Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

[WaitTilNextYear]

The Pokes did it again. Another winning season and another bowl appearance. That makes three straight bowl games, with Wyoming winning two of them (beat Cal in 2018, lost to 'Zona in 2019, beat CMU in 2020). Coach Bohl is 31-10 with one MWC title over the past three seasons and is now above .500 with a 46-43 career mark in at WYO.

What's more is that the Pokes have been absolutely pounding their rivals. Talk about bragging rights. Wyoming hasn't lost to a rival (Colorado State, Utah State, BYU, Utah, or Hawai'i) since a 37-24 loss at CSU in the 6th week of the 2017 season. That's a healthy 12-game winning streak, including a very healthy 5-0 in 2020. Perhaps a bit lucky, the Pokes triumphed over Utah by 4 points, over CSU by 2 points, over USU by 1 point, and over Hawai'i by 7 points. The only blowout was a 52-31 shellacking of a 2-10 Brigham Young team.

Wyoming didn't really play in any huge games in 2020--the Pokes were denied an appearance in the MWC Championship Game due to a resurgent Boise State once again ruling the Mountain Division. No teams were ranked at the time they tangled with WYO. The best wins would probably rank as: (1) 33-30 OT bowl game win over a solid Central Michigan outfit with the 3rd best offense in the FBS; (2) a 27-23 close call in a nationally televised home win against longstanding rival Utah; (3) the 27-0 blowout of Air Force in the snow.

Chandler Garrett (rSR) closed out his run as a 2-year starter for Coach Bohl with a near identical effort to last season. Uncanny:

Garrett in 2019: 306/485 (63%) | 3655 yds | 28 TD/21 INT | 136.8 rtg
Garrett in 2020: 308/500 (61%) | 3682 yds | 28 TD/10 INT | 141.2 rtg

The clear difference was Garrett being much more protective of the ball during his redshirt senior campaign, although one might recall that six of those 21 interceptions in 2019 came in the final two games.

Maybe even more remarkable, Garrett made nearly every throw for the Pokes over the previous two seasons. Only 26 passes were authored by someone else--22 of those coming by Terry Brooks (rSO) after Garrett was pulled in the 2019 bowl game against Arizona. In other words, Garrett was an iron man. Garrett graduates from Wyoming with the single game records for TD passes and passing yardage.

The big question in Laramie is who will quarterback the Pokes in 2021? The field is pretty wide open, with Brooks and rising sophomore dual threat Darrin Green (rFR) in the mix with a couple of others. One has the feeling that random progression might decide the outcome by chopping someone down or boosting one of the contenders up. The next QB will follow in the rather successful footsteps of Josh Allen, Nick Smith, and Chandler Garrett who have helped Coach Bohl steer the ship through some choppy waters.

One troubling issue amongst mostly positive news is that Wyoming's relentless rushing attack relented a little bit more in 2020. Certainly, they couldn't continue to reach new high water marks each season, but the dropoff from 2018 to 2019 to 2020 in both rushing yardage (3499 to 2736 to 2245) and YPC (5.2 to 4.5 vs 3.9) has been disconcerting. Even so, Wyoming trotted out a new 1000-yard rusher for the 3rd consecutive year. This time it was a converted ATH/WR Weldon Adler (JR) with 358 carries for 1680 yards (5th in the nation) and 14 TDs. So, yeah, we're concerned about a unit that produced the 5th most prolific rusher in FBS? That's where we are right now? Tough crowd.

Adler will of course return for his senior year and figures to get the majority of the carries once again. Backup Mike Green II (rSR) will be gone, so rising sophomore Kelvin Mack Jr. (FR) and 3* change-of-pace-back recruit Justin Lee from Ada, Oklahoma will spell Adler. The Pokes will miss Green's tough running especially in goal line situations; Green accounted for a whopping 27 rushing touchdowns--most of the 1- and 2-yard variety--over the previous three seasons.

Fullback Tyrone Ford (FR), already a bowling ball as a true freshman this year, is not a threat with the rock, but figures to pave huge creases for whoever is getting the carries in 2021.

