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Wyoming Cowboys (2000: 1-10) The following team preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at this and all Division I-A teams, be sure to order the 2001 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
Coach and programAfter being hired as the 29th head coach at Wyoming last year, after three years serving as the defensive coordinator, Vic Koenning knew he’d have a challenge matching the win totals of the previous six seasons.The Cowboys had averaged nearly eight victories per season, while never suffering through a losing record. Koenning wasn’t expecting eight wins, but he had no idea his team would end up with just one victory in his initial season and go winless in conference play. Koenning was left with just nine starters and 35 lettermen after Dana Dimel became the latest Cowboy coach to bolt the plains of Laramie when he went to the University of Houston after just three years. Before that, Joe Tiller departed in 1996 to accept the job at Purdue and prominent coaches such as Dennis Erickson, Pat Dye, Fred Akers and Bob Devaney all left Wyoming for more high-profile jobs. Not only was Koenning left with a fairly thin roster, several injuries to key players decimated the Cowboys and left them with their worst season since 1939 when they went 0-7-1. The day after the dreadful season ended last November, Koenning had a meeting with his coaches and players and vowed to not forget how bad it felt to finish 1-10 and to make goals for big improvements in 2001. “We needed to regain the Cowboy attitude,” Koenning said. “In short, we wanted to do what we do a whole lot better.” Among the improvements were to improve overall team speed, increase strength on both of the lines, increase flexibility and athleticism, to develop an attitude and to become fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. The Cowboys have a likely win to open the season against Division I-AA team Furman and possible wins against Kansas and Utah State, both on the road. However, a Thursday night ESPN2 game against perennial power Texas A&M will be tough, even if it is at home. Then the Cowboys must open the Mountain West Conference season against two-time defending champion Colorado State.
OffenseLast year the Cowboys had Jay Stoner, the top returning quarterback and a preseason favorite to win offensive player-of-the-year honors in the league. But he didn’t come close to getting MVP honors or even all-league as injuries kept him out of two games and limited him in others. Stoner ended up passing for just 1,552 yards and 10 touchdowns with 12 interceptions as the Cowboys’ offense struggled as a whole.Sophomore Casey Bramlet (6-4, 203) quarterbacked the Cowboys when Stoner went out and was decent, completing 24-of-57 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown with one interception. He looks like the No. 1 guy heading into fall camp. Senior Nate Scott (6-1, 193) led the Cowboys in rushing in 2000 with 645 yards and five touchdowns, including a 95-yard touchdown. He sat out the year before after suffering the double whammy of a hernia and ankle injury. Sophomore Derek Armah (5-10, 193), a former high school quarterback, was a solid addition to the backfield, rushing for 515 yards, although he didn’t score a touchdown. Sophomore Ryan McGuffey (6-1, 196) appears to be the latest star to emerge in the Cowboys’ tradition of great receivers. Last year as a freshman, he caught 63 passes for 696 yards and four touchdowns. In junior Adam Goldberg (6-7, 315), the Cowboys think they have a tackle as good as any offensive linemen in the conference. He started every game as a freshman at left tackle and was moved to right tackle for his sophomore year.
Defense and special teamsThe only returning starter on the defensive line is junior Brandon Casavan (6-5, 254), but he was injured during spring drills and hardly played. Still Koenning is upbeat about his defensive line, saying “we have some battlers in there who are battle-tested.”All three starters, including leading tackler Kwabena Peprah, are gone from the linebacker corps, although senior Leo Caires (6-1, 218), who was projected to be a starter before going down with a knee injury, is back. Heading the list in the backfield is senior Al Rich (5-11, 200), who had to sit out with an injury last year after two outstanding seasons. In 1998 he was selected all-conference after making 75 tackles and three interceptions. He had similar numbers in 1999 despite playing with an injured shoulder and wrist that later required surgery. With the Cowboys trying out a new punter and a new place-kicker as well as new kickoff returners, the special teams will be a question mark at least through the early part of the season. McGuffey gives Wyoming some experience at punt returner, where he averaged 7.9 yards on 17 returns last year.
Bottom lineAfter last year’s rough beginning, Koenning has nowhere to go but up. A lot of folks are rooting for Koenning, who is popular with fans and media, but because of Wyoming’s long tradition of football excellence, he can’t get by with any more 1-10 seasons.Unfortunately, significant improvement will be hard to come by this year after the Cowboys lost their four-year starter at quarterback as well as all but one of their front seven on defense and both their punter and place-kicker. A lot of young players will have to step up for the Pokes. The Cowboys should definitely win more than one game this year. But it’s unlikely they’ll get back on the winning side of the ledger and they’ll probably finish near the bottom of the MWC again. |
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