Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Midseason Information Overload!

Loving the detail you're showing to us. Hopefully Evans can widen the TD-INT ratio for VT, especially since it looks like our schedule is back loaded once again. The Mountain West is still up for grabs like you said, but it'd be unwise to bet against Boise State. Hopefully Wyoming can step up on defense, giving up the second most points in the conference (not going to lie, personally I love this because of how "kind" NCAA 14 tends to get on defense).

Crazy that Alabama lost to New Mexico of all teams, but NCAA 14 does not think kindly of them from what I've seen. Falk and Rosen's numbers are ridiculous. Looking forward to see how the second half of the season plays out.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2017g9: Wyoming 27 | Fresno State 48

In what was probably the most lopsided affair of Wyoming's season so far, Fresno State took the Pokes out behind The Valley and bashed their skulls in.

There were about 3 moments that were nice for Wyoming fans. First, WYO scored early and took a 3-0 lead. Secondly, the Pokes made a nice goal line stand on 4th and 1 with 6:52 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Finally, starting QB Josh Allen was benched in favor of backup signal caller Nick Smith. Coach Bohl had seen enough of the "81 OVR" starter and his lackluster play--the 3rd quarter pick six sealed Allen's fate as nominal clipboard holder. Yea, the Pokes were outscored 38-3 with Allen at the helm, but held a 24-10 edge after Smith entered the fray. New starter Smith has seen action in 2 games and has thrown 3 TD passes in both of them. Smith looked downright dynamic in this one with 14/23 completed for 173 yards and 3 TDs plus a 44-yard scamper to boot. This depth chart swap is thought to be permanent barring anything unusual like an injury or Smith quitting the team to become a full-time rodeo clown.

As one might expect in a 48-27 game that wasn't nearly that close--Fresno State was still chucking up 45-17 late and could've nested on the rock to keep the score right there--it was a mismatch. Bulldog QB Chasen Virgil was surprisingly robo in this one. Virgil completed 35 of 44 passes for nearly 400 yards. He only threw for a solo TD because the Dawgs were content to keep pounding it in on the ground. And by "pounding it in on the ground" that of course means handing it off to 5'6" 170 lb tailback Dejonte O'Neal who carried 20 times for 80 yards and 3 TDs.

Fresno's offensive line was a force to be dealt with and Wyoming defensive front didn't deal with them. A cursory look at their ratings after the game revealed a bunch of linemen with 92 STR which explains some of the WYO problems getting any pressure or push up front.

The battle was even more intriguing in light of team rankings observed before the game. Fresno State rated as the 100th best pass offense and 91st best scoring offense (21.3 PPG) whereas Wyoming ranked 108th in points allowed (30.4 PPG). It was truly stoppable force against movable object and the stoppable force won the day. The Pokes really miss starting CB Antonio Hull, out for a couple more weeks with a torn abdominal muscle, and when All-MWC SS Rico Gafford left early with a broken collarbone (out for season) it was curtains for the secondary's chances.

Other things to mention, but that Coach Bohl doesn't really want to hear about, include WYO WR Austin Conway dropping 3 balls (which largely contributed to Allen's demise as a starting QB) and the Pokes getting out-TOP'd for just the 2nd time all season (Oregon was the first). The Dawgs' possession passing attack held the ball for 21:45 to WYO's paltry 18:15 TOP.

Now at 4-5 (2-3), the Pokes are literally fighting for their bowl eligibility--they'll need to beat any two of Boise State, Air Force, and New Mexico to make it happen.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: Midseason Information Overload!

Loving the detail you're showing to us. Hopefully Evans can widen the TD-INT ratio for VT, especially since it looks like our schedule is back loaded once again. The Mountain West is still up for grabs like you said, but it'd be unwise to bet against Boise State. Hopefully Wyoming can step up on defense, giving up the second most points in the conference (not going to lie, personally I love this because of how "kind" NCAA 14 tends to get on defense).