The pass game matured a bit more in 2020. Tight end Alec Stewart (rSR) continued his storied career, probably ending up the most productive tight end in school history. After winning the Mackey Award in 2019 (62 rec | 1025 yds | 11 TDs), he took his game to a whole new level in 2020. Stewart repeated as the Mackey winner while catching a team-high 73 passes for 1247 yards and 17 TDs while also leading the team in pancakes with 14. He was the security blanket and assassinated coverages by streaking down the seam and making all manner of tough grabs over the middle.

There was a pretty big dropoff in production after the tight end. Ricardo Austin (rSO) (46 rec | 573 yds | 2 TDs) was the second most productive pass catcher, but rumblings are the erstwhile slot-man is heading back to defense and might even become a 2-way player. Highly regarded/recruited Bryce Merchant (SO) (46 rec | 409 yds | 4 TDs), halfback Adler (37 rec | 306 yds), and Lamar Haynes (rJR) (34 rec | 306 yds | 2 TDs) round out the top 5 Wyoming pass catchers.

With Stewart graduating and Austin returning to defense, both Merchant and Clarence Hill (rFR) will need to make some rather large strides because they figure to be targeted more. They will be supplemented by a pair of big-bodied 3* redshirt freshman Todd Bennett (6'6" 228 lbs, recruited as "Tony Bobo") and Cedric Weaver (6'4" 204 lbs). Throw in a new starting QB and who knows what 2021 will bring?

Very few things make Coach Bohl a sadder panda than a decline in the number of pancake blocks for his team. Coming off a dynasty-best 50 pancake blocks in 2019, the 2020 offensive line only managed 39. And 14 of those 39 were from the departing tight end. The tackles gave up 10 sacks versus one lonely pancake block. There was only a single underclassman starting on the line as well--LG Joshua Moore (rFR). The Pokes have really struggled to find good interior line play, but maybe next year will be the year.

Wyoming plugged Cedric "Darth" Farmer (rJR) in for departed Bednarik winner Logan Wilson and Farmer simply repeated the feat. The one with the dark visor won both the Bednarik and Best LB and was one of the few bright spots on a defense most known for sucking wind on a long cpu drive. For a team that gave up over 32 points and nearly 500 yards per game, Farmer did his level best to make plays. In addition to over 100 tackles (15 tfl, 4 sacks), he accounted for four takeaways and helped Wyoming's defense hang their hat on something at least (3rd nationally in TO margin). Rumor has it that Farmer has been working out like a madman in the offseason. He's been working on explosiveness with J.J. Watt, his speed with Usain Bolt, his awareness with Mike Singletary, and his ability to "know" things with Bo Jackson. Farmer figures to have an epic senior season upcoming.

Tory McCollum (rSO) had another very solid year as the strong safety and defensive end Justin Hagemann (rJR) led the unit in sacks. USER-controlled 340-lb behemoth Milo McNeil (rSO) recorded 21 tackles (7 tfl) and 1 sack and will return for another season of being USER'd.

Oddly enough, the defense is where the declining output of Wyoming's rushing attack has really hurt. This defense was on the field a lot more in 2020 and it really showed. Long drives. Quick drives. Robo QBs. The Pokes were susceptible to some big plays and scoreboard barrages--even against Idaho. Losing 3/4 of the starting secondary to graduation and position changing 2-deep safety Ryan Walker (rJR) to linebacker will probably create an even more precarious situation in 2021. Wyoming alum and current defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot needs to figure some things out if the Pokes are going to take that next step.

Return man Quincy Perryman (SO) set a dynasty high with a 27.5 yards-per-return average. Perryman also took one of his 42 tries to the house. Punter Charles Jackson (SR) averaged 45 yards per punt on only 37 punts; kicker Joe Bennett (FR) hit on 17/20 FG tries. Next season should be interesting as WYO will have underclassmen at both kicker and punter.

