clark seems to like to scramble more, which will help in the Wishbone. Oddly enough they're both from the same high school in Olympia, Washington. Hunter's currently dating someone named Bonnie from the old hometown - no word on whether Bonnie has spent any time in the backseat of Galbraith's Chevy Camaro.

Redshirt sophomore Randy Kurtz enjoys baking cookies and has no other perceived value.

Running Backs
Along with the offensive line, these guys will be the heart of my ball control offense.

Dexter Lavigne (RS - Jr), rather smallish at 5' 8" and 178 lbs, maybe...just MAYBE has a chance to not embarass us. James Pozy (Sr), George Hoover (RS - Sr) and true freshman Scottie Ruschak lead a cast of unknowns.

Tight Ends
Gene Carr (Sr) will get the nod here, but Drew Whitcomb (Jr) will provide more than adequate backup and get the starting nod next year.

Wide outs
Not a concern in my offense, unfortunately these guys seem to have the most talent.

True seniors Arnold Sotiroff and Ben Bernstein will be leading the cast.

Offensive Line

Two redshirt sophomores will be competing for the center job here and may very well prove to be the anchors of my entire line.

Nick Thibodeaux (6' 3", 271) will probably get the starting nod as he has just a bit more potential than Freddie Harden (6' 3", 252).

At guard, we'll start Ike Nevarez at 6'1", 271. He has two years of elibigility left and should get along well with our centers. Beyond him, we have a few fat, winded guys. One of them is named Brad...we'll probably start him as well.

Tackles apparently were not a heavily recruited position from the previous administration. I guess the running attack was strictly up the middle the previous year. Nevertheless, we have to start someone (we do, right? ). I refuse to name anyone here as they will be certain to embarass me later.

Defensive Line

Juniors Tyrell Collins and Tim Maloney lead an all-star cast on the ends. Well...everything's relative. At backup, redshirt sophomore Kennedy Tucker may prove...adequate...somewhere along the line.

At tackle, it might just be better if we start a Hefty bag filled with discarded footwear instead of the fine young men we have available. Redshirt sophomore Randy Tant (6'2", 242) may have a future as an overweight car salesman in the future, but he's going to start for us now.

Linebackers

A lot of potential here...if you consider a 3-8 record as fully realizing one's potential. On the inside we'll have Bill Dreisler along with Roman Henry. Bill's in his last year of eligibility, so the guys all got together and bought him a fake Gucci watch. A nice gesture.

On the outside, we'll be starting two true freshman as they have the most potential. Clay Dodge and Grant McKenney are destined to be household names in some other lifetime, but for now will be enjoying the trail by fire that is Wyoming football.

Secondary

Good grief. A bunch of no-names. They all stink. No, I did not copy paste from above. Sigh.

Players to Watch

According to my scout, the best players on the team (and this is ALWAYS an encouraging sign) are the punter and plackicker. After them, it looks like our strengths (lol) are Tim Maloney at DE and our inside linebacking corps. Needless to say, anyone that wants to come to Wyoming will receive a scholarship on the spot!

[CraigSca]

We have 6 games at home this year, and have sold 21,900 season tickets out of a possible 33,500.

Only two top 50 teams on the schedule, at #48 Boise State and home against #45 Colorado State (the "class" of our conference).

Let's begin the madness, shall we? Next on the docket is Ohio. We'll be home and witness the beginning of the rebirth of Wyoming football. Join us, will you?

[DolphinFan1]

I'll be reading. Just try and let me know how the Miami Hurricanes do record wise each year. Maybe it can be your Wyoming Cowboys vs. the Miami Hurricanes in the National Championship some day.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

We check the ol' home state and there is little talent here besides a top 200 placekicker. Sigh. I'll check in with him later as I'm "loaded" on the special teams right now.

I decide to visit Jackie Kramer, a homegrown defensive lineman with very little ability. He should fit right in.

Visits

Jackie Kramer DE, 6'3", 245 (4g, 28 tackles, 2 sacks)
Tyrone Magnotta G, 6'3", 271. #72 recruit in the nation
Aaron Heap DT, 6'2", 255 (4g, 33 tackles, 3 sacks)
Daniel Richard G, 6'4", 263, Top 1000 recruit
Martin Thomas CB, 5'9", 171, Top 100 in nation
Dennis Harness CB, 5'11", 178, Top 150 in nation
Otis Sukova T, 6'5", 260, best tackle in Idaho
Blaine Sutter CB, 5'11", 169, best cornerback in N. Dakota

I also placed various phone calls throughout our region. If I get any one of these guys to come (besides Jackie Kramer), I'll consider it a good recruiting year.

Ohio at Wyoming

Ohio 0-0 (0-0), #104 in country
Wyoming 0-0 (0-0), #102 in country

No previous meetings

Wyoming favored by 4 (go figure!)
63 degrees and Sunny

Attendance: 26,000

Ohio wins the toss and elects to receive. Wyoming begins the Craig Scarborough regime with a booming 74 yard kickoff that ends in a touchback. All 26,000 fans high-five, scream and witness the dawning of a new age. Refusing to get philosophical, the Ohio offense begins at their own 20. After a 2 yard loss on their first play, Ohio runs up the middle for gains of 28, 9 and 45 yards to score their first touchdown. So much for the vaunted Wyoming defense.

Ohio 7, Wyoming 0, 12:54 left, 1st Quarter

Wyoming begins on their own 20, and the Wishbone era begins....with no gain. Sigh. To irritate the coach even more, the next play begins with a false start. 2nd and 15 and Pozy runs up the middle for 11 yards. 3 and 4...our first critical 3rd down play - ends with a dropped pass. Oh well...this is not going as hoped.

After a holding call on the return, Ohio starts with the ball on their own 33. Their offense moves the ball again, but coughs up the ball on the 50 yd. line because of a wicked hit by our linebacker, Randy Barfield. Randy was also the guy who stopped Ohio for a loss of 2 yards on the first play of the game. Coach Craig's favorite perhaps?

We start on the Wyoming 42 and run our first option for a gain of 5 yards (yay!). The drive quickly stalls, however, and we go for it on 4th and 5 at their 38 yard line and....fail

Ohio puts together a drive that stalls at our 30 and decide to go for it as well. Like us, they fail...but you can tell it's lit a spark on the Wyoming sideline, because we quickly put together a six play, 13 yard drive together that ends with a 28 yard punt.

Ohio runs up the middle for 1 yard, and that ends the 1st quarter.

It's at this point I realize that I need to be a bit more succinct (unless it's a huge game) lest this dynasty may begin to take longer than a typical college football season.

So...let's just say...we come back and win (somehow), 44-38. Tied 24-24 at the end of regulation, and we take it to'em in overtime

Wyoming 44, Ohio 38

Cowboy Hats go to:

Dexter Levigne, our "star" RB, 23 carries, 178 yds., 3 TDs
George Hoover, RB, 15 carries 73 yds.

Hunter Clark didn't embarass himself, going 8-15 for 108 yds. with a TD. He's obviously not a prototypical wishbone QB, but he did well (5 carries, 32 yds with a TD).

On defense, Bill Dreiser was an absolute monster with 10 tackles, 10 assists and one interception, returned for a 67 yard TD. You da'man!

Randy Barfield, who was our leader at the beginning of the game, ended with 6 tackles and 1 assist.

