Shadows of a Family's Past (The Coaching Career of Mitchell Hayes)

[Gingerchops]

Chapter 2

“I’m very impressed with the progress each and every one of you has made over the past four weeks” coach Bohl’s voice boomed from the middle of the circle of players on the practice field. “You came out and practiced hard and done what the coaching staff has asked of you, with very little complaints. Now come tomorrow evening, all that work will show, but only if you put in that effort for a full sixty minutes. So let’s go out and show who we truly are.” There was some cheers, some loud murmurs of agreement as the team buzzed around coach Bohl. “I expect to see all of you here no later than noon for a team meeting, now get out of here and get some sleep.”

Bohl ended his speech/pep talk and the team started to disperse, Mitchell had been standing on the outside of the team circle, flanked by coach Haas and Thomas. “Craig sure is one hell of a leader” Byron muttered to the others.
“There’s a reason he’s been successful and is where he is now, that’s for sure” Mitchell replied, nodding in agreement. Many of the players were heading back to the locker room, as Coffman was leaving the field Kyle stopped him. “Hey Cameron, quarterbacks meeting at 11 tomorrow. Make sure Josh and Nick know too.” Cameron seemed a little annoyed, his shoulders slumping a bit. “Oh, alright coach. I’ll let ‘em know” He replied, not an ounce excitement in his voice. “Thanks, get some rest” the young coach responded with a slight smile, giving him a pat on the shoulder pads.

Mitchell approached him, leaving Byron as he walked over to chat with coach Bohl. “Hey man, you think maybe it’d be best to let the players get extra rest tomorrow? I mean you’ve been meeting an hour early with them every day this week” He said questioningly, not wanting to sound overly challenging of the coach’s ways. “Well…yeah but we’ve been doing it every day so why would we change it for gameday? I want to keep these guys focused, especially tomorrow” Kyle responded, a somewhat defensive tone in his voice. “You’re right, I trust you Kyle. Just remember you were in there shoes once, and I know you would have hated me telling you what you just told Cameron” Mitchell joked lightheartedly.

As Mitchell and Kyle finished their discussion, coach Bohl walked by the two, “Hayes, coach’s meeting in my office in a half hour, I just want to see you and Steve.” ‘Sounds good coach, see you then” he replied, giving him a nod as he walked past him. “Is he ever going to call you by your first name?” Kyle asked him, half-jokingly. “I don’t know, I’m sure he will eventually” Mitchell responded with a shrug, “I’ve to be at that meeting though, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Mitchell gave a wave and departed, leaving the practice field and entering the team building. He stopped in at this office, taking a seat in the chair Mitchell closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The past months have seemed like a whirlwind to him, and it almost seemed unreal that tomorrow was his first ever FBS game. Checking his phone, he noticed a message from his dad. Just wanted to check in and say your mother and I are proud of you, give us a call sometime soon. We’d love to come out and visit your new place. Love you. Mitchell was surprised to see the message, but he couldn't help but feel guilty that he had barely kept in touch.

Mitchell rose from his office, locking the door behind him. Walking to coach Bohl’s, he knocked a few times in the office and walked into the room where coach Stanard was already sitting laughing with the head coach. “Come on in Hayes, I just wanted to have a brief word with you two before the game tomorrow,” Bohl said, leaning back in his chair. Mitchell took a seat, giving a courteous nod to the defensive coordinator before directing his attention back to coach Bohl.

“I’ve got to ask Hayes, are you nervous?” He asked with a smile, making it very clear he already knew the answer. Mitchell smiled, laughing slightly as he answered, “In all honesty, very nervous.” “Good, I’d be upset if you weren’t” he responded, a great big smile still on his face. “Tomorrow’s very important men, we’ve all put in a lot of time into this team. Stanard and I have put in over a year,” as he continued on, Bohl directed his gaze towards Mitchell, almost trying to drill the next words into him, “we cannot afford to take a step back this year. Our jobs rely on it, so let’s remember that tomorrow.”