Most would conclude that 2020 was a good year for Craig Bohl. He added 9 more wins and 5 more rivalry wins to the ledger. His team won the Idaho Potato Bowl. WYO went 6-3 in conference. Coach Bohl snagged the first 4* recruit of his tenure in 6'4" 261-lb linebacker Todd Wilson out of Spearfish, SD. He also got an apologetic phone call from Mike Leach, who is looking for an offensive coordinator gig. Coach Bohl knew he'd outlast Mike Leach.

But, some would conclude that 2020 was a step back. With a redshirt senior QB and the momentum of back-to-back double-digit-win seasons, the Pokes could only manage 9 wins despite no "unwinnable" games on the schedule. This is compared to 12 wins and a MWC title in 2018 and 10 wins and a MWC title game appearance in 2019. Has Wyoming reached its ceiling? The hard-hitting media in southeastern Wyoming really want to know. God forbid that Coach Bohl has to start dealing with Cheyenne beat writers and big city media like that.

No big schools came sniffing around Coach Bohl this time, because he indicated he wasn't interested in making a move at this time. For some reason, none of his coordinators were poached either, which means lots of continuity heading into 2021 for better or worse.

[xboxxerx]

WTNY,

Just started following buddy. Used to read your Tigers dynasty in the baseball section when you, Royals19, ACMillan, BHurst ruled them. Looking forward to seeing what you do with Wyoming. About half through this one almost. Still have some reading to catch up on.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Wyoming bids adieu to about a dozen important contributors from the 2020 team. Notably, the redshirt seniors on the 2020 team were the last remnants of "real players" from the original roster and the departing seniors were from Coach Bohl's 1st recruiting class--the 2017 class. All have been around for some pretty uplifting times in Laramie with a conference title, a conference runner-up finish, an otherwise solid 9-win season, and a pair of bowl game wins mixed in during their tenure.

The biggest losses are pretty clearly 2-year starting QB Chandler Garrett, 2-time Mackey Award-winning TE Alec Stewart, and goal-line stalwart/touchdown machine HB Mike Green II. Of secondary importance, 3/4 of the starting defensive backfield from last year has graduated: converted-WR-turned-#1-CB John Okwoli, CB Tyler Hall, and FS Alijah Halliburton. Additional losses: starting LB Jahmari Moore, highly-rated-but-not-so-productive, undersized WDE Cassh Maluia, former JUCO and backup TE Caleb Davis, 6'8" starting RT Dustin Weeks, and punter Charles Jackson. Ye all shall be missed. Truly.

Whereas the former Pokes will live on in our hearts for all eternity, we make space for a new crop of WYO monsters and men. Coach Bohl and his staff put together a class of 13 recruits for Signing Day 2021. Twas a good class, twas a kind class. Notably, Coach Bohl bagged his first 4* recruit of this dynasty in Tavares Collier-->Todd Wilson. *Pops champagne* *Looks over shoulder to make sure Urban Meyer isn't there to snatch the champagne bottle out his mouf*

Wilson was the #23 MLB in the nation and figures to inherit a starting MLB spot the year after next. Obviously what stands out most about Wilson is he's a high school kid that's 6'4" 261 lbs. Are some measurables in order?

Todd Wilson: 80 SPD | 76 STR | 67 AGI | 88 ACC | 73 TAK | 67 BSH | 67 MCV | 63 ZCV

Despite the Spearfish, ID native being clearly big enough to contribute right away, the Pokes have a redshirt senior All-American MLB already so Wilson will redshirt.

Other than Wilson, there are nine 3* recruits and three 2* recruits--not bad at all for a program like Wyoming. The composite class rank was 58th, but some of that was due to cpu-added players that Coach Bohl never scouted/recruited/offered. Those players have been cut and those responsible for those players have been sacked. More realistically, Wyoming's class was ranked comfortably in the mid-60s nationally, which isn't terrible for a smallish class of just 13.