We suffer no injuries in the game and look forward to keeping our undefeated season alive against Oklahoma State. It'll be our first game outside the comfy confines of Laramie, Wyoming.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Just the highlights now...

Hehe...massive scale back of the dynasty already

Tyrone Magnotta G
Martin Thomas CB
Dennis Harness CB

These are my big guys...and they have no right coming to Wyoming. I've asked them to visit, and offered scholarships to all.

I'm displeased to see a tackle I wanted, Otis Sukova out of Idaho, is visiting Utah State - his childhood love. Otis is the #1 tackle out of Idaho.

I decide to go after a quarterback this round...

Marc Dazey, 6'2", 185lb, QB out of Salt Lake City, Utah.
He would fit in perfectly with our offense. He has 94 carries for 516 yards and likes to run all the time. Passing the ball, he's adequate, sporting a 50% completion rate. I quickly give him a call to check his interest. Not surprisingly, he's never heard of us.

Wyoming at Oklahoma State

Wyoming 1-0 (0-0), #49 in country - wow, too much respect
Oklahoma State 0-1 (0-0), #75

No previous meetings

Oklahoma State favored by 8
96 degrees and Sunny, ouch!

Attendance: 35,500

Well, we actually held together well...trading fruitless scoring drives with OKSU for the majority of the 1st quarter. Unfortunately, an interception at midfield by Hunter Clark provided exactly the opportunity OKSU needed and they drove down the field quite easily to take a 7-0 lead. From that point on it was pure misery, at they ran off to a 38-3 lead before we finally succumbed.

Oklahoma State 38, Wyoming 10

Our unstoppable wishbone offense was stopped for 97 yards rushing and they promptly ran all over us for 250 yards.

Bill Dreiser continued to lead the show on defense with 8 tackles and 2 assists.


Next week we face undefeated and 30th ranked Kansas at home. Wish us luck.

For the record, Miami whupped up on Florida this week, 47-17. They also inch their way up to #2 in the country.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Tyrone Magnotta G
Martin Thomas CB
Dennis Harness CB, visiting Washington - argh!
Marc Dazey, QB, we request a visit with our BMOC


Kansas at Wyoming

Kansas 2-0 (0-0), #40
Wyoming 1-1 (0-0), #76 in country - ok, back to normal

No previous meetings

Kansas has a mediocre offense, but they lead the nation by having exactly 0 turnovers (+6 turnover ratio) in their first two games. We're going to need to have them turn the ball over in Laramie, otherwise we're in for a long day.

Btw, Wyoming currently has the 18th best rushing attack in the country. I suppose that counts for something. Unfortunately, we also own the #125th "best" rushing defense in the nation.

Pick'em
52 degrees, showers in the forecast

Attendance: 26,700 (700 more people show up for this game - looks like Cowboy fever is sweeping Wyoming)

This time we win the toss and elect to receive. Starting at our own 20, an option to our focus RB Dexter Lavigne nets 12 yards and we make a statement on the opening play. We continue in this vein driving down the entire length of the field in 4:13. Option plays to Dexter as well as quarterback keepers by Hunter Clark end in an 18 yard touchdown run (on an option) by George Hoover.

Wyoming 7, Kansas 0

We kickoff to Kansas, and pin them at their 20 by kicking it through the end zone. They take it to our 45, but there the drive stalls.

We trade the ball back and forth until Kansas snaps at an opportunity given to them by our horrible punter, Harvey Brooks. Special teams looked to be a strength at the beginning of the year, but this guy is quickly falling into disfavor with me. At our own 17, he shanks a sweet 23 yarder that is returned 16 yards by the Kansas punt returner (half our guys were probably 40 yards downfield before they realized good ol' Harvey got off one of this "lame ducks"). Starting at our 24, Kansas quickly ties it up with an 11 yard touchdown pass.

Wyoming 7, Kansas 7 - 2nd Quarter, 9:25 left

Senior cornerback Henry Peterson quickly gets us back in business, however, with a 35 yard kickoff return and we start the next drive at our own 45. Clark and Levigne work their magic and get us down to the 17, where Floyd Fassero puts us ahead with a 34 yard FG.

Wyoming 10, Kansas 7 - 2nd Quarter, 6:15 left

We stifle the ensuing Kansas possession and get the ball back at our own 36 with 3:07 left in the half. Gains by Dexter Levigne of 17 and 19 yards, followed by a 4th and 13 option run by Hunter Clark for 21 yards, gets us down to the Kansas 10 yard line with 34 seconds left. On the next play, Hunter Clark performs the option to perfection, taking it all the way in for a 10 yard TD run. Everyone on the offensive line contributed on this drive, and 26,700 Wyoming fan begin to think we may be on to something here.

Wyoming 17, Kansas 7 - Halftime

At halftime I let the team know that we've got them by the throat, let's go for the jugular. I then follow with up with an expletive laden stream of half-truths and cliches. I hope it works.

Both teams are stifled in the 3rd quarter, leading us to the final 15 minutes...

With 11:21 left, another Harvey Brooks coffin corner kick from his own 15 gets Kansas back in action starting at the Wyoming 35. I'm gonna kill this guy .

Two minutes later, Kansas runs it in from the 23 yard line - and the mood gets tense.

Wyoming 17, Kansas 14 - 4th Quarter, 9:12 left

We decide to give it to our two stalwarts, Dexter Levigne and Hunter Clark. THEY'LL know what to do :rolls eyes:.

Actually, Levigne and Clark DO know what to do. They put together a drive that takes a lot of time off the clock, bringing it down to 2:53 left in the game. This is where Hunter Clark decides to make the game "fair" by throwing the ball to one of the Kansas defensive backs at the Kansas 26 yard line. The interception is returned 26 yards, and Kansas starts their drive at our 48 with 2:43 left. Gulp.

A run off tackle nets Kansas 3 yards. Then, a false start, a pass blocked at the line and an incomplete pass brings up 4th and 12. On the next play, a voracious Tim Maloney breaks through the line and dumps the Kansas quarterback for a 4 yard loss! 1st and 10 Wyoming, with a little over 1 minute left!

Again, to be fair, we run the option play and eventually run down the clock to 0:00.

Wyoming 17, Kansas 14 - Final

Cowboy Hats to:

Dexter Lavigne, 18 carries, 118 yards
Hunter Clark, 14 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD, as well as 10-17 passing
Ike Nevarez, 7 key run blocks
Roman Henry, 12 tackles, 1 assist

Upside Down Hat to:
Harvey Brooks, 29.8 avg. per punt - jerk!

We are now 2-1 and ready to begin our first conference game, at #33 ranked Air Force!

And we now have the #10 rushing attack in the country, after ringing up 222 yards rushing vs. Kansas. Unfortunately, we still possess the #125 rush defense in the country .

FWIW Dept.: Miami 52, East Carolina 7

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Tyrone Magnotta G
Martin Thomas CB, visiting Nebraska
Dennis Harness CB, visiting Washington
Marc Dazey, QB

We also offer a scholarship to Scott Bauman, a booming punter out of Idaho in the hopes of replacing our man Harvey next year.