Crazy that Alabama lost to New Mexico of all teams, but NCAA 14 does not think kindly of them from what I've seen. Falk and Rosen's numbers are ridiculous. Looking forward to see how the second half of the season plays out.

Thanks for the comment!

You know I sort of have the opposite take on the offense/defense part. I feel like offenses can get like a pinball machine going out of control at times. I rarely have had a top echelon defense statistically no matter how good my team is. Maybe that's a product of sliders or strategy. I feel that between the robo QB's, hurry up offenses, broken tackles, and deadly option game it is hard to shut teams down completely. Interesting how we can experience the game so differently.

The Lobos are having a really odd season. Aside from Bama, they beat another highly ranked team (maybe Nebraska? not at the console atm) but are getting their **** pushed in during MWC conference play. Sort of weird.

I will keep an eye on Jerod Evans and the Hokies for you.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2017g10: Boise State 28 | Wyoming 35

And the roller coaster ride continueth.

One week after suffering a stinging beatdown at the hands of Fresno State, WYO outlasted Boise State 35-28 in single OT. It wasn't easy though because it never is.

On paper, Boise should have rolled over the Cowboys--Boise's 18th ranked passing offense (241.8 YPG) was matched up against WYO's 118th ranked pass defense (247.8 YPG). The Broncos did have the two best players in this game: QB Brett Rypien, nephew of that Rypien and HB Jeremy McNichols. However, missing 3/5 of their starting offensive line to injury and having a terrible kicker evened matters out somewhat.

Picking things up in the 4th quarter with Wyoming sitting on an unlikely 21-14 lead, the Pokes were displeased to see Cooper Rothe's 42-yard FG narrowly miss while hitting both the right upright and the crossbar in the process. The miss gave Boise State the ball back in a one-possession game in which momentum had been building for the Broncos. Continuing on that theme, Boise State drew USER-controlled WYO DT Sidney Malauulu offside with the hard count to prevent a goal line stand on 4th down. Given the extra down, Rypien found security blanket TE Jake Roh for the equalizing score. 21-21.

After offsetting failed possessions--a WYO fumble by tailback Milo Hall snuffed out a promising drive and a Boise State false start did likewise on their next possession--the Pokes re-took the lead with a 3-yard Hall TD plunge, his 2nd of the game. 28-21, Pokes.

Then things really got interesting.

WYO reserve-cornerback-turned-starter Jalen Ortiz had not one but two chances to make a game ending INT on Boise's desperation drive. One bounced off Ortiz's back and the other off of his hands. Of course, the Broncos would use their 2nd and 3rd chances to great effect as Brett Rypien found WR A.J. Richardson streaking down the left side between the CB and the FS for a 30-yard TD strike. The clock read 0:04 when the pass was hauled in. Brought back memories of Grant Hedrick finding Matt Miller for a game-winning TD on a tipped pass back in this author's original dynasty using 2013-2014 rosters.

Before the fans could catch their breath, the Broncos surprisingly kicked off directly to WYO return man Austin Conway. Conway busted off a 53-yard return and was one block away from ending it in walk-off kick return fashion--the best kind of fashion.

In overtime, the Pokes scored pretty quickly on Milo Hall's 3rd TD after a 20-yard pass from Nick Smith to Tyree Mayfield set the tone. Coach Bohl was extremely tempted to go for 2, but settled for +1 to make it 35-28 with Boise State yet to tote the rock in OT.

Then, perhaps somewhat poetically, with Boise knocking on the door Jalen Ortiz rose up and sealed the WYO victory by actually catching Rypien's errant 3rd and 1 pass. It was Rypien's 2nd pick of the game. For Ortiz, the third time was the charm after missing out on a pair of INT's in regulation.

================================================

In a bit of sobering news amidst the chaotic celebration, Coach Bohl learned that 5* in-state DT target Eric Newsome liked his official visit to Columbus so much that he "dotted the i" and committed to OSU right then and there.

Well, ****.