Most exciting among the new recruits are 3* #8 FS Noah Myers (Falls City, NE), 3* 6'0" 367-lb man-mountain NT Alfonzo McDade (Senatobia, MS), and 3* 6'4" 316-lb OG/OT Sean Gonzales (Logan, UT). Gonzales wasn't pursued all that avidly by other teams, but seeing his shortlist included Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, and Florida probably bodes pretty well for how he'll fare against Mountain West Conference talent. McDade is a beefy boy who somehow only has a 71 rating in strength so he'll need to get in the weight room. McDade's other main suitor was Memphis, so...meh? He's the next in line to be USER'd at DT. Myers, on the other hand, is probably destined for all-conference honors at some point, and was monitored by Oklahoma, Minnesota, Navy, and Georgia Tech. The redshirting true freshman has some nice vitals:

Noah Myers: 86 SPD | 84 AGI | 93 ACC | 68 MCV | 75 ZCV | 79 PRS | 71 STR | 80 TAK | 70 HPW

The recruits also underwent a thorough "reconditioning" and renaming per WYO Football statutes (h/t to Bigsheen for suggesting some good websites). For each recruit, the website http://random-name-generator.info was used to generate 10 names to choose from and the name style was toggled between common, average, and rare. I am very happy to announce there is a player named Numbers Conway on the squad.

To add a little bit of randomness to the development of players, a random progression system was put in place (h/t to Hellisan for the concept).

Each offseason 10 random numbers from 1-99 are generated using https://random.org and the numbers are matched to the jersey numbers of Wyoming players. The first 8 players chosen in this way undergo a regression between 2 and 12 points of OVR. The final 2 chosen undergo additional progression between 2 and 12 points of OVR. Another random number generation gives the magnitude of the OVR change. The individual attributes chosen to effect each change are at the discretion of this author--often there are several attributes impacted.

Well whaddaya know? The random progression system shineth on the Wyoming Cowboys this time around. The most important players on the team were both selected for yuge progression...what are the odds? Well you can probably calculate that on your own.

It was shaping up to a 3- or 4-way battle to determine the starting QB. That is, until Terry Brooks (rJR) was bequeathed a very nice +11 OVR. Now, Brooks, who got a little run in the bowl game loss to Arizona at the end of the 2019 season, is the clear starting QB. Brooks was recruited as "Ben Cannon" the 2* 55-OVR pocket passer from Lancaster, CA in the 2018 class that was ranked 119th in the nation. He's, uh, better now you guys.

The other recipient of surprise! progression was Cedric Farmer (rSR). Yeah, that's almost unfair. The middle 'backer is coming off of a Bednarik Award and a Best LB award. Then we just put +10 on top of that? Aight, bet. Farmer becomes the highest-rated player Coach Bohl has ever had. Farmer's 97 OVR surpasses graduated star FS Andrew Wingard's 94 OVR from the 2018 season. Farmer was recruited as a 3* (#32 MLB) 76-OVR middle linebacker in Coach Bohl's 103rd ranked 2017 recruiting class.

The only really troubling regression suffered was at the free safety position. Previously-mentioned star safety Andrew Wingard graduated after the 2018 season, then Alijah Halliburton graduated after last season. Now, the new projected starter Zackary Gaither (JR) was hit with a -7 OVR and converted-from-WR-to-FS Ricardo Austin (rJR) was saddled with a -5 OVR. Giddy up. Coach Bohl may have to burn the redshirt he's planning for 74-OVR true freshman Noah Myers if Gaither and Austin can't hold up.

The Pokes have been enjoying consistently good seasons of late and the only thing between WYO and a 3rd consecutive appearance in the MWC Championship Game last year was a resurgent Boise State team. One of the side effects of consistency and Coach Bohl's now 7 years in Laramie is the recruiting classes get a little bit better and the roster gets a little bit deeper. That is fairly evident looking at this year's depth chart.

The Pokes will actually field a team that is a composite 77.6 OVR (76.0 OFF/79.2 DEF) compared with a composite 76.4 OVR (74.5 OFF/78.4 DEF) last season.