The pressure of the words was impossible to dodge as they ran through Mitchell’s mind, we cannot afford to take a step back this year, but on the outside he remained calm. Giving a slight nod of agreement, he answered steadily, “Yes sir.”

[Gingerchops]

Wyoming Defense Dominates North Dakota in 26-7 Victory

September 6th, 2015

Laramie, WY- Six times the North Dakota offense found themselves on Wyoming’s side of the field, but the Fighting Sioux are heading back to Grand Forks with only one touchdown and 7 points to their name. Three times North Dakota found themselves in with a 4th and goal situation, and every single time they would leave the red zone empty handed. Stanard’s defense epitomized “Bend but don’t break” on Saturday, allowing nearly 350 total yards and 19 first downs, but when the time came for them to get off the field the Cowboys did just that.

“We didn’t play our best every single play, but we played our best when we needed to. They were able to really throw the ball without many problems, and that hurt us but we stood tall and played with a lot of grit and toughness today” Defensive Coordinator Steve Stanard had to say after the impressive performance by his unit. As the coach alluded to, North Dakota found success through the air, passing for 244 yards and scoring their lone touchdown when Keaton Studsrud hooked up with Miguel Cerriteno from 26 yards out. Wyoming’s secondary has been spread thin due to injury, specifically Tyran Finley’s season ending broken ankle, and their weakness in defending the pass was evident on Saturday.

When asked post-game, head coach Craig Bohl wasn’t worried about the secondary’s performance. “We knew they were likely to come out here and try to throw all over us, and I think as a unit they should be very proud how they performed. It’s still week one, we’ll improve.”

Improvement will likely be the key for Wyoming in defending the air, and attacking it. The lone disappointment of Saturday’s win came from the Cowboys passing attack. Cameron Coffman started his Wyoming career under center strong, completing four of his first five passes, but his day would only go down from there. Coffman would finish the evening going 13 for 30 on pass attempts for a mere 150 yards, add two interceptions on top of that and the word dismal is the best way to describe his performance in the season opener. Junior wide receiver Jacob Maulhardt would catch a 16 yard touchdown from Coffman that capped off an impressive drive to begin the 2nd half, but the Wyoming offense mostly relied on the running game on Saturday.

The transfer senior was very honest about his outing when asked after the game “I’ve got to be sharper out there, I can forgive myself for missing a few open guys and throwing the ball away when nobody’s open, but we can’t get back those turnovers and down the road those could really hurt.” Coach Bohl refused to go into too much detail on Coffman’s performance, but did have this to say about his quarterback, “Cameron went out there and did what we needed him to, we won the game and he was a significant part of that. The efficiency will come, the touchdowns and passing yards will come, but at the end of the day the important thing is the ‘W’ in the win column.”

When new Offensive Coordinator Mitchell Hayes was introduced in February he made it very clear he was a firm believer in running the football. Though his play-calling in the passing game may need some adjustments, Brian Hill and D.J. May carried the Cowboy offense from the backfield on Saturday. The worries of Wyoming fans on the effectiveness of the rushing attack without star back Shaun Wick for the first part of the season have been all but squashed after the 245 yard, two touchdown barrage they exploded for yesterday evening. “Today’s performance showed the importance of balance in an offense,” Mithcell Hayes said, “Hill and May were able to pick up the slack of Coffman and the passing game. Sometimes we can’t all be clicking, and that’s okay.”

Brian Hill’s performance out of the backfield earned him player of the game honors for his 186 yards on 25 carries, including two scores from the goal-line. Brian Hill was very matter-of-fact after the game about his play, “I just take the ball and try to advance it as far as I can each and every play, I’m not looking to score on every touch but I know I’ve got to fight for every last inch out here man. If I do that every game, and every one of these guys does the same then there’s no reason we can’t do this every game.”

Coach Bohl was impressed, but not surprised by Hill’s running on Saturday. “We knew heading into spring that Brian and Shaun (Wick) could combine to be one of the most dynamic backfields in the country, and that’s because alone they’re very talented young players. If the big men up front can give him holes, we know that Brian’s going to maximize the play, which is why we’re so confident in our rushing attack.”