The consolation is that Newsome got a -1 to his OVR after scouting so we didn't need him anyway. Or something. Oh well, no 5* recruits in this recruiting class...As sad as losing out on a 302 lb 78-OVR true frosh DL is, it would've been sadder if he were a total freak/gem. Jadeveon Clowney you are not, sir.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2017g11: Air Force 34 | Wyoming 28

Wyoming failed in their first attempt at attaining bowl eligibility with a 34-28 home loss to Air Force.

The three prominent storylines in this game were QB Nick Smith's turnovers, AFA quarterback Arion Worthman, and WYO wide receiver/return man Austin Conway.

Firstly, to address the 800 lb gorilla in the room, Wyoming's QB played a miserable all-timer of a bad game. Redshirt JR Nick Smith accounted for 6 turnovers on a shameful 5 INT and one untimely fumble. It's a wonder the Pokes only lost by 6 points considering the turnover sabotage from within. Wyoming quarterbacks had only thrown 10 total INT in 10 games all season up to this point.

Coach Bohl might be reconsidering his decision to roll with Smith as the starter, but the reality is he has no good choices right now. Shame that this "performance" had to come on Senior Day.

Nick Smith INT #1 - Terrible throw. You know the type where you press one passing icon and the ball darn near goes across to the other side of the field to a waiting defender? Yep, the agony and ecstasy of having the THA slider set to 5.

Nick Smith INT #2 - Superhuman coverage. The sideline cornerback of Air Force made up about 10 yards of depth from his shallow cover 2 zone to take away the corner route burrowing in behind him. This young Falcon made an acrobatic leaping pick to end a drive in the red zone.

Nick Smith INT #3 - Dumb luck. One of those passes that hits your WR in the helmet and the LB makes a sudden jab at it to make a shoestring catch right around midfield.

Nick Smith INT #4 - Superhuman coverage once again. Oh well, these Falcon defenders certainly have good technique.

Nick Smith INT #5 - USER error. Threw into triple coverage after being flummoxed by the defensive scheme. My bad.

As for the Falcons, QB Arion Worthman was a 1-man army...errr...he was a force. The speedy Worthman accounted for all 4 of Air Force's TDs, with 3 of those on the ground to go with 186 yards rushing. To give a taste of just how good/frustrating he was, in this author's notes it was written...

"Superman [Worthman] actually put it on the turf with 35 seconds left in the 3rd quarter..."

when referencing an Air Force fumble. Behind an all-senior offensive line, it certainly felt like WYO was chasing Superman. The Academy came into the game averaging 347.7 YPG (77th nationally) on offense and AFA went into halftime with 387 yards of total offense.

Wyoming's defense did tighten the screws substantially after halftime--they allowed only 6 points and 109 yards of offense. Although the 377 yards rushing allowed was not characteristic at all of a WYO rush defense that came in respectably ranked 58th in the nation (160.1 YPG).

On a positive note, Wyoming return man Austin Conway (#25 diving for pylon above) had a coming out party by returning a pair of kickoffs for TDs. One from 92 yards out and the other a 93 yard sprint. There was a particular weak link on AFA's kick coverage that kept getting pancaked to allow the necessary crease, which Conway was more than willing to exploit. But, unfortunately the Falcons wised up and changed their coverage pattern after being burned for a second time. Conway racked up 305 yards only on kick returns in contrast with Wyoming's offense mustering 282 yards of offense.

As for injuries, AFA starting tailback Timothy McVey (unfortunate that his parents named him that...) entered with 213 carries for 1104 yards and 12 TDs and exited with elbow bursitis. McVey was limited to a pedestrian 43 yards before he was knocked out. For Wyoming's side, losing starting WDE Josiah Hall likely played a significant role in their massacre against the run. Hall (broken ribs) will join starters SS Rico Gafford and CB Antonio Hull as players likely to miss the rest of the season.

The Pokes will get one more chance at their 6th win when they go to Albuquerque to play the Lobos. Although, with the current state of WYO's run defense, the odds do not look good.