Wyoming at Air Force (-13)

Wyoming 2-1 (0-0), #65
Air Force 3-0 (0-0), #34

80 degrees, sunny

No previous meetings

Air Force comes in with the 5th ranked rushing attack in the nation, which doesn't bode well for our defense. Randall Gunther of Air Force leads the Mountain West in rushing...just behind him is our own Dexter Lavigne. We're going to need a big game from our inside linebacking corps of Roman Henry and Bill Dreisler. For whatever reason, this is the 3rd team this year that we've faced with 0 turnovers. Maybe Lady Luck is about to shine on Wyoming? Also, we'll be appearing on USA Network as a late afternoon game. The boys are psyched and ready to put on a show for their first national TV appearance!

Attendance: 41,600

We win the toss and elect to receive, as we think it best to wear down the clock and keep it out of Air Force's hands. We start on our own 22 and begin with a 19 yard pass to the senior Satiroff. Hats off to our offensive coordinator for the gutsy call. We get another first down, and then our man Harvey Brooks shines again by kicking a 41 yard punt from Air Force's 41 yard line...touchback.

Air Force quickly moves the ball downfield to our 31 yard line when Roman Henry comes up big and forces a fumble. Welcome to the world of turnovers, boys!

Feeling good about ourselves, we quickly convert that to a 3 and out . This is followed by a "Harvey Brooks Special" punt of 18 yards (returned for 9). I'm gonna strangle that kid.

Air Force starts at our 33 yard line, but our defense holds and limits them to a field goal attempt..which they miss.

Our offense is stifled, Brooks gets off a decent punt, but Air Force runs it right down our throats to score their first touchdown.

Air Force 7, Wyoming 0 - 2nd Quarter, 11:20 left

We then rattle off 3 minutes on the clock, and take it down to the Air Force 19, before a devastating interception is thrown by Hunter Clark. Air Force musters nothing on the drive, and we answer with a small drive of our own kicking a 42 yard FG.

Air Force 7, Wyoming 3 - 2nd Quarter, 2:54 left

At this point I think we're doing pretty well...down only 4 at Colorado Springs. Never get complacent...Wyoming did. Air Force started their next drive at their own 26. They open with a pass that nets them a 36 yard gain, and they're in business . A minute later our defense regroups and holds them to a 42 yard FG.

Air Force 10, Wyoming 3 - Halftime

Recycling the same speech from last week, I go off on a tirade of expletives and politically incorrect analogies. Let's hope it works again.

Air Force begins the 2nd half, by running it down our throats. The drive ends with a 3 yard TD run, and we're now down, 17-3.

Air Force 17, Wyoming 3 - 3rd Quarter, 10:54 left

Big possession for us...we can't get too far behind. We respond with a 3 and out.

Air Force can't do anything on their next drive, but neither can we. Finally, they score a TD late in the 3rd quarter to give them a 24-3 lead..and the rout is on.

Air Force 31, Wyoming 3 - Final

Disappointing. We gain 153 yards rushing...not bad...but "limit" Air Force to 268. Air Force keys on Dexter Lavigne all day, effectively taking him out of the game as he runs for 9 yards on 9 carries. Conversely, our anemic defense cannot stop Randall Gunther, as he butchers us for 144 yards on 20 carries. Our sole satisfaction is knowing that Gunther is a senior, and we will never have to see him again.

We drop to 13th in the country rushing-wise due to the poor showing. Proudly, our defense still maintains that illustrious 125th ranked rush defense.

Injuries:
T Alan Gibbs - out 7 weeks with torn knee cartilage
G Winfred Shelton - probalby with a strained quad
FB Tom Houck - out 9 weeks - arthro on his knee

Next week we travel to Boise State. Boise State enters the week at 1-1, only losing to 16th ranked Oregon State.

TOP 5
Notre Dame, 3-0
Florida State, 4-0
Oklahoma, 4-0
Tennessee, 3-0
Nebraska, 3-0

FWIW Dept.: Miami 14, Boston College 7

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Tyrone Magnotta G, offers from better schools than us - no visits
Martin Thomas CB, visiting Nebraska
Dennis Harness CB, visiting Washington
Marc Dazey QB, we're the only offer...so far!

Grades

No real concerns here. A few D-'s, but I devote some extra coaching time.

Wyoming at Boise State (-10)

Wyoming 2-2 (0-1), #74
Boise State 1-1 (0-0), #58

63 degrees, thunderstorms

No previous meetings

Boise State can't pass and they can't run, yet they are above average offensively averaging 31 points per game. Looking at their defense I see why...they rank 10th nationwide against the rush and 19th against the pass. They've also forced 8 turnovers...in 2 games.

Attendance: 29,500

Boise State 44, Wyoming 7 - Final

Umm....yuck. We get outright dominated. Outgained 409 to 110. So much for the vaunted rushing attack. Oh well...this is what I expected going into this year...we have to expect to take our lumps. Hunter Clark was a dismal 3 of 13 passing, giving way to Isaac Galbraith who went 2 for 2. Whatever. Dexter Levigne was held to 42 yards on only 6 carries. Roman Henry led the defense with 10 tackles and 4 assists. Not many happy moments in this one.


Injuries:
T Alan Gibbs - out 7 weeks with torn knee cartilage
Blake Marlotti - questionable with a hyperextended knee
FB Tom Houck - out 8 weeks - arthro on his knee

Next Week: Bye week and then at Utah State. They're 1-3 and ranked 99th in the country. We need a victory before we let this season slip away.

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 4-0
Notre Dame, 4-0
Tennessee, 4-0
USC, 3-0
Nebraska, 4-0


FWIW Dept.: Boston College 17, Miami 14

I don't know WHAT's up with me...but the last Miami result I posted was way off - it was Miami 52, East Carolina 7.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Tyrone Magnotta G, visiting Nebraska - sigh
Martin Thomas CB, visiting Nebraska
Dennis Harness CB, visiting Washington
Marc Dazey QB, we're the only offer...so far!

Rejections
Otis Sukova, T - heading to Utah State
Wendell Gardner, S - heading to Oregon State

Bye week for us...so I head all over the place trying to make up for my early rejections.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Good job with this! I'll be reading!

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Martin Thomas CB, visiting Nebraska, Boston College, Notre Dame
Dennis Harness CB, visiting Washington
Marc Dazey QB, we're the only offer...

Visits
None. :sniff:

Rejections
Tyrone Magnotta G, heading to Nebraska - doesn't he realize he could start for us his senior year of high school!?


Wyoming (-2) at Utah State

Wyoming 2-3 (0-1), #89
Utah State 1-4 (1-0), #105

49 degrees, thunderstorms

No previous meetings

Utah State comes in with an awful, awful rushing attack, which is just what my porous defense needs. They're awful passing-wise as well and average only 16 points per game, including 15 turnovers in 5 games. Defensively, they're just as awful. If we lose this game, I am personally going to turf Harvey Brooks' lawn.

Attendance: 16,000

Utah State 20, Wyoming 17 - Final

Sorry about your front lawn, Harvey . In an absolute embarassment of a football game, we manage to lose to one of the worst teams I've seen in a while (all of 7 weeks). We give up 277 yards passing and get outgained, 362-263. Dexter Lavigne gains 66 yards on 16 ho-hum carries and Hunter Clark goes 12-17 passing for 120 yards. So...what happened? In an uneventful 1st half, we took a 7-0 lead, and took a 10-3 lead into the locker room. On Utah State's first drive of the 2nd half, a big play killed us (42 yard TD pass). However, we answered with a drive of our own to take a 17-10 lead with 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. On Utah State's first drive of the 4th quarter, they threw a 90 yard touchdown pass on 2nd and 10 from their 10. We responded with nothing, and they countered with another long drive that culminated in a FG. Again, our offense came up lame, and we fell with a whimper.

