Youth is served

[IE]

Glenn keeps the kids in the picture









There?s no substitute for experience and that?s why the better college football teams are always fielding starting lineups dominated by juniors and seniors.

So, it?s no wonder University of Wyoming coach Joe Glenn can?t help from smiling in knowing his Cowboys open the 2008 season Saturday against Ohio University in War Memorial Stadium with starting units dominated by upperclassmen.

Of the 28 players either starting and/or sharing starting positions equally, 17 are juniors and seniors. The Wyoming roster has 39 upperclassmen overall (15 seniors and 24 juniors), the most in Glenn?s six-year tenure.

Still, there is room for youth to be served.


Wyoming?s starting lineup on Saturday will also have three redshirt freshman and two true freshmen either starting or sharing roles.

?It?s pretty darn special for a kid to be 18 or 19 years old and starting in a Division I football game,? Glenn said. ?They?re ready; they are as athletic as all get out. They weren?t handed anything, they earned it. We expect everyone of those young kids to step up to the pump and play it out.?

Among the redshirt freshmen starters are Gabe Knapton, a 6-foot-3, 238-pound middle linebacker from Mead, Colo., now living in Laramie; Clayton Kirven, a 6-6, 312-pound offensive right tackle from Buffalo; and Josh Biezuns, a 6-2, 246-pound fullback/H-back from Prior Lake, Minn.

The rugged Knapton moved into the middle linebacker spot last spring after seniors Luke Chase and John Prater had moved on. He had a great spring and has continued his outstanding play this fall. He?s firmly entrenched as the starter at that position.

?After those two guys left I felt like I had to step up and do my best,? Knapton said. ?I know the coaches wouldn?t put me out there unless I was ready. I know I?m ready to be out there and I?m real excited for Saturday. I?m getting more and more comfortable every day. I feel like I know the Ohio offense well and I just have to execute on Saturday.?

Kirven, perhaps the most athletic member of UW?s O-line, was part of an experiment that started last spring and continued this fall in which veteran right tackle Kyle Howard was moved inside to guard and Kirven inserted into Howard?s vacated spot. It worked so well that the Cowboy coaching staff decided to start the season that way.

?In the spring the coaches wanted to mix it up and play Kyle inside and see what I could do out there (at tackle),? Kirven said. ?I got a lot of reps but they still left things the way they were. Then this fall we had Kyle and Ryan (Otterson) go down so I stepped in and took their reps. Then I was told I was going to be a starter. I have some butterflies right now, but they are working their way out.?

Biezuns, who will share the starting fullback/H-back spot with junior Greg Genho, was one of the big surprises last spring with his bone-jarring blocking as well as his pass-catching ability.

?We have some freshmen, some young guys stepping up, but the veterans are going to carry most of the load,? Biezuns said. ?Maybe some of us freshman can come in and help out as starters or on special teams. I think we have a talented redshirt freshman class and the incoming class of freshmen are good, so we should be able to make a contribution.?

The Cowboys would have had a fourth redshirt freshman starting Saturday if Brandon Stewart, a 5-11, 185-pound wide receiver/return specialist from Indianapolis, had not injured a shoulder in a practice session this fall.

Stewart was one of the highlights of the spring and had continued his eye-catching play for the early part of the fall before being injured. He is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks.

?I was looking forward to starting and playing on Saturday, but we have people who can step up in my place and I?m sure they will,? Stewart said. ?I don?t feel bad right now but come game time I?ll probably feel down because I?m not able to help the team like I want.?

The two true freshmen who have earned starting or shared starting spots are Tashaun Gipson, a 6-0, 190-pound field cornerback from Dallas, and Austin McCoy, a 6-3, 201-pound punter from Winter Haven, Fla.

Gipson will start Saturday on the opposite side of his older brother, Marcell, who will be holding down the boundary cornerback spot. Tashaun Gipson turned a lot of heads this summer in the players? 7-on-7 workouts, and has continued that play into the fall to earn a starting job.

?It was kind of tough coming up here in the summer but I guess I proved myself in 7-on-7,? Gipson said. ?Coming into fall camp I didn?t feel like a freshman. I had made up my mind I was going to come in and play like a veteran. We have some nice cornerbacks; all five of us can play, so it was like a blessing for me to get the starting job. Now what I have to do is do my job.?

McCoy has been locked in a three-way battle for the starting punter?s job this fall with sophomore returnee Nick Landess and sophomore transfer Cody Bousema.

