Laramie – Perhaps the best college cornerback in the Front Range plays for Wyoming.
So does possibly the best wide receiver. And the best free safety.
The Cowboys also might have the best college quarterback between Pueblo and Laramie, a top-flight tight end and the second-best place-kicker, all of whom are considered NFL prospects.
So it is not a bunch of no-talent, overachievers coach Joe Glenn has molded to resurrect the program in two seasons.
When the Cowboys open at No. 10 Florida on Saturday, it will be with two legitimate All-America candidates: Derrick Martin at cornerback and Jovon Bouknight at wide receiver. And depending on how their season goes, safety John Wendling, quarterback Corey Bramlet, tight end John Wadkowski and place-kicker Deric Yaussi also could earn postseason recognition.
No wonder Glenn goes around saying, “We’re not going down there to pick up a ($600,000) paycheck, we’re going down there to win a ballgame.”
Glenn likes the idea of playing Florida early and finding out how good his team is.
“You always need a measuring stick, but honest to God, I think we’re going to have a pretty darn good football team,” Glenn said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors. We’ve got a lot of starters (16) back. I think we’ve got 11 guys that made all-conference or honorable mention back. We’ve got more depth.
“I look at our defense, and we’ve got as good a secondary as I’ve ever seen with two bona fide All-America candidates back there. I look at our offense, and we’ve got a senior quarterback who’s coming into his own. And we’ve got a wide receiver (Bouknight) who’s as good a playmaker as you’re going to find.”
Beyond that, Wyoming might have the best special teams in the Mountain West, with Yaussi back to kick and punt returner Hoost Marsh also returning.
With four starting offensive linemen back and promising young talent at running back, the big area of concern is what hurt the Cowboys a year ago: run defense.
Three starters return on the defensive line, led by nose guard Dusty Hoffschneider, but the Cowboys will start two newcomers at linebacker: sophomore Luke Chase in the middle and senior Jeff Tatnall on the weak side.
“If we can stop the run better than we did a year ago, we’ll be all right,” Glenn said. “I really think it all starts there. If you can’t stop the other team from running on you, they’re going to run it down your throat all night long. Why would they ever pass?”
And with Martin and Wendling in the secondary playing alongside a couple of proven veterans in Terrance Butler and Ron Rockett, the Cowboys would like opponents to pass.
“Coach believes in stopping the run first,” Martin said. “He wants to stop the run, make them throw the ball, and let them lose the game there. That’s where we come in. That’s when we’ve got them playing into our hands.
“I think we’ll be OK. We’ve got a lot of guys coming back with a lot more experience than we had last year, so I’m pretty confident. It looks like all the teams in the conference are pretty even this year, so it’s going to be fun to see what we can do.”
Bramlet, who threw for 2,409 yards and 12 touchdowns, was also the Cowboys’ third-leading rusher with 209 yards. He sounds confident after his MVP performance in the Las Vegas Bowl.
“I really like our chances,” Bramlet said. “I’m probably biased because this is my senior class, but I think we’ve got the talent and now we’ve got the experience. To come in here this year and be ranked in the top 25 (by Sports Illustrated) and be picked to be one of the contenders, we’ve just got to use that as motivation and carry it through.”
And that is the kind of enthusiasm Glenn expects.
“Hey, we went to the Las Vegas Bowl and we showed people that we belonged on the same field with a team that almost beat Southern Cal,” Glenn said. “We beat them and then the next bowl game, you see Southern Cal goes out and clobbers Oklahoma for the national championship. So why wouldn’t our kids feel good about themselves?
“Anytime you start getting that kind of respect, the kids want to play up to it. So, hey, if we go down to Florida and win that first game, look out.”
