Wyoming Cowboys 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: When I met with both QB Josh Allen and coach Craig Bohl last July at the Mountain West Football Media Summit, I felt, as many did, that Allen was due for a massive season, and that the Cowboys would absolutely push Boise State for the Mountain Division title in the Mountain West Conference. Allen did not have a breakout season, still left anyway, and Wyoming won just 8 games, 5 in conference play, and they finished tied for 2nd in the division. That's not what anyone envisioned a year ago. Now Allen is gone, and a RS freshman could be replacing him. While the offense crumbled to nothing, and Allen coasted through the season on minimal effort, the defense, led by Safety Andrew Wingard and others, played well beyond expectations. This is the season where everything must balance out, because Allen and his immense shadow have moved on, and there is plenty of light to go around.
Breakdown Offense: With Allen, and his half-hearted effort, now in the NFL, the QB position is on reset, and the Cowboys could be a little bit better off with a player who does not have one foot out the door. RS freshman Tyler Vander Waal ended spring ball as the leader here, while Nick Smith, the primary backup a year ago who many felt would move up, is still in that role. Smith still has a solid shot to take the job in camp, so this is far from a settled situation. Anything will be an improvement over the Cowboys of last season, where they ranked 103rd nationally in passing.
The Cowboys run game was a mess last fall as well, as they ranked 117th in the nation in rushing yards per game. Kellen Overstreet has taken over at the top of the depth chart after rushing for 481 yards and 3 scores, while he averaged 4.41 yards per carry. Nico Evans, who only managed to run for an average of 1.73 yards per carry showed some life this spring, and has moved up to the 2nd spot on the depth chart, while Trey Woods, who led the team in rushing with 493 yards last season, has slid to 3rd on the depth chart. Jaylon Watson, a junior, takes over at FB, with Austin Lopez installed as his backup.
The Cowboys were young at WR last season, but a year of experience has payed off, as Austin Conway and James Price both return as experienced starters. Conway caught 61 passes last fall for 549 yards and 3 scores, but averaged just 9 yards per catch. Price caught 20 passes for 282 yards and one score. CJ Johnson should see plenty of reps after catching 7 TD passes to go with 30 receptions for 531 yards. He brings what the others don't...a field stretching capability. He averaged 17.7 yards per catch. Jared Scott backs up Price. Dontae Crow and Ayden Eberheardt will try to add some depth.
Tyree Mayfield also returns to start at TE after catching 11 passes last fall. Austin Fort and Josh Harshman both return after combining for 22 receptions on the season. Wyoming will have perhaps the best TE unit in the conference in 2018.
The line had serious issues last fall, and returns 3 starters in Zach Wallace (LT), Kaden Jackson (RG), and Alonzo Velazquez (RT). Eric Abojei (LG) and Keegan Cryder (C) will be the new starters. Rudy Stofer and Pahl Schwab are the backups at Tackle, while Gavin Rush and Zach Thatcher are the primary backups at OG. Logan Harris will bring more depth at OG, and Patrick Arnold is the backup at C.
Breakdown Defense: Where the offense struggled immensely, the defense was one of the best in the nation last fall. Wyoming ranked 9th in scoring defense, 13th against the pass, and 23rd in total defense. They struggles somewhat against the pass at times, and ranked 60th against the pass.
The line is loaded with 3 starters returning in DE Carl Granderson, NT Sidney Malauulu, and DT Youhanna Ghaifan. Granderson and Ghaifan combine to be one of the best D line combos in the nation. Grandrson totaled 16 TFLs last season, and added 8.5 sacks, while Ghaifan added 15.5 TFLs and 7 sacks. Malauulu was limited to just 7 games last fall, and totaled 1.5 TFLs. Kevin Prosser figures in as the new starter at DE this fall. He should be in line for a breakout season, as he totaled 5 TFLs as a rotational player last fall. Josiah Hall and Garrett Crall are the backups at DE, while Conner Cain and Ravontae Holt are the backups inside. Javaree Jackson adds additional depth at NT.
Logan Wilson and Cassh Maluia are both returning to start at LB, which is even more good news. Wilson led the tea with 119 tackles last fall, and added 8 TFLs. Maluia totaled 74 tackles, and was good for 3.5 TFLs. With the Cowboys employing a 4-2-5 set, this may be one of the best 2 man LB units you will find in college football. Adam Pilapil is a senior, and will back up one spot after totaling 31 tackles as a reserve last fall. Ryan Gatoloai-Faupula, a sophomore, will back up the other spot.
The secondary returns just 2 starters, but they are 2 starters who each enter their 4th year starting together at the Safety spots in Andrew Wingard (SS) and Marcus Epps (FS). Wingard finished second on the team in tackles with 114, and he totaled 8 TFLs, 3 PBUs, and 2 forced fumbles. Marcus Epps totaled 64 tackles, 5 TFLS, 4 PBUs, and one forced fumble. Wingard led the team with 5 INTs, while Epps finished right behind him with 4. Alijah Halliburton backs up Wingard, while Braden Smith backs up Epps.
The Cowboys have to find new starters at CB and NB. CJ Colden and Antonio Hull are penciled in at CB, while Tyler Hall projects to start at NB. Hall finished with 4 PBUs last season, and is the most experienced of the bunch. Sidney Washington and Keyon Blankenbaker are the backups at CB, while Chavez Pownell is the backup at NB.
Breakdown Special Teams: Cooper Rothe returns at PK, and he is as solid as they get. He hit 15/18 FG attempts last fall, and is one of the best you will find in Mountain West play. He was 36/37 on PATs.
Tim Zaleski returns at Punter, and he led the MWC with punts inside the 20, but overall, he struggled to a 39.18 yards per punt average.
Tyler Hall is the primary KR man, averaging a whopping 33.87 yards per return. He scored twice as well, making him one of the more dangerous return men in the nation. Austin Conway is dangerous on PR duty as well, as he averaged 10.36 yards per return.
Final Analysis: Wyoming is one team that you have to look at as a team that has the potential to do some special things, but they have a lot of individual parts that must come together as a machine to make that happen. They have one of the best defensive units that you will find anywhere in the nation, but the offense, with one of the most hyped QBs in history leading it, struggled to find their own way. The Mountain Division is not full of difficult slates this fall, and Wyoming should have more than enough talent to navigate that path, but here's the thing...you can't lose games to San Jose State, as they did in the season finale on the road last fall. If the Cowboys can upset Boise State, as they did in 2016, the Mountain race could get very interesting, but they have to improve the offense, and win games that they should win.
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