Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

[WaitTilNextYear]

Disclaimer: I neither own the rights to nor profit from the fair use of NCAA and/or university-related materials that appear in this thread.

Console: XBox360
Rosters: VikesFan059's 2016-2017 Roster Update
Settings:

Spoiler

Recruiting:

Spoiler

1.Home State
*Can recruit any player from home state of WYO regardless of interest level or star ratings.

2. Pipeline States = CO, KS, ID, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, SD, UT
*Can recruit any 1* or 2* from pipeline states regardless of interest level
*Can recruit 3* or 4* from pipeline states provided they have initial interest

3. Extended Pipeline States = AZ, CA, IA, IL, MO, OR, WA
*Can recruit 1* or 2* from extended pipeline states provided they have initial interest

4. Wild Cards
*Can recruit up to two random 3* anywhere in country per recruiting class
*Can only have up to two of this type on the recruiting board at a time

5. Number of Signings
*Cannot oversign; can only place # of seniors + 1 on board

6. Scouting
*No scouting until after signing

7. Athletes
*Maximum of 1 ATH per recruiting class

Hello, we meet again...

Almost exactly 3 years to the day after starting my original WYO NCAA Football '14 dynasty, here begins the reboot. After a combination of waiting entirely too damn long for a next-gen NCAA title to appear, becoming increasing less enthusiastic about pro football and Madden, and observing the amazing work still going on around these parts with a 3.5-year-old game--it was time. And, yes, I needed to reacquire both the console and the game; I wanted to have fun playing my favorite football game again and, of course, keep a record of doing so.

I make no promises about what Coach Bohl's ultimate fate will be this time...will he become the Bobby Bowden or Bill Snyder of WYO? Will he move to more prestigious schools should the opportunity arise? I simply don't know the answers. But, these Pokes must first ride to victory no matter what else comes later.

We pick up matters with the 2017 season upon us after simming/recruiting our way to a disappointing 4-8 record during the 2016 season...

[WaitTilNextYear]

Season Summaries

Season Summaries

2016 - Recruiting Only

[U]Top Recruit (by college production)[/U]
3* LB Cedric Farmer | 76 ovr

2017

[U]Team Record[/U]
5-7 (3-5)

[U]Team Schedule[/U]
L (22-12) @ #25 Iowa
W (24-22) vs Gardner-Webb
L (34-14) @ #21 Oregon
W (34-31) vs Hawai'i
L (37-24) @ Colorado State
L (31-12) vs San Jose State
W (31-28) vs Texas State
W (41-38) vs Utah State
L (48-27) @ Fresno State
W (35-28) vs Boise State
L (34-28) vs Air Force
L (27-17) @ New Mexico

[U]WYO Top Performers[/U]
1) Logan Wilson (MLB, rSO) - 94 tackles | 14 tfls | 5 sacks | 2 INT
2) Andrew Wingard (FS, JR) - 81 tackles | 8 tfls | 1 sack | 2 INT | FF
3) Austin Conway (WR/KR, rSO) - 35 rec | 443 rec yds | 2397 total yds | 6 total TD

[U]Top Recruit (by college production)[/U]
3* ATH Weldon Adler | 67 ovr

[U]National Champion[/U]
UCLA

[U]Heisman Trophy[/U]
Josh Rosen (QB, JR) - UCLA - 278/413 (66%) | 3982 yds | 42 TD:4 INT

2018

[U]Team Record[/U]
12-2 (9-0) [MWC champions]

[U]Team Schedule[/U]
L (45-31) @ Missouri
W (23-22) @ Idaho
W (44-14) @ Utah State
W (35-34) vs UNLV
L (30-27) @ Texas State
W (45-10) vs Wofford
W (30-17) vs Colorado State
W (21-14) @ Boise State
W (49-28) vs New Mexico
W (30-28) vs Nevada
W (31-17) @ San Diego State
W (31-21) @ #24 Air Force
W (38-17) vs UNLV [MWC championship game]
W (30-27) vs California [Las Vegas Bowl]

[U]WYO Top Performers[/U]
1) Nico Evans (HB, rSR) - 335 carries | 1873 rush yds | 13 rush TD | 28 rec | 75 rec yds
2) Logan Wilson (MLB, rJR) - 89 tackles | 10 tfls | 2 sacks | 2 INT
3) Nick Smith (QB, rSR) - 282/443 (63%) | 2669 yds | 19 TD:11 INT | 593 rush yds | 6 rush TD