The offensive line had plenty of praise from the coaching staff after the game for their ability to open the running lanes for the Wyoming backs, but Offensive Coordinator Mitchell Hayes was also critical of the line’s pass protection throughout the game. “North Dakota came with plenty of blitzes, and sometimes the defensive play-call is going to beat the offensive one. There were also a few instances of Cameron missing, or being late on a read, but there were some plays out there where he didn’t even have a chance, and we’ve really got to clean that up in the coming weeks.” North Dakota’s defense only tallied one sack on Coffman all day, but that can be more attributed to Coffman’s ability to throw the ball away before the pressure could bring him down. It’s safe to assume that with a few more seconds here or there his completion percentage would have been considerably higher on the evening.

With the season opener in the books, the Cowboys start the year with a strong victory just as expected. Wyoming will host the Eastern Michigan Eagles next Saturday, with hopes of improving to 2-0 on the season. Eastern Michigan is coming off a deflating 12-21 loss to FCS opponent Howard. Below are the stats and scoring summary of Wyoming’s week 1 victory.

North Dakota Fighting Sioux at Wyoming Cowboys
Sep 5, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
North Dakota Fighting Sioux (0-1)	0	7	0	0	7
Wyoming Cowboys (1-0)	7	6	10	3	26

Team Stats Comparison
	UND	WYO
Total Offense	348	395
Rushing Yards	104	245
Passing Yards	244	150
First Downs	19	21
Punt Return Yards	22	25
Kick Return Yards	51	42
Total Yards	421	462
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Converstion	4-18(22%)	5-12(41%)
4th Down Conversion	3-6(50%)	0-0(0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0(0%)	0-0(0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-0-0(0%)	5-3-2(100%)
Penalties	8-65 Yards	4-35 Yards
Posession Time	14:20	21:40

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		UND	WYO
3:22	(WYO) Brian Hill 3-yard Touchdown rush(XP Good)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		UND	WYO
7:49	(UND) Miguel Cerriteno 26-yard Touchdown reception from Keaton Studsrud(XP Good)	7	7
1:37	(WYO) Brian Hill 1-yard Touchdown rush(Missed XP)	7	13
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		UND	WYO
6:33	(WYO) Jacob Maulhardt 16-yard Touchdown reception from Cameron Coffman(XP Good)	7	20
4:12	(WYO) Justin Martin 33-yard FG	7	23
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		UND	WYO
7:08	(WYO) Justin Martin 33-yard FG	7	26

North Dakota Fighting Sioux

Wyoming Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C. Coffman 13/30 150 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD B. Hill 25 186 7.4 2 D. May 11 64 5.8 0 C. Coffman 2 -13 -6.5 0 T. Gentry 1 8 8.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD T. Sewell 4 36 9.0 0 T. Gentry 3 35 11.6 0 J. Maulhardt 3 44 14.6 1 J. Hollister 2 21 10.5 0 B. Hill 1 14 14.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD R. Priester 8 0.0 0 0 M. Muhammad 8 0.0 0 0 T. Hayes 6 0.0 0 0 C. Appleby 6 0.0 0 0 S. Hala'api'api 6 1.0 0 0 E. Yarbrough 5 0.0 0 0 U. Olive 4 1.0 0 0 X. Lewis 4 0.0 0 0 E. Nzeocha 3 0.0 0 0 L. Kellum 3 0.0 0 0 W. Tutein 3 0.0 0 0 M. Epps 3 0.0 0 0 D. McKenna 2 0.0 0 0 T. Kamana 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG J. Martin 2/2 2/3 8 33

[Gingerchops]

Chapter 3

Mitchell walked casually to his car through football facility’s parking lot. The lights from the stadium remained on, lighting his path to the car as the stadium is thoroughly cleaned from the game hours earlier. Most of the other cars in the lot were long gone, Mitchell had been the last coach left besides Kyle inside the facility as most went home to be with their families after the victory. The players have been buzzing in joy after the season opening win, and most couldn’t wait to get out and relax after the past four weeks of hard practices that concluded with their dominate performance.