I am thoroughly disgusted with this showing and vow to bring in world class athletes to play in the secondary. I call Brandy Chastain, but I only get her voicemail .

Injuries
T Alan Gibbs - out 4 weeks with torn knee cartilage
DE Blake Marlotti - out 3 weeks with a hyperextended knee
FB Tom Houck - out 7 weeks - arthro on his knee
QB Hunter Clark - probably - strained hammy

Hunter's injury could slow down our option...we'll see how he responds in practice. Otherwise, it may be time to give Isaac Galbraith his big break.

Next Week: Home against Brigham Young, 5-2. Gulp.

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 6-0
USC, 5-0
Ohio State, 6-0
Nebraska, 6-0
Notre Dame, 4-1

FWIW Dept.: #8 Miami 48, #10 Florida State 17

Useless Facts
Dexter Lavigne drops to 4th in the Mountain West in rushing. Hunter Clark is 7th in passing. Wyoming is 3rd in the Mountain West in rushing, and has the 2nd best pass defense in the conference. Of course, when your line is as porous as ours, who needs to pass?

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Considering the number of visits we have this week, recruiting looks to be in very good shape. One GIANT signing this week, but no one else has committed.

Visits
A ton of visits this week, including:
Marc Dazey, QB - visiting BYU, Wyoming

Rejections
Martin Thomas, CB

Signed Letter of Intent
Dennis Harness CB - Sandpoint, Idaho. Holy Moley! A Top 200 prospect, and 10th best cornerback in the nation has decided to sign with Wyoming without even visiting us! In high school he has 45 tackles, 8 sacks and 16 interceptions in only 9 games. We're going to build our team around him next year and possibly go with a 5-5-1 defense. He is, by far, the best player we'll get this year. Sure, he has a poor attitude, but they probably said the same thing about Michelangelo and Carrottop.


Brigham Young (-7) at Wyoming
Brigham Young 5-2 (3-1), #42
Wyoming 2-4 (0-1), #96

64 degrees, sunny

No previous meetings

Brigham Young comes at you primarily out of the Trips formation and, in typical BYU fashion, passes the ball all over the field (they have the 16th best passing attack in the nation). One thing I do have going for me is their senior quarterback, Lamar Dodge, is out with a concussion, and his backup Kenyon Harrington, is out with a separated shoulder. On defense, they feature DE Oscar Bailey who already has 11 sacks in 7 games (our entire team has a total of 13) and a rush defense that holds opponents to 2.73 yards per carry. Also, Wyoming is undefeated at home (2-0). With Hunter Clark nursing a strained hammy, I decide to bypass Isaac Galbraith and hand the ball to junior QB Larry Cunningham. Just to keep the team on their toes, I don't announce this until we run onto the field.

Attendance: 26,400

Late in the first quarter, we picked off a BYU pass, giving us possession at their 39 yard line. Larry Cunningham isn't as adept at running the option, but he has shown better passing ability in practice. He demonstrates this right off the bat by completing a 7 yard pass to Sotiroff. A few plays later, our man Dexter Lavigne punches it in from 7 yards out, and we actually have a lead!

Wyoming 7, Brigham Young 0, 1st Quarter - 3:11 left

We held onto the lead until late in the 2nd quarter, when, again, big plays hurt us. Starting at their own 35, BYU completed passes of 16, 10 and 39 yards to tie it up within a span of 1:04. Dennis Harness should put a stop to that kind of garbage next year...

Wyoming 7, Brigham Young 7, Halftime

I head out to a local bar for a couple of brews before the 2nd half starts. Such confidence should get the mormons concerned.

Our first drive goes nowhere, but we intercept BYU on their ensuing drive and start at our own 47 yard line. It's time to lock and load, boys! Unfortunately, the drive stalls at their 33 yard line. Considering the lack of confidence we have in our special teams, we go for it, and another completed pass to Soltiroff ends just shy of the first down marker.

Late in the 3rd, we give up ANOTHER big play - a 42 yard pass. This culminates in a FG, giving the lead to BYU, 10-7. They score another FG midway through the 4th, due to another Harvey Brooks Shanker Special. And, with 1:33 left, BYU decides to rub it in our face with a 58 yard TD scamper to end the scoring. I will remember this.

Brigham Young 19, Wyoming 7 - Final

Our defense actually did pretty well today, holding them to 314 yards total offense. Unfortunately, they stifled us, limiting us to 227. Beyond that, we held the ball the majority of the time (in the future, I hope this to be a trademark of our teams) and intercepted 3 BYU passes. Dexter Levigne broke the 100 yard barrier (103 yds., 19 carries) and Larry Cunningham completed 15 of 28 passes (albeit for only 94 yards). Overall, not a bad performance, despite his 5 bad throws (yuck).

Injuries
T Alan Gibbs - out - 3 weeks with torn knee cartilage
DE Blake Marlotti - questionable - 2 weeks with a hyperextended knee
FB Tom Houck - out - 7 weeks - arthro on his knee
QB Hunter Clark - probable - undetermined time - strained hammy
QB Larry Cunningham - probable - 2 weeks with a broken finger

Next Week: at 2-6 (0-3) San Diego State

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 7-0, at #11 Colorado
Ohio State, 7-0, at Indiana
Nebraska, 7-0, vs. Iowa State
Notre Dame, 5-1, at #33 Boston College
Michigan, 7-1, vs. #13 Purdue

FWIW Dept.: Miami, FL 89, Temple 0 - whoa!

Mountain West News
The conference was knocked in a tizzy when Colorado State (3-5, 1-2) knocked off Air Force (7-1, 3-1), 30-20. This puts Utah solidly at first in the conference (5-3, 3-0) with their 52-0 victory over UNLV. BYU stands ready to pounce at 4-1 in the conference and a game this week at UNLV.

Dexter Lavigne is back at 3rd in the conference in rushing (97-542-6), but far behind Randall Gunther's (Air Force) 824 yards. Our inside linebackers of Bill Dreiser and Roman Henry are 9th and 10th in tackles, respectively. Tim Maloney leads the team with 5 sacks. Oh, and the team is now tied for 35th nationally on rushing offense, while the defense has made great strides, lowering ourselves to 115th in the country for rushing defense.

The College Years
2003 Season Standings, Mountain West
  
  School                 W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  Streak  
Utah                     5  3  0  .625  314 111 3  0  0  1.000 139 20  Won 2       
Brigham Young            6  2  0  .750  195 135 4  1  0  .800  112 60  Won 3       
Air Force                7  1  0  .875  271 122 3  1  0  .750  122 73  Lost 1      
New Mexico               3  3  0  .500  139 119 1  1  0  .500  45  27  Won 3       
Colorado State           3  5  0  .375  208 200 1  2  0  .333  54  74  Won 1       
*Wyoming                 2  5  0  .285  105 204 0  2  0  .000  10  50  Lost 4      
Nevada-Las Vegas         2  5  0  .285  100 221 0  2  0  .000  14  94  Lost 2      
San Diego State          2  6  0  .250  149 284 0  3  0  .000  30  128 Lost 4    

[DolphinFan1]

I'm following along. Thanks for the updates on Miami.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

I begin to look for other QBs because Marc Dazey seems like a better fit at BYU then he does for us - unfortunately. Of course, there's slim pickings out there. Chalk one error up for the coach .

