Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

[WaitTilNextYear]

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!!

Oh there's things in store! A capture card comes to mind. Should be here this weekend. I'm looking forward to sprucing up my recaps with game photography. Season 1 was sort of a trial run.

You tackled James Butler in real life?

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!

I had to do a little math to get accurate per game numbers, but it's easy math and it was worth it to have a definitive Top 5 list. Only had to do calculations for a dozen or so teams to find the right 5. Most teams aren't close.

I also remember that Artavis Scott had 17 TD catches and Tavares Martin Jr. only had 16 at the time of the award, so he must've padded his stats in the bowl game. I was also thinking that maybe the game weights the numbers by team run/pass ratios to determine the awards? With the passing output that Luke Falk was putting up for Wazzu, Martin Jr's numbers don't seem quite as impressive.

I'd be more worried about the turnover margin if I hadn't committed 10 in the final 2 games. Without those oddballs, I'd be near even. The defense is a bigger concern but I do have 2 All-Americans returning there.

[CBoller1331]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

My high school team played against James Butler's team my Junior (his senior year). We stuffed him three straight times the first drive (i was in on one of the gain tackles), then he proceded to run for like 90 yards and two touchdowns in the rest of the first quarter before they took him out thanks to a lopsided score.

Anyways, still pumped for the upcoming season!

[WaitTilNextYear]

'Crootin Summary

It's back-to-back small and lightly-ranked recruiting classes for the Wyoming Cowboys. The 2017 class contained 12 players (seven 3*, three 2*, and two 1*) although 3* linebacker Aaron Humphrey has already left campus due to homesickness. Humphrey will enroll with enemy program BYU after sitting out a year so he can live at home.

The current recruiting class, c/o 2018, is similar to its predecessor. Once again a haul of eleven recruits (no attrition...yet). Once again dominated by 3* and 2* talents (six 3*, four 2*, and one 1*). Factoring in all the 1* stiffs the cpu added to the class, it was a 119th ranked class. These stiffs that wandered onto campus, were never offered a scholarship, and were not recruited at all have been cut. Still, even without the stiffs, it was a fairly unimpressive class and the Pokes lost out on their two most prized targets when in-state 5* DT Eric Newsome chose Ohio State and 3* CB Shaun Hawk chose Washington. Newsome was one of three 5* DT's pulled in by the Buckeyes this cycle.

The recruits also underwent a thorough brainwashing 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. Branden Tarver also became LaBranden Tarver according to a small tweak by this author.

Charles Jackson (SO) (born Fabian Williams) was the punter last season. He's the only starter out of either recruiting class so far although a handful have made the 2-deep.

Coach Bohl maintains a strict redshirt policy--all true freshman must don the redshirt. Unless they are 5* talents, or their position group's depth is non-existent, or if they are 42 OVR fullbacks. Because who wants a 42 OVR fullback taking up a roster spot for 5 years?

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, starting with this one, 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 1 and 6 points of OVR. The first random number indicates the direction of change and a subsequent 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.

Looking at this crop of randomness, half of the 10 players chosen are members of either the 2017 or 2018 recruiting classes. The only Poke of this cohort to progress is Cedric Farmer (rFR) (born as Chris Prater) who backs up All-NCAA Logan Wilson (rJR) at middle linebacker.

It's interesting to see what randomness did to the running back depth. Last season's starter Milo Hall (rJR) was hit with a -4 and Mike Green II (rSO) was boosted by a +2. This likely means last year's backup Nico Evans (rSR) will win the position battle to become the starting tailback.

The passing game took a bit of a hit as well as both backup TE Tyree Mayfield (rSR) and RB-turned-WR Kellen Overstreet (SR) took double digit hits to their ratings.

Ohio State once again leads the pack with 5* recruits. They have added nine 5* recruits in the past 2 classes. There are no huge surprises here, but Wisconsin continues to recruit a bit above their heads.