Mitchell climbed into the car and started it, driving home east through campus which seemed startlingly alive compared to the usual eerie quite tone that seemed to fill the air of Laramie, especially at this time of night. He couldn’t help but smile, wanting to be proud and enjoy this excitement that he had helped create. Wyoming may not be a big football school, but it was encouraging to feel the school pride coming to fruition after a win.

As he reached his driveway, Mitchell grabbed his things and groggily walked into the small two bedroom home. Though campus was alive, his neighborhood sure wasn’t. Aside from a few living room lights visible through windows, darkness and silence filled the area. Mitchell set his things down on the kitchen counter as entered the room, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and popping off the top and taking a sip. Mitchell was far from a drinker, but he had developed a tradition of celebrating every victory with a drink.

Leaning back against the counter, Mitchell pulled out his phone that he knew was bound to be filled with messages from his friends and family. Unsurprisingly, he opened up his phone to a text from his brother.
Good job today bro, you’ve done so far and today proved that. Tell that AD of yours if you want to play a real FCS team to give Dayton a call sometime. Mitchell cracked a smile, taking another sip of beer and just shaking his head. He knew his brother was kidding, but there was some appeal to the idea of coaching against his brother someday.

Scrolling through the messages on his phone, most were either wishing him good luck or a basic congrats, which he replied with a generic “Thanks!” or something along those lines. As Mitchell reached the bottom of his inbox, he noticed an unread message from Julia once again. He stared blankly at the phone for a few moments, not even opening the message to read it before swiping and clicking the delete button.

Setting the phone down, Mitchell closed his eyes and took a very deep breath, letting his mind run back to all the memories of the years spent in Southern California. The countless days and nights spent next to her, the dates, the holidays, the visits to and from family, the proposal, the celebration, and the doctor’s office.

And then all of it completely shut down. His reminiscing ended abruptly as the phone buzzed, finishing his beer Mitchell reached for the phone. Another message from his father appeared on his screen: Nice win today, couldn’t watch from out here but I got updates as often as possible. Your Grandad would be proud, love you.

Mitchell smiled somewhat, but the expression was filled with more disappointment than joy. Rereading the message a few times, he finally responded, replying with another basic “Thanks,” and then set the phone down and shook his head. He knew his father deserved more than that, but he couldn’t muster the energy right then. The massive exhaustion that had been chasing Mitchell had finally caught up, and he felt the enormity of it on his shoulders and eyelids. Tossing the bottle in the recycling bin and heading upstairs, Mitchell laid down to finally get a full night of sleep, knowing that when he woke up it would be back right again with another game just days away.

[Gingerchops]

NCAAF Week 1 Wrap-Up

Top Stories:

LSU Stuns 2nd Ranked TCU

In a colossal matchup of playoff contenders, LSU and TCU did not disappoint. Both teams played like true heavyweights that are capable of making run and a possible rematch in the playoff. Though both teams looked strong, one team had to lose. Tied with less than three minutes remaining, LSU stormed down the field and kicked a field goal with just over thirty seconds left. The three points would prove to seal the victory for the Tigers, upsetting the number two team in the country 31-28 and winning one of the best opening weekend games in recent memory.

Ole Miss Starts Season Strong

Gamday was in town in Oxford, Mississippi and #16 Ole Miss and #11 Georgia put on a show for the crew. Mark Richt’s team jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Ole Miss answered with 30 unanswered points until Nick Chubb tried to spark a Georgia comeback halfway through the 4th. Though the Bulldogs would pull within two, a late Ole Miss field goal clinched an early and big SEC victory 33-28.

Petersen Upsets Old Team

As if the matchup Chris Petersen’s Washington Huskies and the #22 Boise State Broncos wasn’t dramatic enough, the two couldn’t settle the game in regulation. While attempting to lead Boise State to a victory, QB Ryan Finley threw an interception in Washington territory. The Huskies would run out of time, as the two would duke it out in overtime. After Washington stormed to a touchdown in three plays, Boise was unable to score on four tries from within the ten and Chris Petersen earned an upset victory against his old school.