Visits
Marc Dazey, QB - visiting BYU, Wyoming

Rejections
Scott Bauman, P, Boise State - he was to replace our pal Harvey...
Bobby Erickson, CB, Missouri - probably got scared when Harness signed with us

Signed Letter of Intent
No new signings this week
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

I receive word this week that starting OLB Roger Pearson is failing Pokemon Training 1. I assign a graduate student familiar with the nuances of the class to give him a hand.

Before the game, I call Isaac Galbraith into my office and tell him he has the starting job at QB. I tell him I personally am expecting him to end our 4 game losing streak.

[CraigSca]

Wyoming at San Diego State (-2)
Wyoming 2-5 (0-2), #102
San Diego State 2-6 (0-3), #101

62 degrees, sunny

No previous meetings

San Diego State sports the run and shoot offense and wholeheartedly neglects it's rushing offense. We faced the same type of situation with BYU, so we feel our chances are pretty good here. Offensively, our rushing attack should do well here, as San Diego State, believe it or not, has a worse rushing defense than we do. I'm feeling pretty good, but wary because our team has yet to respond on the road. A loss here could be devastating.

Attendance: 34,000

Dexter Lavigne begins the scoring with a sweet 62 yard scamper to give us a quick 7-0 lead early in the 1st quarter. High fives all around are quickly deadened when San Diego State ties it up 2 plays later with a 54 yard run of their own (sigh, so much for ignoring their rushing attack). Our next drive is stopped, but Harvey Brooks actually adds value to Wyoming by booming a 48 yard punt down to the SDST 9 yard line. Way to go, Harvey! We stop them soon thereafter and on their punt we make our first critical mistake. Xavier Schultz muffs the return for us, and SDST recovers on our 14 yard line. On the very next play, Xavier Schultz (obviously wanting to make up for his error) decks a San Diego receiver at our 2 yard line, forcing him to fumble. Roman Henry drops on it, and recovers it on the spot. Phew! Starting at our own 2, our offense moves the ball out of harm's way, until the drive sputters at our own 28. The teams traded failed drives until late in the 2nd quarter, when SDST clinched a 31 yard FG for a 10-7 lead. Our ensuing drive went nowhere, and SDST received the punt at their own 37 yard line with 4:15 left in the half. They then run and pass it down our throats, scoring another TD with seconds left in the half.

San Diego State 17, Wyoming 7 - Halftime


Midway through the 3rd, SDST starts a 55 yard, 3 minute drive for another TD, going up, 24-7. Inspired, and knowing we're letting this split away, our boys dig in and put together an 80 yard scoring drive culminating in a 26yd TD pass from Galbraith to Hoover, making it 24-14. A 3 and out on their next drive gives us cause for hope. We being on our own 21 with 12:36 left in the game - plenty of time. Dexter Levigne heads up the middle on a trap for a 7yd gain. Galbraith then runs the option, pitching to Dexter at the right moment and he barrels ahead to the 39 yard line. We are moving the football! An option to Lavigne yields 4 yards, and another trap is stopped cold for a loss of 1. 3rd and 7 at our 42, and Galbraith fades back...throws a bullet to senior tight end Gene Carr -- who promptly drops it. Arrgh! 10:38 left in the game, and we're forced to punt. We give up a first down, but eventually stop them, getting the ball back at our 26 with 9:40 to go. The Dexter Levigne show gains 19 yards on 4 carries, until we are hit with a devastating holding call on 2 and 7 from our own 48. Galbraith tries to make up for it via the pass -- not our strong suit. We gain 3 yards on two plays and we're forced to punt again . SDST has the ball with only 6:26 left in the game and they're determined to run the clock out. We eventually stop them, but have the ball at our 20 with only 2:21 left. We have to make up ground and quick. Isaac Galbraith fades back and finds a wide open TE Drew Whitcomb, who makes only his second catch all year for 30 yards! Unfortunately, that was the high point, as the next 4 plays include a 5 yard sack, an underthrown pass, a pass blocked at the line, an an overthrown pass. Hmm.
On the next play SDST decides to rub it in our face with a 45 yard TD pass. We will remember this as well.

San Diego State 31, Wyoming 14 - Final

We racked up 209 yards rushing on the day (Lavigne 128, Hoover 60) and outgained them 339-330. Each team had 1 fumble and no interceptions. Quite frankly, we played this much closer than the score sounded. We wil remember this in future years and are determined to make SDST a patsy in the conference.

Injuries
T Alan Gibbs - questionable - 3 weeks with torn knee cartilage
DE Blake Marlotti - probably - 1 week with a hyperextended knee
FB Tom Houck - out - 7 weeks - arthro on his knee
QB Hunter Clark - probable - undetermined time - strained hammy
QB Larry Cunningham - probable - 2 weeks with a broken finger
LB Bill Dreiser - probable - 2 weeks with a bruised sternum - thank goodness he's "probable"
TE Gene Carr - probably - 1 week with a sprained ankle

Next Week: Colorado State 3-5 (1-2) - the team that upset Air Force

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 8-0, vs. #47 Oklahoma State
Ohio State, 8-0, at #14 Penn State
Michigan, 8-1, at Michigan State
Nebraska, 8-0, at #10 Texas
Alabama, 8-1, at Mississippi State

FWIW Dept.: Miami had an off week and next plays at #8 Virginia Tech

Mountain West News
Well, the upsets continue as UNLV comes out of nowhere to bump off BYU, 33-7. This puts Air Force back in 2nd place, behind Utah, who thrashed New Mexico, 38-6. This coming week sees the big game that will probably determine who wins the conference - Utah is at Air Force on TV3.

The College Years
2003 Season Standings, Mountain West
  
  School                 W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  Streak  
Utah                     6  3  0  .666  352 117 4  0  0  1.000 177 26  Won 3       
Air Force                7  1  0  .875  271 122 3  1  0  .750  122 73  Lost 1      
Brigham Young            6  3  0  .666  202 168 4  2  0  .666  119 93  Lost 1      
New Mexico               3  4  0  .428  145 157 1  2  0  .333  51  65  Lost 1      
Colorado State           3  5  0  .375  208 200 1  2  0  .333  54  74  Won 1       
Nevada-Las Vegas         3  5  0  .375  133 228 1  2  0  .333  47  101 Won 1       
San Diego State          3  6  0  .333  180 298 1  3  0  .250  61  142 Won 1       
  Wyoming                2  6  0  .250  119 235 0  3  0  .000  24  81  Lost 5 

[Noop]

I'm here also



noop

[CraigSca]

Recruiting


Rejections this Week
Dustin Gotchy, RB - Heading to Hilo (Solecismic 8 is in Hawaii)
Patrick Jarvis, G - Utah State
Robert Mueller, T - Boise State
Paul Hershberger, LB, Hawaii

Signed Letter of Intent
Marc Dazey, QB, Salt Lake City, Utah - YES - bite it, BYU!
Brandon Pelletier, TE, Brush, Co
Gilbert Stephens, G, Johnstown, Co
Jackie Kramer, DE, Cheyenne, WY
Robbie Rockwood, LB, Seward, NE
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

Marc Dazey is a huge coup for us, and he may be getting the starting nod as a true freshman. Depends on what he shows us in the summer. Passing-wise, he's not much to look at: 51% comp. pct., 6 TDs, 1 Int. However, he gained 1192yds on the ground his senior year and scored 11 TDs. He'll definitely make our wishbone option that much better.