Last year, it was Purdue pulling in the top overall recruit. This time it makes a bit more sense. Will Nate Ware finally bring decent QB play to the LSU Tigers?

The back half of the Top 10 is, shall we say, interesting. Virginia, Western Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, and Texas Tech is just how you draw it up.

[Bigsheen]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

As someone who is still unsure of how he is going to put an manual edit on his progression, I love seeing offseason of posters who take it into their own hands.

Is Terry Brooks' actually 55 overall or was that his pre-scout rating? He has great size to improve

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

As someone who is still unsure of how he is going to put an manual edit on his progression, I love seeing offseason of posters who take it into their own hands.

Is Terry Brooks' actually 55 overall or was that his pre-scout rating? He has great size to improve

Terry Brooks was drafted as "Ben Cannon" and came out with a 63 OVR. As the luck of the draw had it, he got a -8 random progression to his OVR which left him at 55 OVR. That means I will almost certainly need to recruit another QB or two in the next class. Brooks could still be serviceable as an upperclassman, but he moves like a statue.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2018 Season Preview

What can be said that hasn't already been said about the Pokes and their struggles last season? Not much.

In 2017, Wyoming struggled to find an identity or consistent tactics/formations they could rely on to seize momentum in close games. High points included a pair of rivalry wins--over Utah State and Hawai'i--and a win over eventual conference champion Boise State. Lowlights were losing to Colorado State, getting crushed by Fresno State, and dropping their final 2 games to miss out on a bowl with a 5-7 record.

But enough about last year. The 2018 Wyoming Cowboys are, on paper, an improved squad. They return all of their offensive skill players from last year unless you count the fullback as a skill position (why would you? what are you thinking?). Moreover, it's a veteran squad. Amazingly, all 22 starters are either juniors or seniors. In fact, the only underclassman to start on this team will be sophomore punter Charles Jackson.

Last year's starting 11 on offense had a composite 74.3 OVR compared to this year's composite 76.1 OVR. And that accounts for a 12 OVR dip at the fullback position and that the highest rated QB on the roster is currently #2 on the depth chart. So it's a clear improvement on offense, especially on the offensive line (2017: composite 75.2 OVR; 2018: composite 77.6 OVR). Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and his shotgun spread will return.

The defense is a bit murkier due to the fact that the starting SS, starting CB, and starting nickel CB all graduated. The Pokes do return All-NCAA middle linebacker Logan Wilson (rJR), All-NCAA free safety Andrew Wingard (SR), and their entire defensive line. Wingard's return was a bit of a surprise (94 OVR and good size for the position means he definitely would've been drafted). It's a fair question as to whether returning this many starters from a defense that gave up 31.7 PPG and 419.1 YPG is actually a good thing. However, experience and continuity can make up for a lack of talent at the college level and, on paper, the defense projects to be tougher sledding for opponents. The composite OVR for the 2017 defense was 75.0 (one 80+ OVR starter) and the current unit has a composite OVR of 79.0 (four 80+ OVR starters). Defensive coordinator Steve Stanard and his base 4-3 defense will return.

The 2018 season will largely depend on how effectively the Cowboys can take advantage of their road-heavy, but F-rated schedule.

According to the real life 2018 schedule, non-conference games against Mizzou (away), Idaho (away) and FCS opponent Wofford (home) are on the docket. Washington State was unable to be scheduled because Mike Leach is ducking Craig Bohl. Let it be known! In lieu of Wazzu, the Texas State Bobcats (away) were moved up from the 2019 schedule to this one in order to complete the home and home series. So, yeah, with non-conference games including Wofford, Idaho, and Texas State an F rating is pretty accurate. The Pokes should be able to start a major league home-and-home series next season, hopefully. BYU or Utah would be delightful. Unless, of course, Mike Leach finds some courage.

[RaiderAid89]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Man that schedule could be tough especially with all the road games. Might start to take a toll. That shot a Leach seriously made me spit out my Dr Pepper. Great stuff you got going on here with content and graphics. Consider me along for the ride.