Top Ten Teams Struggle

While TCU and LSU battled against each other in a matchup of two dominate teams, other playoff contenders struggled against average to mediocre teams. In another neutral site game, 3rd ranked Alabama needed a late touchdown to beat Frank Beamer and his Virginia Tech Hokies, and cross-state rival Auburn had to stop a furious comeback attempt from Washington State. #8 USC went into Hawaii expected to blowout the Rainbow Warriors, but the team looked distracted and disinterested and barely escaped with a 20-17 win. Florida State seemed to learn nothing from last year, trading blows with Pittsburgh until finally closing the Panthers out and winning the game 38-34, but lost starting running back Dalvin Cook for the season in the process.

Top 25 Scores:

2015-2016 NCAAF Week 1 Top 25 Scoreboard

Results

#1 Ohio State vs. Buffalo W35-7

#2 TCU vs. #12 LSU L28-31

#3 Baylor vs. Houston Baptist W69-10

#4 Alabama vs. Virginia Tech W31-24

#5 Oregon vs. Nicholls State W35-9

#6 Auburn vs. Washington State W31-24

#7 Michigan State vs. Western Michigan W28-7

#8 USC vs. Hawaii W20-17

#9 Georgia @ #14 Ole Miss L28-33

#10 Florida State vs. Pittsburgh W38-34

#12 LSU vs. #2 TCU W31-28

#13 Notre Dame @ Temple W31-17

#14 Ole Miss vs. #9 Georgia W33-28

#15 UCLA vs. Nevada W45-7

#17 Arkansas @LA-Lafayette W35-7

#18 Wisconsin vs. UMass W27-20

#19 Missouri vs. Alcorn State W24-0

#20 Oklahoma vs. UL-Monroe W35-19

#21 Arizona vs. UC Davis W42-10

#22 Georgia Tech @ Appalachian State W30-14

#23 Tennessee vs. Tennessee Tech W24-7

#24 Boise State @ Washington L20-27(OT)

#25 Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma State W30-24

[Gingerchops]

Mountain West Week 1 Wrap-Up

Top Stories:

UNLV Surprises Everyone

Entering the 2015 season, the Running Rebels were predicted to finish near the bottom of the Mountain West, and the entire FBS. Minnesota played host to UNLV on Saturday, expecting to earn an easy non-conference victory to begin the year. Four quarters later and the Golden Gophers are wondering what just happened. After storming to 24-7 lead at the half, Minnesota looked primed to put the game away and win the game in a blowout. Two fumbles and an interception returned for touchdown later, ad UNLV led 28-24 as time ran out. Perhaps UNLV was overlooked, or perhaps Minnesota was drastically overrated.

Utah State Losses Tough One

In a state rivalry matchup, the Aggies came up just short against their PAC-12 foe. Chuckie Keeton struggled to find any kind of rhythm in the game, throwing for two interceptions and no touchdowns on the day. The Utes defense held Utah State to minimal yardage on every play, getting into the backfield on several plays and stopping the Aggies for a loss. Though the score was close, Utah dictated the majority the game, winning the low-scoring affair 17-13.

Boise State Losses OT Heartbreaker

Much of Bronco nation was hoping for a victory of ex-head coach Chris Petersen for two reasons, one to show him what he left Boise for and to earn a strong non-conference victory right out of the gate. The two teams were even for most of the day, trading scores back and forth. The Broncos’ new starting QB Ryan Finley had a chance to put his team up late in the game, but an interception ended the drive and sent the game into overtime. The Huskies scores easily on their first possession, and managed to hold Boise on four straight plays within the 10 to grab a 27-20 victory over the ranked Broncos.

