Fall Camp Central
The competitive spirit of the 2017 Wyoming Football team was on full display in Thursday’s fourth practice of fall camp. From the very first period of 11-on-11 through the final play of practice, the offensive and defensive units battled back and forth with explosive plays being made on both sides of the ball.
The Cowboy coaching staff has two new coaches on staff entering the 2017 season. Both defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton and safeties coach Jake Dickert joined the Cowboys last spring. Both also previously coached with Cowboy head coach Craig Bohl at North Dakota State.
Learn More About Scottie Hazelton by Clicking Here
Learn More About Jake Dickert by Clicking Here
Notes from Thursday’s practice, quotes from Coach Bohl on Day Four of Fall Camp and bios of Hazelton and Dickert follow.
Thursday’s Practice Notes
·The Cowboy coaching staff started practice out differently on Thursday, beginning with a PUP, Pass-Under-Pressure, period to challenge the offense to make decisions under pressure. A variety of blitzes were incorporated into that period from new defensive coordinator Hazelton’s defensive unit.
·Competitiveness was definitely on display in Thursday’s final 11-on-11 period of practice. Following an interception by safety Marcus Epps, the Cowboys’ No. 1 offense bounced right back with big pass plays from quarterback Josh Allen to wide receiver C.J. Johnson down the middle and tight end Tyree Mayfield down the sideline.
·Thursday’s practice concluded on a forced turnover by the Cowboy linebacking corps. Weak-side linebacker Ben Wisdorf tipped a pass that was intercepted by middle linebacker Adam Pilapil, who returned the interception for a touchdown.
·A couple young defensive tackles have been seen rotating in with the No. 1 and 2 defensive units. Ravontae Holt and Javaree Jackson have both been taking some reps with the top defensive units. Jackson made an impressive play for a young defensive lineman when he anticipated a screen pass and forced the offense to throw the ball away.
·On the offensive line, freshman center Patrick Arnold is taking some snaps with the No. 1 and No. 2 offensive units. He is sharing those reps with sophomore Gavin Rush, who started every game for the Cowboys at left guard a year ago but was moved to center during 2017 spring drills. With the loss of 2016 All-America center Chase Roullier, the Cowboy coaching staff is trying to determine the best combination of players on the O-Line to replace Roullier. Redshirt freshman Jace Webb came out of spring as the projected starter at left guard with Rush at center. Webb and Rush have also both been sharing reps at left guard in fall camp.
·Running backs Milo Hall, Nico Evans and Kellen Overstreet continue to share snaps with the top offensive unit. Hall came out of spring practice No. 1 on the depth chart with Evans and Overstreet sharing the No. 2 spot.
·Freshman punter Tim Zaleski continues to punt the ball well. He averaged 40.7 yards per punt on nine punts on Thursday, including long punts of 50 and 51 yards.
·On the injury front, senior fullback Drew Van Maanen (hamstring) and senior nose tackle Sidney Malauulu (back) were both at practice on Thursday but didn’t participate in contact. Bohl said they would both be brought back over time. Redshirt freshman linebacker Skyler Miller and junior linebacker/nickel Chavez Pownell Jr. both had slight hamstring strains, but nothing that should keep those two out of practice according to Bohl.
·Thursday’s practice was conducted in 1/2 pads. Friday’s practice will be the first practice this fall that the Cowboys will be in full pads.
Quoting the Coach (Quotes from Head Coach Craig Bohl)
“There was a lot of energy out their today,” said Bohl. “We did start out practice with a third-down-and-long, pass-under-pressure series. I thought our defense looked pretty explosive. We’ll watch the tape to see if it was because we were playing so well on defense or if we were doing some things marginally on offense. There is always a balance there, but without question I think we’re further along with our defensive front and have more athleticism and guys with more explosive abilities. That is going to be an area that is really going to help our defense this year.
“I think our kicking game is coming around well. You’re always concerned when you loose a senior punter like Ethan (Wood), but I think (Tim) Zaleski has really done a good job. He’s striking the ball well, and we’re pleased with that.
“We continue to install a lot of our offensive and defensive systems as we go through camp. I believe we’re making progress there. That is always a process. You would like it to look perfect, but if it were all perfect we wouldn’t need to practice. We are utilizing all 29 practices available to us leading up to our first game. It is important for us to take every advantage of the practices we have available to develop our football team.”
When Asked About Any Young Defensive Linemen That He and His Staff Are Looking at to Possibly Play in 2017
“Inside, we’re looking at Ravontae Holt,” said Bohl. “I think he can bring something special. He’s still a little bit under-sized but I think he has some excellent strength and along with that has good quickness. At defensive end, I don’t see any freshmen rising to that level right now, but certainly at defensive tackle I think we need to take a hard look at one of those freshmen to provide added depth. Right now I would say Ravontae may be a little bit ahead of the others.”
When Asked About Freshman Punter Tim Zaleski
“There were a couple things we liked about him coming out of high school,” said Bohl. “First of all, he’s got long levers (legs). He was a real good athlete out of St. Rita High School in Chicago. He’s got a competitive nature, which is a skill set that you’re always looking for. There is no doubt about his ability. I’ve seen him connect on a couple punts of 60 yards. He hasn’t had a chance to punt in a game yet. There is always a difference between practice and a game, but I think he’s going to have a great career here.”
Friday Will be the First Day of Full Pads for the Cowboys in Fall Camp and Bohl Was Asked About Friday’s Practice
“We will have some drills in tomorrow’s practice to help us evaluate our players in full pads,” said Bohl. “There are going to be some activities in tomorrow’s practice that will be a little bit more aggressive, but we also have to keep in mind a balance. If we’re going to use all 29 practices, you can’t have a hit fest everyday. You have to spread some of those activities out.”
Bohl was Also Asked to Comment on the Cowboys New Long Snapper, Kolton Donovan
“Losing Brendan Turelli (a four-year starter) to graduation was a key loss,” said Bohl. “Not a lot of people may have known who he was, and that was a good thing because he never made any mistakes. But we think Donnie (Kolton Donovan) has really come along. The team has embraced him, and he has a good competitive nature, as well.”The competitive spirit of the 2017 Wyoming Football team was on full display in Thursday’s fourth practice of fall camp. From the very first period of 11-on-11 through the final play of practice, the offensive and defensive units battled back and forth with explosive plays being made on both sides of the ball.