Just this week special teams coach Chris Knutsen decided that Landess would handle the punting chores in long-distance situations, while McCoy, who has superior high kicks with hang time, would handle all the punts inside the 50-yard line.

?At this point in time if the team needs me to play I?m going to play wherever it may be,? McCoy said. ?That?s what I?m here to do ? play for this team. Right now, I?m a little nervous. It?s a lot different then high school.?

COWBOY SPURS According to UW ticket manager Bill Hamilton, Wyoming is expecting a Labor Day Weekend crowd of somewhere between 18,000 and 20,000 for Saturday?s game with Mid-American Conference foe Ohio. Last year?s Labor Day Weekend crowd of 31,620, the fifth largest in UW history, for ACC opponent Virginia, was an exception.

 

[IE]

Crum Takes Center Stage in Opener


On the eve of the 2008 football season, all eyes in Laramie rest transfixed on Dax Crum.

The strong-armed, junior-college transfer from Mesa, Ariz., will don the brown and gold of the Wyoming Cowboys for the first time as starting quarterback tomorrow afternoon at War Memorial Stadium when the Cowboys play the Ohio Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference.

Crum, who defeated two-year veteran Karsten Sween in the summer-practice position battle, will look to display the same passing ability which helped him earn an impressive resume at Mesa Community College, where he was named the 2007 NJCAA Co-Region I Offensive Player of the Year.

Saturday?s noon opener against Ohio, however, will bring an elevated level of pressure for the new starter.

?I?m very confident in Dax and I think he is confident in himself as well,? Wyoming head coach Joe Glenn said during Thursday?s teleconference. ?I?d be shocked if they didn?t try to heat him up a little bit.?

Glenn emphasized the necessity for Crum to take care of the football and refrain from taking major risks.

?He needs to realize what he can and cannot do. It?s fun to take chances and make great plays, but you can?t take chances and misfire. You can take chances, but you?d better lay it on the ground and not in someone else?s hands,? Glenn said

Offensive miscues nearly buried Wyoming in its last meeting against Ohio. Last season in Athens, Ohio, the Cowboys committed seven turnovers, needing a pair of late fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally past the Bobcats 34-33.

Ohio travels to Laramie with that agonizing collapse still resonating through the mind of the entire team.

The Bobcats, who many viewed as overachievers last season with a surprising 6-6 mark, have high expectations this season.

A pair of dangerous playmakers, halfback Chris Garrett, and tight end Andrew Mooney, spearhead Ohio?s offensive attack.

Garrett, who converted from wide receiver to halfback in the offseason, torched Wyoming with his speed in last year?s contest, returning a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. Mooney was also stellar against the Cowboys, catching three passes for 75 yards, including a 68 yard touchdown reception.

Ohio also starts a newcomer at quarterback, as the mobile, but untested, Theo Scott, takes over for the graduated Brad Bower.

The Cowboys defense will attempt to contain Scott in a similar manner as it did to Virginia?s Jameel Sewell in the 2007 season opener. Sewell, an agile, slash-running threat much like Scott, was flustered by an intense pass rush, throwing for only 87 yards and two interceptions, while being contained to five-yards on the ground.

Stopping a similar attack will rely upon strong play from Wyoming?s front seven, especially its linebacking corps.

?I think that our linebackers will be sensational against the run and the pass,? Glenn said. ?Having such a good linebacking corps will help the four defensive backs play the pass a bit easier and they won?t have to rally up to make tackles. Hopefully, our front seven will handle the run game and, in passing situations, we can drop our middle four into the intermediate zones and let nothing get over our heads.?

Meanwhile, Cowboy running backs Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon could steal the spotlight from Crum on the offensive end of the ball.

The backfield tandem will attempt to slash the Ohio defense which ceded 186.4 YPG on the ground last season. In last year?s contest, Wyoming totaled 267 yards on the ground, with Moore contributing a career-high 198 yards and two touchdowns.

?We?ve practiced well. They?re ready [for Saturday],? Glenn said. ?[The team] has a lot of new faces in the lineup and they will need to show up, but I have every bit of confidence that they will.?

 

[IE]

Wyoming football preview: Glenn, Cowboys seek redemption in 2008


The air on an August evening in Laramie permeates through the quiet high plains of southeast Wyoming with a subtle chill, a seasonal reminder that autumn looms nearer with each turning day.