Gilbert Stephens is a pretty good guard who excels at run blocking, so he should fit in well.

Jackie Kramer will add run stopping depth on the end, and Robbie Rockwood will do the same from outside linebacking position.

I'd still like to solidify our offensive line for the future, and may be calling on some additional lineman.

[CraigSca]

Colorado State (-6) at Wyoming
Colorado State 3-5 (1-2), #71
Wyoming 2-6 (0-3), #104

61 degrees, sunny

No previous meetings

Colorado State is another passing team featuring a single back offense. On the defensive side, they seem to have a very formidable pass defense and a pretty good rushing D. We've been having problems scoring lately, so that doesn't bode well. Think I'm going to go with Isaac Galbraith as my starting QB once again. I'm hoping Hunter Clark's strain EVENTUALLY heals. What a wiener. I'm going to keep Bill Dreiser in the starting lineup at ILB, we need him too much.

Attendance: 23,600 (uh oh, some of the faithful are becoming disinterested)

We keep it close the first half, giving up only a single 1 yard TD run. We chip in a 36 yard FB to end the scoring to make it 7-3.

Colorado State 7, Wyoming 3 - Halftime

The 3rd quarter starts off well for us. We pick off an errant pass and return 18 yards to our own 49 yard line. Unfortunately, we turn the ball over on downs at the Colorado St 29 yard line. We HAVE to get a better placekicker. CSU then rambles down the field 71 yards in a little over 5 minutes to take a 14-3 lead. We respond with an 3 and out, and Colorado State marches the ball 70 yards in a little over 3 minutes to go up, 21-3. Sigh. We cut the lead to 21-11 early in the 4th quarter on a 20yd TD pass to Arnold Soltiroff, but that's as close as get. CSU tags on two late scores, and we go down easily, extending our losing streak to 6 games.

Colorado State 35, Wyoming 11 - Final

Our passing defense gets ripped for 367 yards, and our offensive line gives up 8 sacks in 31 pass attempts. Truly awful. We're just not made to play catch-up with the passing game. Oh, and did I mention our 12 penaties for 108yds!? Let's just say there will be no keggers tonight in the athletic dormitory.

Levigne again is our workhorse, gaining 74 yards on 16 carries. Galbraith threw 2 interceptions, along with only completing 14 of his 33 passes. Ok, I know the O-line stinks, but he has to do better than that. I think we've witnessed the short, bitter career of Mr. Isaac Galbraith.

One highlight is Arnold Soltiroff's team record breaking performance of 116 yards on 5 catches with 1 TD. Really changed the face of the game, Arnold!

Bill Dreiser played the game injured, yet still contributed 10 tackles and 1 assist. It's a shame this guy is in his final year.

Injuries
T Alan Gibbs - questionable - 2 weeks with torn knee cartilage
FB Tom Houck - out - 6 weeks - arthro on his knee
QB Hunter Clark - probable - undetermined time - strained hammy
QB Larry Cunningham - probable - 1 week with a broken finger
LB Bill Dreiser - probable - 1 week with a bruised sternum
No net new, and everyone healed a bit, except Hunter Clark

Next Week: We have the week off, allowing us to celebrate the elimination of us from the conference race. Yee haw!

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 9-0, vs. #32 Texas A&M
Ohio State, 9-0, vs. Michigan State
Alabama, 8-1, at Mississippi State
Nebraska, 9-0, at at Kansas
Virginia Tech, 7-1, at #10 Pittsburgh

FWIW Dept.: Virginia Tech 21, Miami 16

Mountain West News
The big game to determine the conference destiny was played - Utah at Air Force. Air Force took advantage of the home crowd, and catapulted themselves to the top of the conference behind a hard-fought 20-17 victory. Utah and Air Force are now tied at the top, but Air Force wins out based on this game. In other games, BYU defeated a very tough Boise State team, 31-28, and UNLV continued their winning ways, 44-19, over New Mexico.

The College Years
2003 Season Standings, Mountain West
  
  School                 W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  Streak  
Air Force                8  1  0  .888  291 139 4  1  0  .800  142 90  Won 1       
Utah                     6  4  0  .600  369 137 4  1  0  .800  194 46  Lost 1      
Brigham Young            7  3  0  .700  233 196 4  2  0  .666  119 93  Won 1       
Colorado State           4  5  0  .444  243 211 2  2  0  .500  89  85  Won 2       
Nevada-Las Vegas         4  5  0  .444  177 247 2  2  0  .500  91  120 Won 2       
New Mexico               3  5  0  .375  164 201 1  3  0  .250  70  109 Lost 2      
San Diego State          3  6  0  .333  180 298 1  3  0  .250  61  142 Won 1       
 *Wyoming                2  7  0  .222  130 270 0  4  0  .000  35  116 Lost 6 

[CraigSca]

Recruiting


Rejections this Week
Jim Harmon, TE, Duke (pfft...whatever)
Daniel Richard, G, UTEP

Signed Letter of Intent
No net new
Marc Dazey, QB, Salt Lake City, Utah - YES - bite it, BYU!
Brandon Pelletier, TE, Brush, Co
Gilbert Stephens, G, Johnstown, Co
Jackie Kramer, DE, Cheyenne, WY
Robbie Rockwood, LB, Seward, NE
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

Hmmm...the lack of new signings concerns me. I also notice that I've dropped in some of the recruits eyes...I follow up with some on-site visits and look for a few gems that may have been overlooked. We shall see how this turns out, but I'm definitely going to need more than 6 recruits and a cast of walk-ons to improve this team.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Rejections this Week
Brad Cassidy, DT, Maryland

Signed Letter of Intent
Aaron Heap, DT, Hardin, Montana
Blaine Sutter, CB, Larimore, ND
Marc Dazey, QB, Salt Lake City, Utah
Brandon Pelletier, TE, Brush, Co
Gilbert Stephens, G, Johnstown, Co
Jackie Kramer, DE, Cheyenne, WY
Robbie Rockwood, LB, Seward, NE
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

Aaron Heap is a big signing for us. He's a top 1000 recruit who excels in the pass rush, which should help tremendously against the high flying pass offenses we face in conference. Blaine Sutter should add depth in the secondary and will enjoy getting picked on by the seniors. Still looking for more offensive line help...

[CraigSca]

Wyoming at Utah (-22)
Wyoming 2-7 (0-4), #108
Utah 6-4 (4-1), #48

57 degrees, sunny

No previous meetings

Utah is still smarting from their 20-17 loss to Air Force, and should be looking to take their vengeance out on us. Not sure how I didn't see this before, but Utah has the #1 ranked rushing offense in the nation and averages 36.9 ppg. Uh oh! Kind of irritating, as our conference not only has the #1 ranked rushing offense to contend with, but also a number of passing attacks that rank highly. Their defense is also 8th in the country in scoring, yielding 13.7 ppg. Now I see why they're favored by 22. Looks like the 6 game losing streak isn't going to end this week.

Hunter Clark's strained hammy is still bothering him, but Larry Cunningham's broken finger is fully healed. He's going to get the nod above Isaac Galbraith who has officially entered my doghouse.