[Iron Dragon]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Hopefully this season finishes in a bowl game with what is slated to be lost with all those upperclassmen.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2018g1: Wyoming 31 | Missouri 45

Mizzou wide receiver #15 Keyon Dilosa beats a zone blitz for a 34-yard TD catch and run.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mizzou senior quarterback Drew Lock was locked and loaded as he led a dismantling of Wyoming's defense. A 17-17 contest at halftime, the Tigers blew Wyoming out in the second half with 28 points on three TD passes, a two-point conversion and a pair of Tucker McCann field goals.

Lock was nearly perfect on the day, despite being sacked four times, and completed 29 of 36 passes (80%) for 293 yards and five TDs. The stat line was good for a 194.7 QB rating. Not to mention putting up all those numbers while maintaining a constant state of hurry-up offense.

The five touchdown passes were distributed to a trio of receivers. Ray Wingo (no relation to Trey Wingo) made three touchdown catches. Wingo, a bonafide TD vulture, repeatedly found soft spots in Wyoming's zone coverage and just hung out until Lock went through his reads. Wingo's three TD grabs opportunistically came from one, two, and four yards out.

Mizzou tight end Brendan Scales and WR Keyon Dilosa both caught a TD. The 6'4" Scales was a force in Missouri's passing game, pacing the team with eight receptions and 92 receiving yards.

While Missouri didn't feature the running game early, and their QB was surprisingly glued to the pocket, senior running back Nate Strong carried 24 times for 172 yards (7.2 YPC). Contributing to the gaudy totals were five broken tackles and 64 yards-after-first-contact.

Wyoming also toted the rock to great effect. At times, the Cowboys imposed their will by running the ball 59 times for 300 yards. Starting tailback Nico Evans carried 27 times for 127 yards and one TD. Quarterback Nick Smith carried 15 times, mostly via read options, for 82 yards and his TD came on a QB sneak. Five other Cowboys entered the box score with 17 rushes for 91 yards.

The Pokes really had to run it, though, because their passing offense was smothered. Smith completed 17 of 29 passes for 148 yards with a TD and an INT. However, the Pokes did not even go over 100 yards passing until a late desperation drive in the 4th quarter. The only notable production in the passing game was Austin Conway's five catches for 63 yards and a TD. Conway's garbage-time TD catch came with nine seconds left in the game.

Wyoming wasn't expected to win this game on the road against an SEC team, but the Pokes will need to take advantage of a softer spot in the upcoming schedule. The Missouri Tigers may be their toughest assignment all season.

[gsutiger]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Not the way I wanted to see the season start. I was hoping for the upset. You hung with a talented team for 3 Quarters. I'm still picking the Cowboys to be in a Bowl by seasons end. Other teams better watch out

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Operation Sports mobile app

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Man that schedule could be tough especially with all the road games. Might start to take a toll. That shot a Leach seriously made me spit out my Dr Pepper. Great stuff you got going on here with content and graphics. Consider me along for the ride.

Thanks for the comment. I was thinking the same thing about the road games. It's sort of a lose-lose scenario. If Wyoming beats all those teams, who cares because they're weaker teams, but road game are challenging in NCAA '14 simply because they're on the road.

I also took a stroll through your dynasty recently and I have to say your post about the screen pass might be the best single post I've seen in this forum. Very interesting stuff. Looking forward to see what you do with the Toppers; you'll probably get some HC offers after year 1.

Hopefully this season finishes in a bowl game with what is slated to be lost with all those upperclassmen.

Yeah. I don't think I've ever had all 22 starters be juniors and seniors before. I will need to win some sort of hardware this season to have something to show for it. Especially because recruiting hasn't gone swimmingly over the past 2 cycles (small classes with so so star ratings). Appreciate the comment.