On offense, Wyoming features three 80+ OVR players in QB Terry Brooks (rJR, 83 OVR), WR Bryce Merchant (JR, 80 OVR), C Donald Young (rSR, 82 OVR). Returning HB Weldon Adler (SR, 79 OVR) looks to build on a strong junior year and has been honored as a preseason 1st Team All-MWC selection. The entire right side of the offensive line features new starters with RG Rocky Keefe (rSO, 73 OVR) and massive RT Rodney Graham (rJR, 68 OVR). Let's grate some roads.

On defense, the more talented side of the ball, Coach Bohl will turn to a pair of 90+ OVR players and three 80+ OVR players. The player who has made national news with his grueling offseason workouts is Cedric Farmer (rSR, 97 OVR). "Darth" as he's known due to his tinted visor is ready to step up for what could be a record-breaking season--we're talking a 150 tackles, 25 tfls, 10 sacks, 5 interceptions type of season. The preseason 1st Team All-NCAA 'backer is ready to pop off, son. Justin Hagemann (rSR, 90 OVR) has been quietly compiling good sack numbers under the radar and will slide back to WDE from SDE. Hagemann is a preseason 2nd Team All-MWC selection. MLB Ryan Walker (rSR, 81 OVR) was converted from SS due to a somewhat-slow-but-big-for-DB situation. Walker will slot in next to Farmer in the WYO 3-4 base defense. Rounding out the mentionables, we have 1st Team All-NCAA SS Tory McCollum (rJR, 81 OVR) and 1st Team All-MWC CB Justin Bryant (rJR, 82 OVR). This unit should be much improved from their bottom-feeding pass defense in 2020. Of course, this author said the same thing in last year's season preview...


In a bit of a weird scheduling coincidence, all of the conference games from Week 9 on are exactly the same as the previous year, save for rotating home and away. Among those games, the clash with Boise State and their Heisman contender QB Dan Horner in Week 10 figures to loom large in deciding the conference. How far you've come from being terrible, Horner-san.

San Diego State is back on the docket for the first time in a spell. The Aztecs should provide a stiff challenge in Week 4.

The Pokes will clash with out-of-conference Ball State again to finish off their very lukewarm series. Wyoming handled Ball State 51-28 last time. WYO will also tangle with the Huskies of NIU in DeKalb.

The game that sticks out is the one ranked opponent, #24 Clemson. The fightin' Dabos are absolutely loaded and this game at Clemson figures to be an eye opener for WYO.

With a little bit of luck, and figuring the Aztecs, Broncos, Huskies, and/or Cougars might be somewhat decent this season, Wyoming might be able to sniff at the Top 25.

[itsbigmike]

Always one of my favorite posts in all of the NCAA 14 dynasties are your off-season recruiting/season preview posts. Well done, and written in such a unique tone that separates it from other greats on the board.

FS is looking ... like something. I assume the guys on the two-deep at FS have legs that allow them to stand up right but that's about all the good things I could say about them. I feel like Myers HAS to see the field at a safety spot this year, no?

O-Line isn't great and inexperienced, so it'll be interesting to see how the right side of the line holds up.

Well done as always!

