Wyoming Cowboys 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Wyoming 2008 Record: (4-8, 1-7)
Wyoming 2008 Bowl: none
Wyoming Coach: Dave Christensen (First year at Wyoming, 0-0 overall)
Wyoming Offensive Coordinator: Marcus Arroyo
Wyoming Defensive Coordinator: Marty English
Wyoming Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Brandon Stewart, WR, 78 yards
• Passing: Dax Crum, QB, 429 yards
• Receiving: Greg Bolling, WR, 271 yards
• Tackles: Gabe Knapton, LB, 92
• Sacks: John Fletcher, DT, 4.5
• Interceptions: Chris Prosinski, S, 3

Notable Wyoming Returning Players: CB Marcell Gipson, CB Tashaun Gipson, DT Fred Givens, LB Weston Johnson, OT Clayton Kirven, WR David Leonard, OT Ryan Otterson, TE Jesson Salyards, G Sam Sterner, WR Brandon Stewart, DE Mitch Unrein

Wyoming Key Losses: C Tim Bond, LB Ward Dobbs, G Kyle Howard, LB Mike Juergens, RB Devin Moore, S Quincy Rogers, RB Wynel Seldon, QB Chris Stutzriem

2008 was a tough season for the Cowboys, as they finished with a 4-8 record and a 1-7 conference mark. Wyoming’s 5 th bowl-less season in six years under Joe Glenn meant that a coaching change was in order and former Missouri Offensive Coordinator Dave Christensen takes over as head coach. Christensen walks into a very good situation; The Cowboys return eight starters on each side of the ball! Can he get his brand of explosive offense going quickly in 2009?

Christensen’s offenses averaged over 40 points per game during the last two seasons at Mizzou but he doesn’t have Chase Daniels to run it for him in Wyoming. Instead, he will have to pick from a pair of returning quarterbacks who combined for two touchdown passes against a whopping twelve picks last year! Senior Karsten Sween seems most likely to take over and could benefit from a schematic change. The top four receivers return from last fall, including senior tight end Jesson Salyards, but no one had more than two touchdowns or 26 catches! However, with a renewed emphasis on the passing game, there should be notable improvements in their production. Keep an eye on sophomore Brandon Stewart, who missed more than half the season due to injury but averaged over nineteen yards per catch when healthy. At tailback, their inexperience is shocking (16 total carries from running backs in 2008 return) and any of a large number of players could emerge as the starter. The only really solid spot on the offense is the line of scrimmage, where three starters return including both tackles, and I expect Wyoming to be much better at protecting the quarterback. Overall, a new system and a lot of returning experience gives me hope that the Cowboys will be much better on offense. After all, they averaged under 13 points per game last year so they really can only get better.

The defense is another matter entirely. While they allowed just under 28 points per game last year, the Cowboys’ inability to hold onto the football put the defense in a lot of bad spots with a negative 22 turnover margin. Opponents averaged less than 200 yards passing and only 330 total yards per game, which was 3 rd best in the conference! With 8 starters back from that solid performance, I expect the Cowboys to once more field one of the conference’s toughest units. Up front, the entire defensive line returns and all three starters are seniors. Led by defensive end John Fletcher, a 2 nd team All-MWC choice in 2008, this group will be very strong and should only bolster an already solid run defense. The linebackers return two starters, led by sophomore Gabe Knapton, who racked up 92 tackles as a freshman last year. Along with senior Weston Johnson, Knapton should anchor a solid group that should be just as productive as last year’s unit. The secondary returns three starters, anchored by the Gipson brothers at cornerback. Junior safety Chris Prosinski is also a big time player, racking up 88 tackles and snagging 3 picks in 2008. After allowing only 190 yards per game last fall through the air, the Cowboys could actually improve on that tally this year. Another positive for Wyoming is that new defensive coordinator Marty English was the linebackers coach the last five seasons and will bring continuity to what has been one of the conference’s most consistently solid defenses. I expect the Cowboys to allow a lot less points this year.

Unfortunately for the Wyoming faithful, there are some serious concerns about the schedule. Featuring only six home games, the Cowboys must travel to Colorado, Florida Atlantic, Utah, Air Force and rival Colorado State. Furthermore, their home schedule includes BYU, TCU, UNLV and Texas! Schedule aside, I think that the Cowboys will be a much better team this year. They should field one of the conference’s toughest defenses and could easily double their scoring from 2008 if they can find a serviceable quarterback. I also can’t imagine Wyoming posting a turnover margin anywhere near as terrible as last season’s minus 22 mark, which should put their defense in a lot better position in 2009. I really think that Wyoming football will be a much improved product but with three tough non-conference games, the Cowboys will be hard pressed to earn bowl eligibility.

Wyoming Big Games: Sept. 12th vs. Texas, Sept. 19th @ Colorado, Oct. 17th @ Air Force, Oct. 31st @ Utah, Nov. 7th vs. BYU, Nov. 21st vs. TCU, Nov. 27th @ Colorado State

Wyoming’s Strength:

The coaching staff has done a pretty good job updating the talent on the roster. The most pressing need was at quarterback and junior college transfer Robert Benjamin was a decent pickup. However, Karsten Sween won the job in the spring and should be the quarterback. Sween started in 2007, but struggled with his decision making. Time and experience should help in that regard and it has already begun to show during the spring. However, Sween needs some help from the rest of the offense. Receivers Greg Bolling, Brandon Stewart and David Leonard are back, as is tight end Jesson Salyards, so Sween should have plenty of options down field. Coach Christensen traditionally does not rely much on the ground game, but running backs Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon combined to rush for nearly 2,000 yards last year and they will not be easy to replace.

Wyoming’s Weakness:

While the offense adjusts to the new system, the defense will have to carry this team. With eight starters returning, the prospects sound promising, but the Cowboys defense needs to replace a few key contributors. Linebackers Ward Dobbs and Mike Juergens will be difficult to replace and that will put a lot of pressure on players like Weston Johnson and Gabe Knapton to step up and be leaders. The biggest problem is on the defensive line where Wyoming struggled to get into the backfield. Tackle John Fletcher is the only player on the team who has proven that he can consistently get to the quarterback and the new staff has to come up with some schemes to get somebody into the backfield. Otherwise the secondary, even though they return three starters, will not rank second in the conference in pass defense again this year.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Cowboys:

The only highlight of Coach Joe Glenn’s last season with Wyoming was the win over Tennessee; and even then the offense struggled to score points. Everybody expects Coach Christensen to turn Wyoming’s offense into Missouri’s offense overnight, but it will not happen. Surely the team will average more than 12.67 points per game, but it would be impossible to do any worse than that. In time, if the recruiting continues to go well, Wyoming could be a player in the Mountain West Conference, but it will take a couple years.

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