This year, however, the atmosphere surrounding War Memorial Stadium possesses a distinct hint of tension; an unmistakable uncertainty abides, and, as the sunlight dwindles over the Snowy Range on the western horizon slightly earlier each evening, it is difficult not to wonder whether the sun is also setting on another era of Wyoming Cowboy football.

Just three years ago, the sheer thought was inconceivable.The images of head coach Joe Glenn and his team triumphantly celebrating on Sam Boyd Field on a windy December 2004 evening in Las Vegas still emit jubilant emotions. After all, Wyoming?s 24-21 upset of UCLA was supposed to be the long-awaited arrival of the Cowboys to a status coveted by the most successful mid-major programs in the country.

Now those images seem like nothing more than a distant memory.

A chain reaction of turnovers, collapses, and bad luck over the course of the past three seasons have sent Wyoming tumbling like an avalanche, leaving the Cowboy program with a bad taste in its mouth...and Glenn searching for answers.

Glenn, who was hired in 2003 as the savior of the Wyoming program from its futility from 2000-02, now stands with his own back against the wall.

?I always feel pressure,? Glenn said at the Mountain West Conference football media day in July. "Sure, I feel pressure. That's a little bit why we do what we do. If I didn't want a high-pressure deal, I'd do something else. But this is fun."

For someone whose name has appeared on hot-seat shortlists across the country this summer, Glenn?s positivity is a refreshing reminder of what has made him an endearing figure across the Cowboy State.

?I'm optimistic like I am every year, but probably holding my cards a little closer than I have a lot of years," Glenn commented regarding his situation. ?I have expectations of myself and of our team and of our coaches. You do what you can, let the chips fall where they may.?

While Glenn?s winning attitude certainly hasn?t been harmed by the recent misfortunes of Cowboy football, his winning psyche could use some padding. The remedy for Glenn?s ailing state is simple: win football games and guide the Cowboys back to bowl eligibility.

In order for that to occur, the Cowboys must confront their recent turnover woes and avoid the late season collapses which have stymied potential bowl trips each of the past three seasons.

On October 8th, 2005, Wyoming stood on the verge of breaking into the national top 25 rankings, owners of a 4-1 record, as they played host to a talented TCU Horned Frogs team. In front of an electric crowd at War Memorial Stadium, the Cowboys offense fell flatter than the Kansas plains, committing seven turnovers and faltering 28-14.

The loss sent the Cowboys spiraling downward, as the team dropped its final six games, many of them in heartbreaking fashion.

The following season, turnovers played a key role in Wyoming?s 1-4 start, and although the Cowboys ultimately fought to become bowl eligible at 6-6, late-season blowout losses at TCU and BYU subdued any hopes of playing football over the winter holidays.

Last year?s rendition of a Greek tragedy, however, was perhaps the most numbing.

Another 4-1 start witnessed Wyoming manhandle a top ACC opponent, pounding Virginia 23-3 in the season opener, and conquer the ghosts of two years past by overcoming TCU on the same field.

With all troubles seemingly behind them, the Cowboys took the field on Homecoming for a crucial contest with New Mexico. But like a terrible nightmare, a freak rainstorm prompted a two-hour game delay, flustering all of Wyoming?s momentum, and Glenn watched a 3-3 tie wash away as the Lobos prevailed 20-3.

From there, it was as if Murphy?s Law grabbed hold of the Cowboys and never let go.

A blown 21-point lead at San Diego State. A 50-0 meltdown in Salt Lake City. A stunning loss at previously 2-9 Colorado State to end the season. Individually, they stung painfully. Collectively, the 1-6 finish to a season which began so optimistically was agonizing.

And so stands the Wyoming football program upon uncertain ground, stuck somewhere between a streak of miserable luck and capricious play in crucial games.

It is unchartered territory for Glenn, who has weathered his most difficult stretch as a head coach over the past three seasons. Over 24 years of head coaching, Glenn has amassed a 184-92-1 record, including a 15-1, Div 1-AA national championship season in 2001 with Montana, but his tenure with the Cowboys has yielded less than spectacular results: 26-33.

Of course, there is still reason for optimism. Glenn has proven in the past that he can work magic with the Cowboys, and his roster this season is perhaps as deep and talented as it has been during his time in Laramie.

"There is just a great feeling right now," said Glenn. "I feel it, our coaches feel it, our kids feel it. I think our whole team believes that something special is going on and that we're ready to take a step forward with our program."

cont'........


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