Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry joked Tuesday about expecting a check from Wyoming safety John Wendling.
The senior from Rock Springs, Wyo., has played a big part in the Cowboys’ victories over Air Force the past two seasons, earning Mountain West Conference defensive player of the week both times.
He gets a chance to make it three in a row Saturday, when Air Force plays the Cowboys at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie in the conference opener for both teams.
“He should give us a bonus for making him defensive player of the week the last two years,” DeBerry said. “John’s a very good football player, but we’re waiting for him to send a check.”
Wendling had his answer after the Cowboys’ practice Tuesday.
“I don’t think there will be a check, but maybe a handshake,” Wendling said. “He (DeBerry) was giving me a hard time at the (MWC’s) preseason meeting about the past two games.”
Wendling will be counted on to help Wyoming try to slow down Air Force’s triple option, an offense the Cowboys don’t play against very often.
With a victory, the Cowboys would tie the area’s closest series. The Falcons hold a 21-20-3 advantage.
Though no team in the MWC has been able to shut down Air Force, Wyoming has had the most success the past two seasons, allowing an average of 27 points a game.
Wendling believes the Wyoming defensive scheme is the reason.
“We’ve been able to perfect it to the point where we have had some success,” Wendling said. “The most important thing is stopping the fullback dive. That’s up to our front seven, but if you can’t stop the dive, they’ll run the ball all day. The important thing is trusting your teammates to do their job. We want to stretch them out long enough so we can get more players around the ball.”
The Cowboys have changed their defensive alignment to a 3-4 front, moving Wendling to strong safety. He probably will play free safety against the Falcons, however.
“They try to get an extra player at the point of attack,” Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said. “We’ll try to take advantage by lining up John in the middle. He can go right or left, and they can either try to block him or take their chances with our cornerback.”
Glenn said the rivalry with Air Force ranks closely behind his team’s rivalries with CSU and BYU.
“Air Force plays as hard as anyone we have on our schedule,” Glenn said. “We have to match their enthusiasm and play with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders.”
As for Wendling, he once thought about attending the Air Force Academy.
“I’ve always had aspirations to be a pilot,” Wendling said. “I wasn’t sure I was cut out for the routine down there. Wyoming is where I wanted to be.”
As it turns out, unfortunate words for DeBerry.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