[WaitTilNextYear]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hellisan

I'm admittedly catching up. Realized I have to stop making excuses, and make time. After a 5 a.m. to midnight workday yesterday that was emblematic of my life as a whole I said screw this I need to take coffee time in the morning to read dynasties even if it's just for 15 minutes. I am not caught up yet. I love this dynasty. I have always tried to go the semi-ultra-realistic route in terms of how i talk about the dynasty but my favorites typically include those where there is more candor - for instance the "Coach Bohl leveled up just in time to get the lock pick"..I was laughing.. I still haven't really figured out how to use that, even if I have once or twice it was just like I looked up and it was there. But that's one thing that makes me love this dynasty in addition to your writing style in general. Sorry about Newsome, you should check in on him and see if he was used to his potential. Maybe if you look at his profile constantly, he'll transfer if not used properly? Like the NCAA version of tampering. An up and down season sort of fell apart at the end there in 2017. I'll pick it up again tomorrow. edit: Ok so I'm through 2018 now. What a great season. First of all, your presentation went from really good to insane. I really like that you found a nice readable way to present the text without going fully image based, there's a lot to like about having searchable text on the forum. In addition to the fact if the images go bye-bye, you've still got content there. Your "progression" system is more like a keep your team crappy system, and you're getting crazy unlucky with how many guys are getting near the worst possible regression. I would say regression to that level should be pretty rare. But to each/own of course. I respect the challenge. I'm sorry to spam you but I have so many questions... Are you telling me the game created a guy named Kawika Ramsour... And you changed his name? Why do you list the original names? I like the transparency, but it seems like it might confuse people that are following. But again... E/O Idaho... Looking at the pictures it all flooded back, love the Kibbie Dome. and Still love how the players do the safety signal on D when they get a safety haha... (twice). ... Carey Harvey commentary (UNLV) pure gold. Wow. Ross Johnson *cough cough* Darrin Green. TRK/CAR Juke move combo with a decent arm! Love that he's not so fast that he will just go the distance "TOO" often (but he probably will since the game can be semi-broken by options. Add in the fact he will power truck any DB stupid enough to get in his way or easily juke any linebacker and blammo.... Sensing a Heisman, if the regression Gods don't get him. What was the biggest factor in Wallace getting 8 pancakes in a game? That's insane. Don't know why but the SDSU game report was particularly nice looking. I had no idea they had a trophy presentation after conf. championships. Never won one yet LOL All the best, and keep up the dynasty, it's fantasic and a joyful read, I made about 1/10th of the comments that came to mind.

Thanks for dropping a note my friend. Always glad to hear from the great Coach Clark. 5 am to midnight shifts seems like 19 hours long or something. I am happy to field questions.

I checked in on Eric Newsome, the first 5* I whiffed on, and the poor bastard is 3rd or 4th in the Buckeyes' DT rotation despite being a 94 ovr. He's a junior now (I think) and he has 3 career tackles. He really hasn't seen any playing time for Ohio State. Can't say I feel bad for the kid...

My progression system is certainly a governor on the engine that is my team. The first Wyoming dynasty I did was a lot of fun. But, I found myself first in the PAC-12 and soon after in the SEC seeking out an actual challenge. I'm not saying a team like Wyoming can't win big, but I felt like I really need tough sliders and a hand tied behind my back in recruiting and progression to feel good about my team's accomplishments. It's exactly a keep my team crappy system, but I like how sometimes it really stings and sometimes it's more meh no big deal. And, by the way, yeah Darrin Green did get hit with regression, lol. And the year after, one of his competitors at QB got massive progression. That's how a guy I was salivating over is now a redshirt sophomore and is still the backup. I like the randomness--like Plink-O--in these position battles that I would never otherwise get without this system. Some players I get attached to as recruits don't pan out quite as well or as soon and some players I couldn't care less about become key cogs.

As for the renaming, I considered the possibility that sharing both the original name and the altered name can be confusing. The problem I have is that when I recruit these guys, I am not able to change them/edit them at that point? So when I post a recruiting update it has the original names. Then I feel like I have to correlate those names with the new names at some point after I am able to edit them. For players that feature prominently, their final names will be mentioned so frequently in game recaps, stats, depth charts, awards, etc that the old name is probably wiped away completely after a couple of seasons. His name was Robert Paulson.

Quote: Originally Posted by moose141

Fantastic update, glad to see you back! Love the little extra tidbits of information about coaches and stuff, brings the dynasty to life, and I could definitely see Urban having a hissy fit over not making into to the Natty Ship. I assume with Pitt's success that Narduzzi is still there? It seems like we've been pretty solid throughout your entire run.

Yep, the 'Duz is on the loose in Pittsburgh. I think he has something like a 51-25 record at Pitt (which I randomly noticed is about the same as Harbaugh, still at Michigan). The Panthers have been pretty good of late. Michigan has done jack.

Quote: Originally Posted by itsbigmike

Always one of my favorite posts in all of the NCAA 14 dynasties are your off-season recruiting/season preview posts. Well done, and written in such a unique tone that separates it from other greats on the board. FS is looking ... like something. I assume the guys on the two-deep at FS have legs that allow them to stand up right but that's about all the good things I could say about them. I feel like Myers HAS to see the field at a safety spot this year, no? O-Line isn't great and inexperienced, so it'll be interesting to see how the right side of the line holds up. Well done as always!