MWC Scoreboard:

2015-2016 Mountain West Week 1 Scoreboard

Results

Wyoming vs. North Dakota W26-7

San Jose State vs. UC Riverside W48-27

UNLV @ Minnesota W28-24

Hawaii vs. #8 USC L17-20

Fresno State vs. Rutgers L23-40

Utah State @ Utah L13-17

Colorado State vs. Colorado W35-21

Air Force vs. VMI W34-13

New Mexico vs. UTSA W48-21

#24 Boise State @ Washington L20-27(OT)

San Diego State vs. Dartmouth W45-17

Nevada @ #15 UCLA L7-45

[Gingerchops]

NCAAF Week 2 Rankings

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Sep 7, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Ohio State(61)	1	0	1525
2	3	Baylor	1	0	1316
3	4	Alabama	1	0	1257
4	12	LSU	1	0	1231
5	5	Oregon	1	0	1141
6	6	Auburn	1	0	1112
7	7	Michigan State	1	0	1101
8	14	Ole Miss	1	0	1028
9	8	USC	1	0	992
10	2	TCU	0	1	867
11	10	Florida State	1	0	851
12	11	Clemson	0	0	815
13	13	Notre Dame	1	0	789
14	15	UCLA	1	0	764
15	9	Georgia	0	1	714
16	17	Arkansas	1	0	617
17	16	Arizona State	0	0	555
18	19	Missouri	1	0	524
19	21	Arizona	1	0	479
20	20	Oklahoma	1	0	435
21	18	Wisconsin	1	0	349
22	22	Georgia Tech	1	0	348
23	23	Tennessee	1	0	308
24	NR	Mississippi State	1	0	228
25	25	Stanford	0	0	221

*Others Receiving Votes-

Texas A&M(117), Utah(52), Virginia Tech(37), Washington(34), Cincinnati(24), Nebraska(16), Oklahoma State(14), Boise State(13), NC State(10), Kansas State(8), North Carolina(7), Florida(6), Syracuse(5), Texas(4), Louisville(4), Michigan(3), West Virginia(3), Northwestern(2), Western Kentucky(1)

*Dropped from Rankings-

Boise State(#24)

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Sep 7, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Ohio State(64)	1	0	1600
2	3	Alabama	1	0	1447
3	4	Baylor	1	0	1413
4	10	LSU	1	0	1388
5	5	Michigan State	1	0	1246
6	6	Oregon	1	0	1230
7	7	Auburn	1	0	1129
8	8	USC	1	0	1039
9	16	Ole Miss	1	0	1012
10	9	Florida State	1	0	1008
11	2	TCU	0	1	999
12	12	Clemson	0	0	836
13	13	Notre Dame	1	0	730
14	14	UCLA	1	0	701
15	15	Arizona State	0	0	664
16	17	Arkansas	1	0	592
17	11	Georgia	0	1	556
18	19	Georgia Tech	1	0	465
19	20	Arizona	1	0	401
20	18	Wisconsin	1	0	374
21	21	Oklahoma	1	0	372
22	23	Missouri	1	0	302
23	NR	Mississippi State	1	0	230
24	24	Stanford	0	0	194
25	NR	Tennessee	1	0	171

*Others Receiving Votes-

Texas A&M(136), Washington(97), Utah(75), Miami(42), Nebraska(40), Virginia Tech(33), North Carolina(26), Texas(21), Oklahoma State(17), Boise State(16), Cincinnati(13), Kansas State(13), West Virginia(10), NC State(9), Florida(9), Louisville(7), Iowa(5), Maryland(5), Duke(5), Michigan(4), Illinois(4), Syracuse(3), Marshall(2), Air Force(2), UCF(1), Kentucky(1), Hawaii(1)

*Dropped from Rankings-

Boise State(#22), Virginia Tech(#25)

[Gingerchops]

NCAAF Week 2 Preview

Top Stories:



Unanimous #1 Ohio State Battles Aztecs

Following a victory that barely required effort, the Buckeyes became the unanimous top team in the nation in both polls after some stumbles from the other top contenders. Ohio State extended their win streak to 14, and look to keep rolling through their schedule as they host San Diego State in Columbus on Saturday. The Aztecs are a significantly stronger team than Buffalo, but don’t be surprised if Ohio State sends them home without even breaking a sweat.