[U]Top Recruit (by college production)[/U]
3* ATH Darrin Green | 75 ovr

[U]National Champion[/U]
Notre Dame

[U]Heisman Trophy[/U]
DeShone Kizer (QB, rSR) - Notre Dame - 262/380 (69%) | 3975 yds | 47 TD:8 INT

2019

[U]Team Record[/U]
10-4 (9-1)

[U]Team Schedule[/U]
L (48-45) @ Tulsa
L (67-64) vs Washington State
W (33-28) vs Nevada
W (41-17) vs Missouri
W (45-42) @ Colorado State
W (28-24) @ Fresno State
W (44-27) vs Utah State
W (23-7) vs Boise State
W (31-24) @ Air Force
W (31-27) vs Hawai'i
W (45-24) vs Idaho
W (37-17) @ BYU
L (44-41) @ Fresno State [MWC championship game]
L (41-17) vs Arizona [Las Vegas Bowl]

[U]WYO Top Performers[/U]
1) Emmett Nash (HB, SR) - 325 carries | 1722 rush yds | 251 rec yds | 20 total TD
2) Logan Wilson (MLB, rSR) - 119 tackles | 25 tfls | 7 sacks | 3 INT | 2 FF | FR
3) Justin Hagemann (DE, rSO) - 37 tackles | 19 tfls | 14 sacks | FR

[U]Top Recruit (by college production)[/U]
3* HB Kelvin Mack Jr. | 65 ovr

[U]National Champion[/U]
Texas

[U]Heisman Trophy[/U]
Malik Miller (HB, rJR) - Auburn - 242 carries | 1390 rush yds | 15 rush TD

2020

[U]Team Record[/U]
9-4 (6-3)

[U]Team Schedule[/U]
W (27-23) vs Utah
L (31-16) @ Texas Tech
W (31-28) vs Nevada
W (51-28) vs Ball State
L (51-45) @ San Jose State
W (26-24) vs Colorado State
W (28-27) @ Utah State
L (44-42) @ Boise State
W (27-0) vs Air Force
W (59-52) @ Hawai'i
L (59-38) @ Idaho
W (52-31) vs BYU
W (33-30) vs Central Michigan [Idaho Potato Bowl]

[U]WYO Top Performers[/U]
1) Alec Stewart (TE, rSR) - 73 rec | 1247 rec yds | 17 rec TD | 14 pancake blocks
2) Chandler Garrett (QB, rSR) - 308/500 (61%) | 3682 yds | 28 TD:10 INT | 1 rush TD
3) Weldon Adler (HB, JR) - 358 carries | 1680 rush yds | 14 rush TD | 37 rec | 306 rec yds
 
[U]Top Recruit (by college production)[/U]
TBD

[U]National Champion[/U]
Oklahoma

[U]Heisman Trophy[/U]
C.J. Freeman (HB, rSR) - South Carolina - 314 carries | 1978 rush yds | 19 rush TD

2021

[U]Team Record[/U]
12-2 (8-2) [MWC champions]

[U]Team Schedule[/U]
W (38-24) vs Ball State
W (31-27) @ Northern Illinois
W (34-18) vs San Diego State
W (45-42) @ San Jose State
W (45-17) @ Colorado State
W (30-28) @ #5 Clemson
W (60-42) vs Utah State
W (42-30) vs Boise State
W (30-17) @ Air Force
L (66-45) vs Hawai'i
L (55-16) vs Idaho
W (35-18) @ BYU
W (27-9) vs Nevada [MWC championship game]
W (38-31) vs California [Las Vegas Bowl]

[U]WYO Top Performers[/U]
1) Cedric Farmer (MLB, rSR) - 138 tackles | 19 tfls | 8 sacks | INT
2) Weldon Adler (HB, SR) - 318 carries | 1587 rush yds | 21 rush TD | 50 rec | 417 rec yds | 3 rec TD
3) Tory McCollum (SS, rJR) - 97 tackles | 7 tfls | 1 sack | 4 INT | FF | 2 TD
 
[U]Top Recruit (by college production)[/U]
TBD

[U]National Champion[/U]
South Carolina

[U]Heisman Trophy[/U]
Matt Lacey (HB, SR) - Miami (OH) - 318 carries | 1988 rush yds | 18 rush TD

2022

[U]Team Record[/U]
12-2 (8-2)