================================================

Crootin' Quick Hits

After losing out on in-state 5* DT Eric Newsome to Ohio State (-2759 points) last week, the Pokes lost another prospect this week. This time, 3* CB Shaun Hawk (one of WYO's "wild card" recruits and also a really good name for a DB) chose the Washington Huskies (-1895 points) after making his official visit. Hawk was one of the fastest DB's in the nation with an electronically-timed 4.38-second 40 yard dash. Coupled with his 6'2" size, the Pokes are a little bummed to lose out on the Great Falls, MT native--Coach Bohl is big on measurables.

However, the Cowboys did succeed in coaxing a commitment from Newsome's replacement on the recruiting board, 3* DT Bryce Green (WYO's other "wild card" recruit). Green, a 6'5" 325 lb recruit from Norwich, CT was starting to receive interest from Notre Dame so Wyoming is quite happy he made his decision when he did. Green does not have Newsome's pedigree or his talent, but he's a massive human being all the same.

As for replacing Hawk on the recruiting board, Coach Bohl still feels the need to add a CB, thus, an offer was extended to 3* Clinton, MI product Justin Clifford. Clifford currently has Southern Miss, FAU, Missouri, and South Alabama rounding out his top 5 schools. Unless Mizzou gets active, Wyoming likes its chances to cap off a small, 11-man recruiting class with the 5'11" 181 lb cornerback.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2017g12: Wyoming 17 | New Mexico 27

**Note: The presentation is evolving in anticipation of Season 2 and arrival of capture card.**


A 27-17 loss to New Mexico was a disappointing if not unexpected ending to Wyoming's 2017 campaign. This Lobo team did beat Bama after all...

The turnover bug struck once again and newly-reinstalled starting QB Josh Allen threw 3 picks before getting benched [again] for Nick Smith who threw a pick of his own. The 9 INT's over the past 2 games come on the heels on only 10 INT's thrown in the first 10 games. The sort of ending that gets coaches fired...

Most of the interceptions could be chalked up to really superior pass coverage by the Lobos. In fact, Lobo DB's were running WYO's routes better than WYO's own receivers for most of the game. In fact, this author's notes read..."INT 3 - defender ran my route." Not an excuse for making the wrong read, but an observation nonetheless for how it's been tough sledding in the pass game lately.

For the most part Wyoming's defense was pretty good, aside from a couple of possessions. New Mexico took a 14-7 lead right before the half on an 11-play 96-yard drive where the WYO coverage was beyond horrendous. Maybe it was cheating to stop the Lobo run game/QB scramble that pulled the secondary so far off their marks?

Tackling was another bugaboo for the Cowboy defense. New Mexico running backs broke 10 tackles and gained 93 of their 271 rushing yards after contact.

The Lobo defense, as mentioned above, was flying around and getting their hands on everything. The Lobos managed 10 deflections on top of the 4 INT's. Given that Wyoming dropped back to pass 41 times, that's an astounding 34% (1 out of 3!) of attempts that were physically broken up. Either the mark of an incredibly prescient secondary or an incredibly reckless passing offense.

For their part, WYO also missed some key opportunities. They ran out of time in a 14-7 game right before half while easily in FG range. There was also a miss of a wide open receiver on 3rd and 17 and then the subsequent drop on 4th and 17 in the 4th quarter. The Cowboys also didn't seem to want it as badly as the Lobos considering that WYO backs broke zero tackles and the secondary got their mitts on zero passes.

Wyoming will have all offseason to think about coming up just short of bowl eligible. We'll have to wait and see what the offseason brings and how the team shakes out for 2018.

[gsutiger]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

4 turnovers will keep any team from a victory. Here is to hoping things can be corrected and you can stop the 2 game skid

[WaitTilNextYear]

WYO Season Wrap

The Wyoming Cowboys finished 5-7 (3-5)--an up and down season personified. Rarely were there any streaks of remarkably strong or woefully weak play. This inconsistency is the hallmark of a young team (and this author getting his "sea legs" back under him). The youth can be seen clearly in that the Pokes will only graduate 10 players from this 2017 team. That fact can be interpreted both as a negative (oh, geez these losers again!?!) and as a positive (another year of development can make these guys into street fighting men! *Keith Richards guitar licks*).