Notre Dame Travels to Ann Arbor for Gameday

After earning a win to open his career as head coach of his alma mater, Jim Harbaugh will attempt to really put Michigan back on the map in another matchup of the two historic schools in primetime and hosted by the Gameday crew. 13th ranked Notre Dame visits Michigan after a 31-17 victory over Temple, and hopes to build more momentum for the season. The Fighting Irish are a dark horse playoff contender at this point, but their high hopes could be squashed against an overachieving Wolverine team in a very rowdy and energetic stadium, keep your eyes on a potential upset Saturday night in the Big House.

Georgia Looks to Rebound

After a disappointing start to the 2015 season with a 28-33 loss at Ole Miss last weekend, Mark Richt’s seat in Athens is without question heating up. Luckily for Richt and the Bulldogs Saturday will bring Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks to town. South Carolina is without a question facing another down year, but after a loss to North Carolina in week 1 Spurrier’s job security is also in question. Both coaches are looking for an inspired effort from their teams on Saturday in hopes of avoiding a horrific 0-2 start to their seasons.

Oklahoma Opens Big 12 Play

It seems for once the coaches and the media around the country placed the Oklahoma in a very fair spot for the 2015 season. After being overhyped in years past and never truly living up to their expectations, the Sooners find themselves on the fringe of the Top 25 teams in the country. After a very average victory over Louisiana-Monroe last week, it’s not clear what type of team Bob Stoops has in Norman, but an early conference matchup with West Virginia will likely set the tone for the season. Though Oklahoma enters the game ranked 21st in the country against an unranked Mountaineers team, don’t be surprised if the game goes in either team’s favor.

[Gingerchops]

Coffman Hopes for Rebound Performance in Week Two

September 10th, 2015

Laramie,WY-

Matchup Preview | September 12, 2015
	@
Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-1, 0-0 Away)		Wyoming Cowboys (1-0, 1-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 12.0 Points Per Game 26.0 349.0 Total Offensive Yards 395.0 125.0 Rushing Yards 245.0 224.0 Passing Yards 150.0 Defensive Stats Comparison 406.0 Total Yards Allowed 348.0 169.0 Rushing Yards Allowed 104.0 237.0 Passing Yards Allowed 244.0 Injury Report WR D. Creel Season RB S. Wick Unknown LOLB I. Spearman 7 Weeks SS C. Pownell Jr. 3 Weeks CB C. Jennings 4 Weeks CB T. Finley Season

The Cowboys took care of business last Saturday in a solid 26-7 victory over North Dakota. With week one in the rearview mirror, Craig Bohl and Wyoming turn their sights towards Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are traveling from the MAC, hoping to flip the script from their season opening loss to FCS opponent Howard. Eastern Michigan’s offense looked dismal, failing to even reach the endzone last week against an FCS defense. After Wyoming’s defense controlled the game against North Dakota and looked excellent in getting off the field and keeping the offense from scoring, the Eagles could be in for another very long day on the field.

Eastern Michigan, much like Wyoming, allowed plenty of yards in week one but were able to keep the score manageable. The Cowboys managed to run the ball with ease against a weak North Dakota front 7, and it’s likely that the Eagles will spend a majority of their time attempting to slow down Brian Hill and the Wyoming rushing attack. With that in mind, it’s unlikely that Hill will be completely shut down and his effectiveness will give the Cowboys several opportunities to put points on the board. The focal point for Mitchell Hayes’ offense will be better efficiency through the air, and less mistakes from Cameron Coffman. With a start under his belt, it’s reasonable to expect a stronger outing from Coffman and the passing attack. If Coffman can manage that, expect more scoring from Wyoming on Saturday.

PROJECTED SCORE: Eastern Michigan-10, Wyoming-34


Entering week two, Wyoming is a heavy favorite over the Eagles of Eastern Michigan. The Cowboys didn’t look stellar last week against North Dakota, but an equal performance would without a doubt earn them another win regardless. However, it’s fair to expect improvement from this team whose coaching staff has preached the idea of improvement to the players and media over the past weeks. It also helps that Eastern Michigan is without a doubt one of the worst, if not the worst team in FBS this season. Expect Wyoming to play a consistent and efficient game and jump to a 2-0 start this year, and a blowout would be far from a surprise.