[U]Team Schedule[/U]
W (24-18) vs Northern Colorado
W (41-3) vs Tulsa
W (24-18) @ Illinois
W (23-10) vs San Jose State
W (41-17) @ New Mexico
W (48-27) vs Colorado State
W (28-24) @ Utah State
L (29-28) @ Boise State
W (31-20) vs Air Force
W (69-47) @ #20 Hawai'i
W (60-57) @ Idaho
W (44-38) vs BYU
L (35-32) vs #13 Hawai'i [MWC championship game]
W (19-17) vs #3 Clemson [Orange Bowl]

[U]WYO Top Performers[/U]
1) Darrin Green (QB, rJR) - 266/415 (64%) | 3155 yds | 22 TD:9 INT | 1188 rush yds | 18 rush TD
2) Rocky Keefe (OG, rJR) - 38 pancake blocks | 3 sacks allowed
3) Noah Myers (FS, rFR) - 73 tackles | 8 tfls | 2 sacks | 3 INT | FF | 3 def

[U]Top Recruit (by college production)[/U]
TBD

[U]National Champion[/U]
Florida

[U]Heisman Trophy[/U]
Claude Harrison (HB, rSR) - Missouri - 439 carries | 2934 rush yds | 31 rush TD
*set NCAA record for single season rushing yardage

[WaitTilNextYear]

'Crootin

Coach Bohl gave the defensive side of the ball a boost by signing a pair of 3* DE's and a pair of 3* MLB's. All of those players figure to be red-shirted with returning bookends Carl Granderson (JR) and Josiah Hall (SO) slated to start and sophomore Logan Wilson poised to quarterback the defense from his MLB spot.

After the unfortunate early declaration of star RB Brian Hill (JR), the Pokes will need to scramble to fill in at tail back. Newcomer Jason Swain (JUCO) could enter into that mix. The only other member of this recruiting class likely to see the field in 2017 is punter Fabian Williams owing to the graduation of all-conference punter Ethan Wood.

As a whole, this class is not that impressive, ranking only in the 20% percentile of the FBS division. But, that's what a 4-8 record will do to a G5 team that is geographically challenged at recruiting. Even so, 6'7" 258 lb Shannon Petty (FR) figures to be a monster down the road at DE for DC Steve Stanard.

Speaking of impressive recruiting classes, the usual suspects have struck it rich once again. Aside from Nebraska, Wisconsin, and UCLA, there aren't any even mild surprises in the Top 10. Michigan leads the pack mostly based on volume (two 5* and eight 4*) in their 21-man class. Alabama and Ohio State led the 5* arms race with both schools pulling in four of them. Head Coach Paul Chryst found some 'crootin magic for his Badgers and brings a double-take worthy three 5* recruits to Madison. Perhaps he has adopted the "You = Baller" message and it's working.

So Purdue signed the top overall recruit in the class? Hmmm...Why does this give the feeling that the NCAA will be investigating this before too long?

For the time being, the Boilers and their fans are salivating at the prospect of dual threat QB and consensus #1 overall talent Ronnie Harvey. He runs like a gazelle and also throws like a...erm...well...uh...gazelle? But a gazelle that has opposable thumbs, really strong arms, and good footwork when dropping back to pass.

Michigan signed the player with the highest SPARQ score in the class, Stanley Seymour. Seymour appears to be a Wes Welker clone so it's difficult to see how he tested so well physically. He's also named as if he were a good buddy of Biff Tannen's from back in the 1950s.

Ohio State and Texas both gained future Heisman candidate RBs. UT's Johnny Wilson is already a world class sprinter and OSU's Al Riley figures to be next man up in Columbus.

Clemson found themselves Deshaun Watson's successor with the beastly 6'5" 244 lb dual threat QB Matthew Robinson. Or, Cam Newton 2.0 as he's known in most recruiting circles. Or, "Sir" as he's known to me personally.

Oklahoma made off with a pair of WR recruits in the Top 10--the only school to double dip.

Good to see Navy pulling a ridiculously talented WR recruit. Perhaps this signifies a departure in scheme for Ken Niumatalolo's Midshipmen?

[WaitTilNextYear]

Season Preview

After a ton of top players decided to stay in school rather than enter the NFL Draft, 2017 is shaping up to be a delicious gumbo of talent. The Heisman could go in about two dozen different directions with a cast of characters including Leonard Fournette, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Jake Browning, Josh Rosen, DeShone Kizer, Deshaun Watson, J.T. Barrett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Curtis Samuel, D'onta Foreman, Myles Gaskin, Bo Scarbrough, Wayne Gallman II, Mike Weber, Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, Royce Freeman, Saquon Barkley, James Conner, Soso Jamabo, Myles Garrett, and Jabrill Peppers.