Attendance: 27,500

High scoring action, and we artificially keep it close because of a 97 yard kickoff return by Xavier Schultz, and a 48 yard interception return for a TD by Ricardo McNeil.

Utah 27, Wyoming 17 - Halftime

We get slapped in the face by the dark angel called "Reality." 34 unanswered points later, we leave Salt Lake City bludgeoned, and with our eyes swollen shut.

Utah 61, Wyoming 17 - Final

Oh, THAT'S what it feels like to face the #1 rushing attack in the nation! They ran through us like greased red howler monkeys, and gained 397 yards on the ground. Outgained 489 to 145, we didn't exactly strike fear in their hearts. We were able to keep up oour fine penalty performance, "earning" 11 for 96 yards. We were also happy to hand them 4 turnovers, so they never felt left out of the game offensively.

George Hoover was a bright spot offensively (14 carries, 83 yards) as Dexter Lavigne was nowhere to be seen (5 carries, 8 yards). I like Dexter a lot, but his penchant for not coming up big in the big games concerns me. Roman Henry leads the team with 7 tackles and 3 assists.

Injuries
TE Gene Carr - out - torn calf - 6 weeks
DE Blake Marlotti - probable - sprained ankle - 1 week
QB Larry Cunningham - out - hyperextended knee - 5 weeks
WR Ben Bernstein - probable - bruised shoulder - 2 weeks
CB Henry Peterson - probable - bruised shoulder - 2 weeks
FB Tim Houck - out - arthro knee surgery - 4 weeks

Larry Cunningham gets hurt again, but Hunter Clark looks like he's back! woohoo!

Next Week: New Mexico 3-7 (1-5)

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 11-0, at Texas Tech
Nebraska, 11-0, at #13 Colorado
Alabama, 10-1, at #20 Auburn
Ohio State, 11-0, at #5 Michigan
Florida State, 9-2, at #36 Florida

Oklahoma looks to have the #1 BCS position locked up, but only .38 points separate Nebraska and Alabama.

FWIW Dept.: Miami 47, Syracuse 14

Mountain West News
Air Force slaughtered New Mexico, 48-10. In an out of conference game, Notre Dame defeated BYU, 41-8. We were quite proud of the MWC's showing . This week's big game with be Utah at BYU. The winner of this game will probably finish #2 in the conference.

The College Years
2003 Season Standings, Mountain West
  
  School                 W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  Streak  
Air Force                10 1  0  .909  386 169 5  1  0  .833  190 100 Won 3       
Utah                     7  4  0  .636  430 154 5  1  0  .833  255 63  Won 1       
Brigham Young            7  4  0  .636  241 237 4  2  0  .666  119 93  Lost 1      
Colorado State           6  5  0  .545  321 254 4  2  0  .666  167 128 Won 4       
Nevada-Las Vegas         5  5  0  .500  201 268 3  2  0  .600  115 141 Won 3       
New Mexico               3  7  0  .300  191 293 1  5  0  .166  97  201 Lost 4      
San Diego State          3  8  0  .272  227 356 1  5  0  .166  108 200 Lost 2      
 *Wyoming                2  8  0  .200  147 331 0  5  0  .000  52  177 Lost 7  

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Rejections this Week
Mitch Poles, RB, Georgia
J. T. Rutherford, G, Air Force

Signed Letter of Intent
Joseph Marlin, T, Kent, WA
Lenny Carr, LB, Hillsboro, OR
Aaron Heap, DT, Hardin, Montana
Blaine Sutter, CB, Larimore, ND
Marc Dazey, QB, Salt Lake City, Utah
Brandon Pelletier, TE, Brush, Co
Gilbert Stephens, G, Johnstown, Co
Jackie Kramer, DE, Cheyenne, WY
Robbie Rockwood, LB, Seward, NE
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

Joseph Marlin will add to our run blocking depth from the tackle position. He's not the best player I've ever recruited, but he's better than what we have today. Lenny Carr will add depth and probably start at linebacker for us. He's not the brightest bulb, but with some careful attention, he should be very valuable to us. He's a good kid, just kinda stupid .

[CraigSca]

New Mexico (-2) at Wyoming
New Mexico 3-7 (1-5), #95
Wyoming 2-8 (0-5), #111

43 degrees, sunny

No previous meetings

New Mexico is currently riding a 4 game losing streak, while we're showing off a 7 game loss streak of our own. Something's gotta give. We're all psyched because we have Hunter Clark's leadership ability back. Dexter Lavigne needs 248 yards in his final 2 games to break the 1000 yard mark. Tim Maloney needs one more sack to hit double digits.


Attendance: 22,300

A tough, hard-fought battle between two loser teams. No scoring in the 1st quarter, but we start the second quarter with a tough, 5 minute 10 second, 68 yard drive culminating in a 12 yard TD run by Dexter Lavigne on an option play.

Wyoming 7, New Mexico 0 - Halftime

Early in the 3rd quarter, we come up huge when true freshman Clay Dodge (who has a very bright future at Wyoming) blocks a punt at New Mexico's 20 yard line. Randy Barfield recovers the ball at the 8 yard line, and we're in business. Two plays later Hunter Clark finds senior Arnold Soltiroff in the end zone for the touchdown. We stop New Mexico on their next drive and start with the ball at midfield. It's the Dexter Lavigne show, as he gains 40 yards on 5 carries, including a 3 yard TD run to put us up, 21-0 with 5:38 left in the 3rd. In a span of 4 minutes, we fumble and throw an interception - leading to two touchdown drives for New Mexico, putting them right back in the game. Nothing is every easy for us . In the 4th, New Mexico starts a drive on their own 10 and quickly moves into our territory. At 3rd and 5 at our 26, our defense makes a big play when senior Blake Marlotti gets his 2nd sack of the year, effectively ending their drive. The rest of the game was inconsequential...a late interception yields us a late FG, ending the scoring

Wyoming 24, New Mexico 14 - Final

Yeah! So long, losing streak! AND, our FIRST conference victory! there's partying in Laramie tonight!

Dexter Lavigne gains 144 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. He only needs 104 more to break the 1000 yard mark. Hunter Clark goes 10 for 13 passing for 68 yards, a TD and an interception.

Sophomore Rich Borders had his best game as a Cowboy picking up 7 tackles, 2 assists and an interception. Bill Dreiser also struts his stuff with 4 tackles, 3 assists, a sack and an interception. I'm really gonna miss that guy when he graduates .


Injuries
TE Gene Carr - out - torn calf - 5 weeks
QB Larry Cunningham - doubtful - hyperextended knee - 4 weeks
WR Ben Bernstein - probable - bruised shoulder - 1 week
CB Henry Peterson - probable - bruised shoulder - 2 weeks
FB Tim Houck - questionable - arthro knee surgery - 2 weeks

Next Week: UNLV 6-5 (4-2)

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 12-0
Nebraska, 11-0, at #13 Colorado
Alabama, 11-1
Ohio State, 11-1, (annihilated my Michigan, 44-3)
Michigan, 10-2

FWIW Dept.: Miami 70, Rutgers 7

Mountain West News
Air Force clinched the Mountain West Conference, with a 38-21 victory over San Diego State. BYU beat Utah, 30-28 to take 2nd place in the conference with an 8-4 (5-2) record. Only conference game that remains is our game against UNLV next week.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Rejections this Week
None

Signed Letter of Intent
Ralph Freeman, T, Craig, CO
Joseph Marlin, T, Kent, WA
Lenny Carr, LB, Hillsboro, OR
Aaron Heap, DT, Hardin, Montana
Blaine Sutter, CB, Larimore, ND
Marc Dazey, QB, Salt Lake City, Utah
Brandon Pelletier, TE, Brush, Co
Gilbert Stephens, G, Johnstown, Co
Jackie Kramer, DE, Cheyenne, WY
Robbie Rockwood, LB, Seward, NE
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

Ralph Freeman is yet another run blocker added to our class. He was the #25 best prospect out of Colorado, a state with lots of talent. 3 new recruits on the offensive line, I'd like to add one more.