Good eye and I'm glad you liked the post.

Free safety is definitely one of the weaker spots on the roster due to graduation of some good players, maybe not prioritizing it that much in recruiting, and some unlucky regression. I am gonna try to keep the redshirt on Myers if at all possible. That way he starts at FS as a redshirt freshman next year with something like an 80 OVR. Can't wait to have him as 4-year starter, starting next year if I can get thru this season. Despite the 60-ish OVR on those other guys at FS, they do have some decent attributes that make them potentially playable. However, I may have to play him, you're right. Tough to redshirt primo 3* talents at Wyoming without feeling dirty about it.

The O Line is not going to be phenomenal, but I was having some trouble with the interior part (C and RG in particular) in recent years and have worked through that. Kurtis McCann, Donald Young, and Joshua Moore were my interior guys and Moore got benched (3rd string now) and the other guys were shuffled around. New RG Rocky Keefe was a recruit ("Patrick Novak") that I was really excited to get because he has some nice runblocking attributes. This is his first year starting. I am also trying to create a really beefy OL and RT Rodney Graham at 6'7" 339 lbs is sort of a prototype. If Graham struggles, I could insert redshirt freshman Lester Powers who already out-OVRs him 76 to 68. Powers is a guy I am budgeting for some nice years as the starting LT after the incumbent graduates. All 5 of my starters are over 6'5" and 300 lbs which is one of my goals each year putting the OL together (height moreso a thing for the tackles).

[moose141]

Your offseason recap is always fantastic. The progression system is great how you implement it, I loved it so much that I implemented it into mine as well (thankfully the season 1 offseason didn't hit me too hard)! You've got a ton of quality pieces this year no doubt about it, so hopefully the few positions where you are light on talent will tread water enough for you to lead to a strong season. Definitely going to be tough to resist putting your stud safety into the lineup though, especially if the pass defense struggle again like it has occasionally for you!

[WaitTilNextYear]

Senior running back Weldon Adler (#45) goes over the pylon for one of his three TDs as WYO remains unbeaten in gold home alternate unis

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The Wyoming Cowboys' 2021 season is officially underway.

The Pokes took out Ball State in reasonably convincing fashion with a 38-24 home win. Wyoming raced out to a 28-7 lead before the Cardinals found a 14-second scoring drive in their playbook right before halftime, capped off by a 59-yard TD pass from Doug Garrett to Michael Irvin (not that Michael Irvin). Even so, Wyoming would engineer a 30-second drive of its own to give kicker Joe Bennett the ability to make it a 31-14 Wyoming lead at the half. Wyoming outgained Ball State 301 yards to 175 yards in the 1st half.

Ball State got the ball to start the 2nd half--junior kicker Ryan Dahl connected on a 25-yard FG with 4:29 to go in the 3rd quarter. The Cardinals would add a 13-yard TD pass a couple of minutes later to shave the Wyoming lead to 31-24. Even with a one score margin this game never really felt to be hanging in the balance.

Wyoming added some insurance deep in the 4th quarter; backup QB Darrin Green found WR Bryce Merchant for an 11-yard TD pass with 1:14 to go. Wyoming defensive back Tommy Wong then picked off Ball State on their desperation drive as their chances went up in smoke.

It was a pretty clean game on both sides. Wyoming did not turn the ball over. In Terry Brooks' first career start for Wyoming, he acquitted himself rather well: 16/24 (66%) 180 yds 2 TD (157.1 QB rating). Backup QB Darrin Green had a bit of glory as well, completing both of his passes and rushing three times for 25 yards. It's not officially a "timeshare," but the 83-ovr Brooks (rJR) and the 77-ovr Green (rSO) might split playing time something like 85:15 with the more mobile Green working in some read option situations to add a dimension the Pokes have lacked for a couple of years now.