With nine teams rated 97 OVR or above, there looks to be an incredible amount of parity at the top. And this could result in some really amazing games for college football fans.

Connecting the dots here, the Pokes would appear to be morphing into more of a spread passing team. Losing star running back Brian Hill and hiring former UB offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki means lots of shotgun and 4-WR sets. Cowboys QB Josh Allen (JR) could put up some pretty impressive numbers if his offensive line, led by preseason All-MWC 2nd Team RT Ryan Cummings (SR), gives him enough time.

WYO will need to score points in bunches to keep up. The defense is an undersized bunch that looks to be young and marginally-talented upfront; there is only 1 senior among the starting front 7. The DE's average 240 lbs and the OLB's average a very Mountain West-ian 214 lbs There is, however, some beef in the middle with 304 lb NT Sidney Malauulu (JR) to go with a trio of others than run close to 300 lbs.

The strength of the Wyoming defense, such that it is, figures to be in their experienced secondary. Specifically at safety. Preseason All-MWC honorees FS Andrew Wingard (2nd Team, JR) and SS Rico Gafford (1st Team, SR) figure to be making lots of TD-saving, shoestring tackles.

Looking at the schedule, there appears to be a path to bowl eligibility. Factoring in probable losses to Iowa, Oregon, and Boise State along with probable wins against Gardner-Webb, Texas State, and San Jose State, there are six other competitive games likely to decide the season. Half of those games are against traditional rivals CSU, Hawai'i, and USU. A prediction, perhaps?

Magic 8-ball says "better not tell you now." Let's interpret that as 6-6 and bowl eligible. Stupid Magic 8-ball...

[WaitTilNextYear]

Clear to Post

All clear to post...

[RoundingThird]

Re: Clear to Post

Glad to see you doing this again!! I was a huge fan of the first one, and you inspired some of my early work.

[LopaKa]

Re: Clear to Post

Wow amazing start bro. I love the mix of great writing and nice graphics. Glad to be able to follow this one from the beginning. Good luck in the mountain west, but I hope you lose to Hawaii

[saintrules]

Re: Clear to Post

Bahahahahahahaha

NUMBER 1 RECRUIT!? LIFE IS COMPLETE!!!!

Aside from that, excited to follow Wyoming & get a perspective on a team and conference I don't see much of! You've got an insane season with all those loaded teams & players.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: Clear to Post

Glad to see you doing this again!! I was a huge fan of the first one, and you inspired some of my early work.

Thanks. I seem to remember you running a Bowling Green dynasty back in those days. Those were the good old days.

Wow amazing start bro. I love the mix of great writing and nice graphics. Glad to be able to follow this one from the beginning. Good luck in the mountain west, but I hope you lose to Hawaii

Thanks. You're not going to like how the Paniolo Trophy game turned out...

Bahahahahahahaha

NUMBER 1 RECRUIT!? LIFE IS COMPLETE!!!!

Aside from that, excited to follow Wyoming & get a perspective on a team and conference I don't see much of! You've got an insane season with all those loaded teams & players.

Never tell them they Purdon't have enough talent.

[gsutiger]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Count me in as a follower can't wait to see what you do with the Cowboys

[WaitTilNextYear]

2017g1: Wyoming - 15 | Iowa - 22

Nobody can accuse Wyoming of padding its schedule and playing soft teams. An early roadie at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City can attest to that. The Hawkeyes, as well as the Oregon Ducks in a couple of weeks, provide some Power 5 heft to WYO's out-of-conference schedule.

The Pokes were down 7-0 after 1 quarter, but just 7-6 at half time. A 4th quarter burst actually carried WYO to the brink of an unlikely road win over a Top 25 B1G team. Cooper Rothe's third FG of the day cut it to 14-9 and a Nico Evans 4-yard scamper gave the Pokes a short-lived lead at 15-14.

After Wyoming missed out on the 2-PT conversion, Iowa only needed a FG to win, but would punch it into the end zone for good measure with a 39-yard connection from Tyler Wiegers to Adrian Falconer. That score plus the accompanying 2-PT conversion would prove decisive.

Iowa's offense had been stuck in neutral for most of the game--they could only muster 213 yards of total offense. The Cowboys defense did a nice job against Akrum Wadley (16 car 43 yds TD) and never let Iowa get going downhill.