Wyoming played Iowa tough on the road and defeated Boise State, but the Cowboys couldn't really gain any momentum or establish an identity. They really struggled away from Laramie as their only road win was a nail biter in Hawai'i.

A list of said graduating seniors plus one likely Wyoming junior to declare for the draft:

Ryan Cummings | 81 ovr | All-MWC starting RT
Dalton Fields | 68 ovr | 4th string DT
Rico Gafford | 78 ovr | All-MWC starting SS
Tim Kamana | 72 ovr | starting WILL
Nela Lolohea | 72 ovr | backup SDE
Robert Priester | 75 ovr | starting CB
Jalen Ortiz | 73 ovr | nickel CB
Charlie Renfree | 76 ovr | starting C
Kurtis Stirneman | 71 ovr | backup G
Drew van Maanen | 70 ovr | starting FB
*Andrew Wingard | 89 ovr | All-MWC starting FS (junior)

The Pokes won't lose a single offensive skill position player. They will lose 2 starting offensive linemen and only 5 starters on defense, none on the defensive line. The already shaky pass coverage will be seriously tested in 2018 due losing 4 starters there.

Ah, the QB position. Both Josh Allen (rJR) and Nick Smith (rJR) gave many a Poke fan indigestion, especially later in the season. Both players will be 5th year seniors next year and it should be a pretty spirited spring camp to determine the starter. Both are good athletes, with Smith being a touch faster, but both will need to take better care of the football.

Statistically, it looks like Smith has the leg up and it doesn't hurt that he'll fit Coach Bohl's stated goal to "run the option more, by God" a bit better next year.

The dark horse would be Chandler Garrett (rFR). Garrett might have the best arm of all and one should not sleep on him rocketing up the depth chart.

The stable of RBs was a positive in 2017. Both Milo Hall (rSO) and Nico Evans (rJR) could be counted on for heavy workloads. However, both are a similar style of back (5'8", 5'9"-ish with 86/87 SPD and little tackle breaking ability) and neither does a whole lot to get yardage beyond what's clearly blocked. Neither back had much trouble with fumbles, though, which is key.

Both Jason Swain (SO) and Mike Green II (rFR) figure to get looks in short yardage situations in 2018. Both are 5'11" ~200 lbs and pack a little bit more wallop.

With all 4 backs probably getting involved next season, it's unlikely WYO will have a featured 1,000-yard type of back.

Some decently skilled players in this group that was hobbled due to the injury to C.J. Johnson (rSO) and inconsistent QB play. James Price (JR) usually found himself to be a favorite target while HB Milo Hall (rSO) got plenty of work on screen passes. Austin Conway (rSO) is the shiftiest of the bunch and caught 35 passes for 443 yards, but those 10 drops loomed large and demoralized QBs from looking his way more often.

Both Josh Harshman (JR) and Tyree Mayfield (rJR) will be back next year, and both need to be more involved in the passing game from the TE position.

Woohoo, fat guy stats! Nothing much to see here other than RT Ryan Cummings (SR) and RG Kaden Jackson (JR) had the unfortunate responsibility of blocking to my dominant scramble side. Hence the elevated number of sacks allowed.

Starting LG Gavin Rush (SO) has 2 more years of eligibility and the 6'2" 303 lb lineman has a shot at making an All-Conference team before he's done.

Yassss, defense.

Logan Wilson (rSO) is looking pretty strong in the Bednarik Award race. The talented middle backer certainly put up some nice stats with 94 tackles, 14 tfl, 5.0 sacks, 2 INT's, and 4 pass breakups. He was the one consistent thing about the 2017 defense.

USER-controlled DT Sidney Malauulu (rJR) managed 27 tackles, 8 tfl, and 4.0 sacks. I kinda like this "no switch" thing. It allows me to take plays off after the play gets to the second level.

Yep, safety Andrew Wingard (JR) is gonna go pro. I can feel it. So much for having a 90 OVR player on the 2018 team...