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
…
WYOMING
Coach: Joe Glenn (11-13)
2004 record: 7-5, 3-4 MWC
What’s new: With eight returning starters on each side of the ball, the Cowboys can build on momentum gained from defeating UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. The six new starters are senior Drew Severn, center; freshman Wynel Seldon, running back; senior Jason Wallace, wide receiver; junior Jake Mayes, defensive tackle; senior Jeff Tatnall, outside linebacker; and sophomore Luke Chase, middle linebacker. Also new is Jonah Field, the synthetic playing surface that should help the Cowboys weather some late-season storms.
What to look for: The Cowboys might not have the 1-2 punch they had in running backs Joseph Harris and Ivan Harrison at the Las Vegas Bowl, but they’re probably going to have a lot more punchers than in recent years. With Harris and Harrison coming off major knee surgeries, coach Joe Glenn is thinking about rotating Seldon (6 feet, 204 pounds) and Devin Moore (5-9, 180), another redshirt freshman, with junior Alex Renshaw (5-10, 202) and true freshman J.R. Moore (5-10, 194), the star of this year’s recruiting class. If an experienced offensive line steps up and quarterback Corey Bramlet continues to play with the confidence he demonstrated in spring practice, this offense might be more than most teams can handle.
Joseph Sanchez predicts: 8-3. Even with six road games, there’s probably only one team on the Cowboys’ schedule they can’t beat – Florida – especially if the Cowboys’ offense can keep their defense well-rested.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Derrick Martin, CB
He isn’t just the best player on the roster, he’s also the most fun to watch when the ball’s in the air.
Jovon Bouknight, WR
Former Denver Prep League quarterback draws attention of each team’s top cornerback.
Hoost Marsh, KR
Former Arvada West standout gives ‘Pokes a big edge in the punt return game.
Corey Bramlet, QB
Senior has a shot at the pros if he can come up big against top-flight competition.
Dusty Hoffschneider, NG
Wyoming’s best run stopper needed to cure team’s biggest weakness.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Offense
Pos. No. Player Ht. Wt. Yr.
QB 17 Corey Bramlet 6-4 219 Sr.
RB 18 Wynel Seldon 6-0 204 Fr.
WR 9 Jovon Bouknight 6-1 191 Sr.
WR 86 Jason Wallace 6-2 187 Sr.
WR 5 Tyler Holden 6-0 175 Jr.
TE 81 John Wadkowski 6-4 259 Sr.
LT 73 Chase Johnson 6-8 325 Jr.
LG 78 Alan Erving 6-4 295 Sr.
RG 69 Jason Karcher 6-3 304 Jr.
RT 67 Hunter Richards 6-7 287 Jr.
C 75 Drew Severn 6-3 301 Sr.
PK 40 Deric Yaussi 5-11 199 Sr.
Defense
Pos. No. Player Ht. Wt. Yr.
FS 23 John Wendling 6-1 209 Jr.
SS 12 Ron Rockett 6-1 185 Sr.
CB 1 Derrick Martin 5-11 189 Jr.
CB 3 Terrance Butler 6-1 179 Sr.
OLB 31 Jeff Tatnall 5-11 230 Sr.
MLB 53 Luke Chase 6-1 222 So.
OLB 45 Austin Hall 6-2 229 Jr.
DE 42 Aaron Robbins 6-4 253 Sr.
NG 58 D. Hoffschneider 5-8 257 Sr.
DT 97 Jake Mayes 6-3 285 Jr.
DE 43 John Flora 6-4 267 Sr.
P 39 Adam Brooks 5-11 190 Sr.
KEY GAME
The Border War, Oct. 22 at CSU
After three consecutive winnable conference games at home, this is where the ‘Pokes are going to have to make their first big move if they have hopes of winning the MWC championship.
2005 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3 at Florida, 4 p.m.
Sept. 10 Louisiana-Monroe, 1 p.m.
Sept. 17 at Air Force, noon
Sept. 24 at Mississippi
Oct. 1 UNLV, 1 p.m.
Oct. 8 TCU
Oct. 15 New Mexico
Oct. 22 at CSU
Nov. 5 at Utah
Nov. 12 BYU
Nov. 19 at San Diego State