[CraigSca]

UNLV (-6) at Wyoming
UNLV 6-5 (4-2), #61
Wyoming 3-8 (1-5), #103

56 degrees, sunny

No previous meetings

UNLV has won 4 in a row, and can clinch a winning season with a victory over us. They come in with a pretty good run offense, and an awful passing attack. Defensively, they're pretty mediocre as well and I am very unimpressed. Not that the UNLV coach doesn't think the same of us .

Lavigne needs 104 yards for 1000, and 1 more TD to get his tenth of the year. He's easily been our offensive MVP. Tim Maloney stills needs one more sack to hit 10.

Attendance: 24,200

Dexter Lavigne opens the scoring with a 7 yard TD run (his 10th - congrats, Dexter) to give us the lead halfway through the 1st. UNLV answers with two TD's of their own in the 2nd quarter, and we're down at the half.

UNLV 14, Wyoming 7 - Halftime

After a UNLV FG, Rich Borders intercepts an errant UNLV pass and returns it to the UNLV 33 with 50 seconds left in the 3rd. 3 minutes later, Hunter Clark takes it in himself from the 2 yard line to cut the Wyoming lead to 3. Unfortunately for us, UNLV then takes the ball for the next NINE minutes and scores their own touchdown on a 71 yard drive. This gives them a ten point lead, and us only 3:23 to do anything about it. We muster nothing, and go meekly into the night with the 9th loss of my first season.

UNLV 24, Wyoming 14 - Final

In our final game of the year, we show a very balanced rushing attack, something I hope to feature as a staple of Wyoming football.

Rushing		Att	Yards	Avg	Long	TD	Stufd	Sackd
26 Lavigne	12	86	7.1	24	1	1	0
22 Hoover	12	79	6.5	16	0	1	0

Unfortunately, because of this, Lavigne ends the year 18 yards short of the 1000 yard mark. Hunter Clark ends the year going 9 for 29, with 7 bad throws. Yuck. Mark Dazey can't get here soon enough.

Roman Henry ends his Wyoming career with 8 tackles and 7 assists and Bill Dreiser adds 7 tackles of his own.

Next Week: We are DONE.

TOP 5
Oklahoma, 12-0, vs. #10 Colorado
Alabama, 11-1, vs. #15 South Carolina
Nebraska, 11-1
Ohio State, 11-1, (annihilated my Michigan, 44-3)
Miami, 10-2


Final Mountain West Standings...

The College Years
2003 Season Standings, Mountain West
  
 School                  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  W  L  T  Pct   PF  PA  Streak  
Air Force                11 1  0  .916  424 190 6  1  0  .857  228 121 Won 4       
Brigham Young            8  4  0  .666  271 265 5  2  0  .714  149 121 Won 1       
Utah                     7  5  0  .583  458 184 5  2  0  .714  283 93  Lost 1      
Nevada-Las Vegas         7  5  0  .583  256 306 5  2  0  .714  170 179 Won 5       
Colorado State           6  6  0  .500  345 285 4  3  0  .571  191 159 Lost 1      
New Mexico               4  8  0  .333  229 338 1  6  0  .142  111 225 Won 1       
San Diego State          3  9  0  .250  248 394 1  6  0  .142  129 238 Lost 3      
 *Wyoming                3  9  0  .250  185 369 1  6  0  .142  90  215 Lost 1    

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Rejections this Week
None

Signed Letter of Intent
Isaac McConnell, RB, Fort Lupton, CO
C.J. Thatcher, T, Elma, WA
Blaine Cannida, LB, Topeka, KS
Ralph Freeman, T, Craig, CO
Joseph Marlin, T, Kent, WA
Lenny Carr, LB, Hillsboro, OR
Aaron Heap, DT, Hardin, Montana
Blaine Sutter, CB, Larimore, ND
Marc Dazey, QB, Salt Lake City, Utah
Brandon Pelletier, TE, Brush, Co
Gilbert Stephens, G, Johnstown, Co
Jackie Kramer, DE, Cheyenne, WY
Robbie Rockwood, LB, Seward, NE
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

Isaac McConnell gained 863 yards in high school last year, and his strength is 3rd down running, something we were horrible in last year. If nothing else, he has 3.7 gpa, and scored over 1400 on his SAT . C. J. Thatcher is our 5th Top 100 recruit and specializes in run blocking. He should fit in well here. Blaine Cannida...I either hate this guy's name, or like it a lot. Haven't figured it out yet. This guy's strength is "intercepting passes" - a rather dubious distinction as a linebacker. However, he projects to be a starter after possibly red-shirting next season.

[CraigSca]

Recruiting

Rejections this Week
Clarence Bartrum, WR, Colorado

Signed Letter of Intent
Ross Dawson, FB, Lincoln, NE
Deon Hanks, G, Port Townsend, WA
Isaac McConnell, RB, Fort Lupton, CO
C.J. Thatcher, T, Elma, WA
Blaine Cannida, LB, Topeka, KS
Ralph Freeman, T, Craig, CO
Joseph Marlin, T, Kent, WA
Lenny Carr, LB, Hillsboro, OR
Aaron Heap, DT, Hardin, Montana
Blaine Sutter, CB, Larimore, ND
Marc Dazey, QB, Salt Lake City, Utah
Brandon Pelletier, TE, Brush, Co
Gilbert Stephens, G, Johnstown, Co
Jackie Kramer, DE, Cheyenne, WY
Robbie Rockwood, LB, Seward, NE
Dennis Harness, CB, Sanpoint, Idaho

Ross Dawson is our 6th Top 1000. He's smallish at 5'8", 193lbs., but he specializes in power running. I foresee him as a TD dynamo in a few years, punching it in from short range. Deon Hanks has a perfect GPA and excels at pass blocking. Won't HE be surprised when he finds out what kind of offense we run. So much for the 4.0 gpa !

This ends our first recruiting season, and I think I'm pretty pleased. Obviously our best additions are Dennis Harness and Marc Dazey - both should be able to help immediately (hopefully). We add 5 offensive lineman, and a total of 9 on the offensive side, and a healthy mix of 7 recruits on defense. Can't wait to get these guys into practice!

[CraigSca]

Oklahoma ends the year an undefeated 13-0, defeating Alabama in the National Championship game, 17-10.

Miami slaughtered USC, 56-7, in their bowl game, ending the year #3 in the country.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Excellent stuff! I'm enjoying this!

[DolphinFan1]

Great job. Thanks for the updates on Miami. Good luck next season.

[MylesKnight]

[size=large]GO POKES!!![/size]

I absolutely Love the Laramie Area.. If I wasn't allowed to live in Florida, Wyoming is where I would be.