In fact, Iowa's defense was the bigger story. The ferocious Hawkeye front sacked Wyoming QB Josh Allen 6 times and nearly recorded a pick six as Bo Bower ran out of gas just before crossing the goal line. The turnover set up a 3-yard Iowa TD run to make it 14-6 in Iowa's favor.

The Cowboys will take this loss as a moral victory, however. Coming off an underwhelming 2016 season, this was the type of gritty game 'dem Pokes will need to play to make hay in the Mountain West. They probably won't play many defenses as stout as Iowa's the rest of the way.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2017g2: Gardner-Webb - 22 | Wyoming - 24

If a narrow defeat in Iowa City felt sort of like a win, then this close home victory over the FCS school Gardner-Webb feels akin to a defeat.

First of all, what is a Gardner-Webb?

Apparently, a Gardner-Webb is a 4-year private school in North Carolina. In Boiling Springs, NC to be more specific. It's a Baptist-affiliated school on the outskirts of the Charlotte metro area. Reppin' that Big South Conference. Holler

Now that we know what a "Gardner-Webb" is, how did these Runnin' Bulldogs fare?

Early on, they were more like Couch Sittin' Bulldogs. Wyoming was in control at War Memorial Stadium--or so Coach Bohl thought--with a modest 24-9 lead early in the 4th quarter. The only play in Gardner-Webb's playbook appeared to be RPO with quarterback Chase McCoy. McCoy accounted for all but 19 of the Runnin' Bulldog's 368 yards of total offense on an absurd 25 carries and 33 pass attempts. McCoy was harried and hurried, sacked a half-dozen times with Poke middle backer Logan Wilson responsible for a trio of sacks himself.

However, once the Dawgs found themselves down 24-9, McCoy orchestrated a pair of scoring drives. Ultimately a failed 2-PT conversion made Gardner-Webb roll over and play dead. And not a moment too soon; if it were tradition in football to play 5 fifths instead of 4 quarters, hardly a soul in the stadium would've been confident that WYO could've held on. A white knuckle ride for the last 5 minutes or so.

What did we learn today?

Garnder-Webb (aka the FCS Southwest Predators) exists.

Wyoming is 0-1 vs FBS teams and 1-0 vs FCS teams at this early juncture.

Wyoming QB Josh Allen has yet to throw a TD pass in 2 full games.

Stats should be recorded before the game is over when playing FCS teams because they all vanish in the screens at the end of the game...so, maybe Gardner-Webb doesn't exist after all...

[bravesfan1984]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Another incredible WTNY franchise to follow!?!?! What a great Christmas present!!

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Glad to see you're posting another dynasty on here and some great updates to kick things off. Graphics look awesome and the writing is just as strong. Good luck in the second go round with Wyoming.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2017g3: Oregon - 34 | Wyoming - 14

Wyoming got another dose of the read option. Unlike Gardner-Webb, however, 17th-ranked Oregon had the athletes to punish the Pokes to the tune of 441 yards on the ground. Oregon QB Travis Jonsen (25 car 235 yds 3 TDs) ran wild and Royce Freeman (15 car 121 yds) also went over 100 yards on the ground.

The Ducks took control in the 2nd quarter by scoring the first 24 points of the game. Their dominance was broken only temporarily when a Jonsen pass fluttered into the hands of Cowboy DB Antonio Hull who proceeded to the house with his find. Beyond that point, Oregon scarcely made an effort to pass the ball as devastating as their rushing attack was--51 carries for 441 yards. The volume of Oregon's carries did allow WYO to pad their tackling stats though--1st Team All-MWC senior SS Rico Gafford recorded a career high 14 tackles and 2nd Team All-MWC junior FS Andrew Wingard pitched in with 11 stops of his own.

Wyoming's run game never got off and running. The Pokes produced just 25 carries for 34 yards against a surprising Oregon defense. With the score getting out of hand the WYO gameplan devolved into 5-WR set after 5-WR set and QB Josh Allen trying his hand at just the shoot part of a Run-and-Shoot offense. Wyoming's QB finally got into the TD pass column with a 12-yard strike to Austin Conway in garbage time.

The star of the game for Wyoming was true freshman punter Fabian Williams who channeled his inner Reggie Roby. Williams made 11 punts for 409 yards and 2 placed inside the 20. Without Williams' exploits, the Ducks might've put up 60 points instead of only 34.

Just 3 games into the season, Coach Bohl has to be a bit concerned that his team has not been able to run a lick against FBS defenses. Wyoming will hope to correct their issues as conference play begins in Hawai'i next week against the Rainbow Warriors.