Austin Conway (rSO) returned way too many kicks this season. But he still did a nice job breaking a couple for TDs. Has a shot at best return man--an award I usually dominate.

True freshman punter Fabian Williams will be around for a while. Kicker Cooper Rothe (SO), same deal. Both guys did pretty well; Rothe won a couple of games by hitting walkoff FGs while iced.

Geez, give me a couple of seasons to start building this résumé up. I promise we'll start filling in some of these goose eggs. Or else.

This one's pretty cut and dried and there's no need to mod in a 4-team playoff here. The winner of the PAC-12 Championship game between #2 UCLA and #3 Washington will earn the right to play clear #1 Oklahoma.

Oklahoma has been a wrecking ball for 2 solid years. After beating Clemson in the BCS title game last season, they've run roughshod over a quality slate of foes. Having 6 wins over current Top 25 opponents (including #3) is just rock solid. Please give us Baker Mayfield vs Josh Rosen and yes I plan to watch the CPU vs CPU game.

A 35-28 November loss to Pitt is keeping #5 (11-1) Virginia Tech out of the title game and a 33-24 November loss to Penn State is doing likewise for #6 (11-1) Ohio State. #7 (10-2) Alabama lost in a huge 24-23 September upset at home vs New Mexico and also in the Iron Bowl. #4 (10-2) Auburn actually started the season 1-2 after an opening loss to South Florida and a 21-13 loss at Mizzou. The Tigers have rebounded nicely.

[CBoller1331]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Can't believe Wyoming is back on the OS Dynasty boards!! If this isn't a sign for me to get back on OS then I don't know what is...Ill be following for sure

[Iron Dragon]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Sucks to see that you came up short of a bowl game with some close losses down the stretch.

[Bigsheen]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Super tough way to end the season. Seems like the boys were happy with the win over the always tough Boise State.

Tough losing the one stud you had one defense but next man up. Love your end of the year graphics.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Season Wrap: Rankings and Stuff

We'll do this end of season stuff in 3 parts--the first part, a post mortem on the Wyoming season, has already posted. This is part 2. How did everything else work out? Who won it all? Which teams are conspicuously absent from the Top 25 and what the hell is FIU eating for breakfast? Got to be Wheaties.

Next up will be offseason part 3 of 3--an awards and stats gala!

[WaitTilNextYear]

Season Wrap: Stats and Awards

And with this we come to the end of the 2017 offseason. Part 3 of 3 awaits.

SUMMARY

• UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen wins all the major awards that a QB can win, declares he will return for senior season.
• Notre Dame is the only team with offensive and defensive units both in the Top 5. That and DeShone Kizer coming back for his rSR season have the Irish giddy.
• Wyoming linebacker Logan Wilson wins the Bednarik Award after a season of cleaning up messes.
• Wyoming MLB Logan Wilson (rSO), FS Andrew Wingard (JR), and WR/ret. Austin Conway (rSO) earn 1st Team All-NCAA honors. Wingard will return for his senior year.
• Wyoming CB Robert Priester (graduating rSR) earns 1st Team All-MWC honors.
• Wyoming DT Sidney Malauulu (rJR) earns 2nd Team All-MWC honors.

[CBoller1331]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Proud to say I once tackled the NCAA leading rusher, James Butler.

Can't wait to see what's in store for next season!!

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

I have to ask only because seeing the team stats table made me unreasonably giddy: did you just take the numbers the game gives you and average them out yourself? Or just take the top 5 schools according to the total stats the game shows and average those? It annoys me to no end that the game puts the total yards in the stat rankings as opposed to the per game numbers, simply because different teams play maybe one or two more games than others so the numbers aren't totally in order.

Got a lot of work cut out for next season, especially with a defense giving up nearly 450 yards per game. Not to mention that's a wide turnover differential.

Moment of silence for my sanity as Artavis Scott wins the Biletnikoff but Martin Jr. has better numbers. Hell, so did James Washington.

Looking forward to the offseason and Season 2!