Dave Christensen has really done a solid job in his three seasons at Wyoming. He has taken the Cowboys to two bowl games in the past three years and they are coming off their best season in years with an 8-5 record in 2011. Their only two conference losses came against TCU and Boise State, which landed them in 3rd place in the MWC standings.
The Cowboys have an outside shot at winning the MWC in 2012. They have 12 starters coming back in a conference that figures to be down this season.
Offense
The Cowboys were very efficient offensively last year, putting up 26.1 points and 388 total yards/game. Most of the offense came from a powerfull rushing attack that averaged 182 ypg. They may have only five starters returning on this side of the ball, but the ones coming back are the best players from their 2011 campaign.
Quarterback Brett Smith earned Mountain West Freshman Player of the Year honors for his excellent play last season. Smith has the opportunity to be even better in his sophomore campaign.
Wyoming parts ways with its top running back from 2011 in Alvester Alexander. They do return their next three top running backs so they should be fine. However, a drop in production is inevitable as the 4.9 yards/carry they had as a team last year was their best mark in more than 20 years.
The receiving corps welcomes back three very solid and efficient players from a year ago. Senior Curtis McNeill, sophomore Dominic Rufran and junior Robert Herron could all improve on their solid 2011 numbers with Smith throwing to them once again.
The biggest concern on offense is the loss of three starters along the O-line, including second-team All-MWC OT Clayton Kirven. They do have two starters and 64 career starts returning up front, so there is some experience here. The returning starters are second-team All-MWC C Nick Carlson and junior LG Tyler Strong.
Defense
Wyoming has a lot of room to grow defensively after giving up 27.8 points and 432 total yards/game last season. The Cowboys welcome back seven starters on defense in 2012, but will have to replace three of their top four tacklers from last season. One thing the defense will look to build on from last year is the fact that this unit helped Wyoming finish +12 in turnover margin.
The Cowboys must find a way to play better against the run. They gave up a whopping 232 yards/game and 5.1/carry on the ground in 2011. The loss of their two best defensive linemen in second-team All-MWC DE Josh Biezuns and second-team All-MWC DE Gabe Knapton makes things that much worse for this unit. They still have an opportunity to get better as they have three starters and six of their top eight returning up front. But for everything to go right, senior DT Mike Purcell and senior DE Ben Durbin need to step up and embrace their roles as leaders for this unit.
The loss of second-team All-MWC Brian Hendricks on the linebacker corps is tough, but they do bring back four of their top six at the position. Senior MLB Oliver Schober and junior MLB Devyn Harris will be battling for snaps this fall. The best of the bunch is probably senior MLB Oliver Schober.
The secondary should be improved with nine of their top 10 tacklers returning in the defensive backfield. The loss of second-team All-MWC CB Tashaun Gipson is big, but they have three starters coming back. They are junior CB Marqueston Huff, senior FS Luke Anderson and second-team All-MWC SS Luke Ruff.
Head over to Football Free Picks during the regular season. You will be able to follow the odds for every game, plus get expert advice from top college football handicappers.
Mountain West Prediction - 4th Place
The Cowboys has the opportunity to really be something special in 2012 as they have a lot of talent coming back from last year's eight-win team. The Mountain West is also is as wide open as ever before. They also have a schedule that could get them a 5-3 conference record and possibly the 4th seed in the Mountain West.
The Cowboys have an outside shot at winning the MWC in 2012. They have 12 starters coming back in a conference that figures to be down this season.
Offense
The Cowboys were very efficient offensively last year, putting up 26.1 points and 388 total yards/game. Most of the offense came from a powerfull rushing attack that averaged 182 ypg. They may have only five starters returning on this side of the ball, but the ones coming back are the best players from their 2011 campaign.
Quarterback Brett Smith earned Mountain West Freshman Player of the Year honors for his excellent play last season. Smith has the opportunity to be even better in his sophomore campaign.
Wyoming parts ways with its top running back from 2011 in Alvester Alexander. They do return their next three top running backs so they should be fine. However, a drop in production is inevitable as the 4.9 yards/carry they had as a team last year was their best mark in more than 20 years.
The receiving corps welcomes back three very solid and efficient players from a year ago. Senior Curtis McNeill, sophomore Dominic Rufran and junior Robert Herron could all improve on their solid 2011 numbers with Smith throwing to them once again.
The biggest concern on offense is the loss of three starters along the O-line, including second-team All-MWC OT Clayton Kirven. They do have two starters and 64 career starts returning up front, so there is some experience here. The returning starters are second-team All-MWC C Nick Carlson and junior LG Tyler Strong.
Defense
Wyoming has a lot of room to grow defensively after giving up 27.8 points and 432 total yards/game last season. The Cowboys welcome back seven starters on defense in 2012, but will have to replace three of their top four tacklers from last season. One thing the defense will look to build on from last year is the fact that this unit helped Wyoming finish +12 in turnover margin.
The Cowboys must find a way to play better against the run. They gave up a whopping 232 yards/game and 5.1/carry on the ground in 2011. The loss of their two best defensive linemen in second-team All-MWC DE Josh Biezuns and second-team All-MWC DE Gabe Knapton makes things that much worse for this unit. They still have an opportunity to get better as they have three starters and six of their top eight returning up front. But for everything to go right, senior DT Mike Purcell and senior DE Ben Durbin need to step up and embrace their roles as leaders for this unit.
The loss of second-team All-MWC Brian Hendricks on the linebacker corps is tough, but they do bring back four of their top six at the position. Senior MLB Oliver Schober and junior MLB Devyn Harris will be battling for snaps this fall. The best of the bunch is probably senior MLB Oliver Schober.
The secondary should be improved with nine of their top 10 tacklers returning in the defensive backfield. The loss of second-team All-MWC CB Tashaun Gipson is big, but they have three starters coming back. They are junior CB Marqueston Huff, senior FS Luke Anderson and second-team All-MWC SS Luke Ruff.
Head over to Football Free Picks during the regular season. You will be able to follow the odds for every game, plus get expert advice from top college football handicappers.
Mountain West Prediction - 4th Place
The Cowboys has the opportunity to really be something special in 2012 as they have a lot of talent coming back from last year's eight-win team. The Mountain West is also is as wide open as ever before. They also have a schedule that could get them a 5-3 conference record and possibly the 4th seed in the Mountain West.
About the Author:
Jack Jones will be publishing his NCAA football picks at Betfirms.com this season. Be sure to visit our site for a more detailed preview of Wyoming football
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