Not the way I wanted to see the season start. I was hoping for the upset. You hung with a talented team for 3 Quarters. I'm still picking the Cowboys to be in a Bowl by seasons end. Other teams better watch out

I sure hope so. If I can't win 6 games with this schedule and a team full of upperclassmen, then I deserve to be demoted to a coordinator. Thanks for the comment.

[WaitTilNextYear]

2018g2: Wyoming @ Idaho

Wyoming cornerback #19 John Okwoli dumps Idaho halfback Isaiah Saunders in his own endzone for a safety.

MOSCOW, Idaho -- Wyoming followed a truly bizarre path to a thin win over the Vandals at the Kibbie Dome. The Pokes relied on a pair of safeties after twice failing to convert on 4th down inside the Vandal 3-yard line. The coup de grace was a Cooper Rothe 22-yard field goal to deliver Wyoming a 23-22 win.

While not quite the passing threat that Mizzou's Drew Lock was last week, Idaho quarterback Gunnar Amos kept Wyoming on their collective toes. The redshirt junior signal caller from Couer d'Alene accounted for 267 of Idaho's 337 yards of total offense. Amos completed 26 of 33 passes (78%) for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns (151.9 QB rating). Amos also carried 14 times for 58 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown scramble where the Wyoming secondary was content to observe.

Amos was happy to dink and dunk which mitigated the damage somewhat. Aside from a 15-point third quarter outburst, Coach Petrino's region-appropriate game plan seemed to be 'Hot Potato'--it was full of three-step drops and five-yard passes to Brandon Luckett. Luckett caught ten passes for only 57 yards. The Vandals worked hard for little benefit and ran just 61 plays due to the extensive clock-milking of the Wyoming side.

Wyoming got on the board with a safety in the first quarter. They were unable to convert on 4th and goal, but caved in Idaho's offensive line on the ensuing play for two points. Wide receiver-turned-cornerback John Okwoli ran unblocked into the backfield and laid out Vandal RB Isaiah Saunders so Saunders could get a good look at the Kibbie Dome rafters.

The safety brought momentum and the Pokes would own the 2nd quarter with a pair of long, time-consuming TD drives punctuated by seven-yard Milo Hall and three-yard Emmett Nash runs, respectively. Wyoming had an unusual 15-7 lead at half time.

Idaho came out of the half like a loaded baked potato with bacon bits on it that was just too hot to handle. Their first drive ended with a three-yard TD pass to backup RB Denzal Brantley and a two-point conversion. After an intervening Wyoming field goal, the second Idaho drive of the half culminated in a 14-yard TD strike to David Ungerer. From a play calling standpoint, this Idaho drive stands out as a masterwork. No matter the defensive play call, the Vandals were simply one step ahead--for example, the Amos-to-Ungerer TD took full advantage of space vacated by a zone blitz.

In the 4th quarter, another Wyoming drive stalled out on the goal line after a dropped pass on 3rd and goal was followed by a stuffed jet sweep on 4th and goal. Fortunately for Wyoming, the Vandals were content to call three rushing plays in a row--the third of which ended with cornerback Anthony Makransky and linebacker Adam Pilapill making the 'universal safety sign' while standing over Idaho's kneeling quarterback in the endzone. With 2:47 remaining, the safety pulled Wyoming to within 22-20 and gave them the ball.

Down two points, naturally Coach Bohl's team went back to pounding the run game. Wyoming's bread has been buttered on the ground (eww) with back-to-back 300-yard rushing performances to start the season. Starting tailback Nico Evans was once again a load-carrier with 28 carries for 161 yards. Quarterback Nick Smith showed some razzle dazzle as well, nine carries for 82 yards, especially while juking Vandal cornerback Lloyd Hightower out of his cleats on a 45-yard scamper.

So, using exclusively running plays, Wyoming ate up all but three seconds of the remaining clock and parked at the Idaho six-yard line. Despite Coach Petrino's best efforts, the game-winning field goal went perfectly through the uprights for a 23-22 Wyoming victory.