It was also interesting to get a glimpse of how the WYO run game might go this season. The Pokes carried 47 times for 236 yards and the offensive line, gratifyingly, controlled the line of scrimmage for large stretches of the game. Weldon Adler was a horse as usual, carrying 33 times for 142 yards (4.3 YPC) and two TDs. Backup Kelvin Mack Jr. carried six times for 44 yards (7.3 YPC), but the 6'0" 203-pounder showed some things and figures to get a higher percentage of the team's carries as the season winds on.

The Cedric Farmer watch? Farmer had a very nice season debut with eight tackles and three sacks for the 97-ovr middle 'backer. Farmer gives the Pokes able tackling, incredible closing speed, and a good deal of fierceness that Ball State struggled to account for. As long as the defensive line can keep Farmer somewhat clean, this is the type of game he'll be expected to have, albeit with him making more tackles in future games. Beware of #50.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Wyoming wide receiver Lamar Haynes (#86) hauls in the game winner with 11 seconds to play

DEKALB, Ill. -- You can never go wrong with a little MWC on MAC action. MWACtion?

Coach Bohl's team played in, and won, an ESPN Classic game (974 pts) as two evenly matched squads traded late TDs in the final minute of play.

Wyoming basked in another solid effort from starting QB Terry Brooks. Brooks completed 19/24 for 210 yards and two TDs (180.1 QB rating). Brooks is still turnover-free through his first two starts, which is hugely important going forward for the Pokes. Backup QB Darrin Green did throw a pick, however, on a 4th down end-of-half-let's-see-what-happens play deep in NIU territory. The turnover put a scare into Wyoming as it was nearly returned the distance as time ran out. NIU redshirt senior free safety Larry Dunbar returned his find 60 yards, while breaking eight tackles in the process. Dunbar has a 40 BTK and a 37 TRK rating, so....But, it was like running into a force field for WYO offenders-turned-defenders; they just couldn't bring Mr. Dunbar down. Thankfully and mercifully #40 stepped out of bounds before he could find the house.

NIU entered the 4th QTR with a 17-14 lead. Wyoming's vaunted rushing attack, despite 45 rushes for 199 yards, had some issues finding space against the interior of an NIU defense that included 90-ovr DT Eric Hicks, 89-ovr DT Alex Walker, and 90-ovr MLB Marcus Callahan. However, the Pokes would more than equal their output thru three quarters with a 17-point surge. Weldon Adler found paydirt from two yards out at the 9:32 mark to give Wyoming a 21-17 lead. The Pokes answered an NIU field goal with a Joe Bennett FG from 34 yards away for a 24-20 score. And, finally, Brooks found WR Lamar Haynes for the game-winner with :11 left after an NIU score had put Wyoming in a 27-24 hole with a minute to play.

As alluded to above, a normally rampant Wyoming run game was just serviceable by their standards. Adler carried 20 times for 87 yards and two TDs, Kelvin Mack Jr. got 12 carries for 36 yards, Green carried six times for 27 yards, and fullback Tyrone Ford gained 31 yards on four rushes. The long was just 14 yards and there were no broken tackles.

Scary moments for the Pokes included, obviously the 60-yard INT return that almost went all the way, a 50-yard pass on 3rd-and-9 from NIU dual threat QB Andy Washington to 6'5" WR Calvin Howe into double coverage with 1:07 left, and NIU nearly punching it in midway thru the 4th quarter only to be held to a field goal by Wyoming's defense. This is truly one of the games that never really felt comfortable or settled until the very end. What's more, NIU was able to run the rock on Wyoming's defense which is a bit of a rarity. The Huskies ran 32 times for 222 yards, which is the first time in a while Wyoming has actually been outgained on the ground.

The Cedric Farmer watch? Farmer had a lot of work to do in this one. NIU ran more running plays than most teams do against Wyoming. Hence, it was not surprising to see Farmer with 14 tackles and two tackles-for-loss. He didn't really have any game-changing momentum plays, but NIU's option attack would've been so much more powerful in his absence. Yes, beware of #50.