The field goal was from such close range that only two of the three seconds ticked off the clock so Wyoming had to survive an uneventful squib kickoff to secure the win over Idaho. It was a satisfying win especially because Idaho's starting fullback, Anthony Clark, was a player that the Cowboys lost to the Vandals in a recruiting battle in the offseason.

[gsutiger]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Close win against Idaho but we will take it.

[moose141]

Re: Wyoming | The Reboot (NCAA 14)

Love seeing this team get built up from scratch really, so I can't wait to get into this dynasty!

[WaitTilNextYear]

2018g3: Wyoming @ Utah State

Wyoming wide receiver #25 Austin Conway dives over the pylon for a touchdown after beating the defense on a corner route.

LOGAN, Utah -- The Wyoming Cowboys made light work of their archrival Utah State in a 44-14 blowout. It was a comprehensive beatdown and the Bridger's Battle rivalry goes to the Pokes for the second year in a row. Wyoming called off the dogs leading 37-7 with roughly six minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Key statistical indicators were unanimously in Wyoming's favor. The Cowboys won the time-of-possession battle by nearly ten minutes, were a net plus two in turnover margin, and outgained Utah State by over 100 yards. The Pokes never punted. A bunch of scores, a single interception, and a turnover on downs accounted for all of Wyoming's possessions.

Wyoming once again managed to run the ball 50+ times. Exactly 50 of their 77 plays were rushing plays, accounting for 276 yards. Utah State stubbornly kept a six-man box for most of the game and they were predictably gashed as a result. Impressively, the 276-yard total was Wyoming's worst rushing output so far this season having gone over 300 yards against both Missouri and Idaho. Indeed, the Pokes were ranked second in the nation in rushing coming into this game.

The ball was spread around in the running game with Nico Evans getting 22 carries for 130 yards (5.9 YPC) and his first rushing TD of the year. Milo Hall carried nine times for 43 yards and Mike Green II, Emmett Nash, and quarterback Nick Smith all found the endzone rushing. Smith busted off a 28-yard run and has the two longest rushes of the season so far for the Pokes (Smith's 45-yard rush against Idaho is the longest). The Merritt Island, Fla. native added 16 completions in 27 attempts (59%) for 164 yards with one TD and one INT (115.0 QB rating).

It was Wyoming's defense that controlled this game. They were effective at confusing scrambling Utah State quarterback D.J. Nelson. Marcus Epps came up with a pair of picks, including a drive-stopper in the endzone on Utah State's first possession. The senior strong safety from L.A. gamely played through an abdominal tear that knocked him out the previous week at Idaho. Cornerback Antonio Hull also made an interception just as Utah State attempted to push into the red zone (pictured above, right). The Aggies scored a touchdown on their second drive of the game, but were shut out afterward until 3:31 remaining in the fourth quarter against Wyoming's backups.

In pregame, Coach Bohl was a bit anxious about 5'9" Nelson's scrambling ability, however, the speedy mighty mite of a quarterback only ran ten times for 53 yards. He was content to be a passer even though that clearly wasn't working for the Aggies. Nelson completed 24 of 35 passes (68%) for 177 yards with a TD and the three interceptions (103.3 QB rating).

One piece of the offensive that was working for Utah State was halfback Justen Hervey. The redshirt senior from Beaumont, Tex. carried 17 times for 96 yards (5.6 YPC) although he was kept out of the endzone. After falling behind early, the Aggies didn't feel they had the luxury of feeding the run game more often.

It was a surprising and welcome start to Mountain West Conference play for Wyoming. After a tough out-of-conference beatdown at Mizzou and a one-point game they needed to scratch and claw for at Kibbie Dome, this one felt really good. In fact, this is the only Wyoming win over the past two years by more than a single score. All five of Wyoming's wins last season were by seven points or less. This could mark the advent of a winning team identity.