Fall Camp Central
The Wyoming Cowboys entered their second week of fall practice on Monday. Head coach Craig Bohl was pleased with the performance of the Cowboy offensive line in a live goal-line period. Bohl said another focus of Monday’s practice was to develop depth at several positions, including defensive line, wide receiver, linebacker and center.
Notes from Monday’s practice and quotes from the head coach Bohl follow.
Monday's Practice Notes
•Junior Marcus Epps returned an interception for a touchdown early in practice during team drills. He tied for the team lead with three interceptions a season ago. He returned those interceptions for 94 yards including a touchdown at Eastern Michigan.
•Sophomore cornerback Tyler Hall also picked up a fumble recovery during the team portion of practice. He will be in the hunt for playing time in a deep defensive backfield for the Pokes. Hall came out of 2017 spring practice listed No. 1 at one of the cornerback spots for the Pokes.
•Junior defensive end Kevin Prosser continued his strong play during camp. He was disruptive in the backfield the entire practice. He led the Pokes with 6.5 sacks last season and 11 tackles for loss.
•Sophomore Pahl Schwab and junior Brinkley Jolly continued battling at the offensive tackle position for the Cowboys. The duo saw action last season and provide depth on the edge for UW. The Cowboys return their starting left tackle in junior Zach Wallace and starting right tackle Ryan Cummings, a senior.
•True freshman wide receiver Jared Scott rotated in with the first team offense for some reps on Monday. The 6-6, 215-pound target caught numerous passes from quarterback Josh Allen. Scott was ranked as a three-star recruit by Scout.com coming out of Oak Park-River Forest High School in Oak Park, Ill.
•Fellow true freshman center Logan Harris also took some reps at center on Monday. The Torrington, Wyo., native helped spring Milo Hall free for a 40-yard run during team drills. Harris may add depth to the center position for the Pokes. Sophomore Gavin Rush, as well as fellow Nebraska native Patrick Arnold also continued to see time at center in Monday’s practice.
•Sophomore wide receiver Austin Conway continues his solid route running and receiving. He caught a touchdown from Allen, as the junior quarterback threaded the needle through two defenders.
•The Cowboys worked on goal-line packages to finish out practice. Sophomore linebacker Cassh Maluia was in the backfield on back-to-back plays to open the drill. Allen got the last word, throwing a touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver C. J. Johnson. Sophomore defensive tackle Brent Gilliland recorded a five-yard tackle for loss during the second phase of the drill.
Quoting the Coach (Quotes from Head Coach Craig Bohl)
“We did some goal-line work today, and were pleased with some of the things we were able to do on offense,” said Bohl. “We were getting some movement up front, which was encouraging.
“Defensively, we continue to move forward in developing depth. We are going to take a hard look at Ravontae Holt. We as a staff think he’s got some really good ability as a defensive tackle.
“Milo Hall continues to show some good things, and Jared Scott is making some plays out there as a young receiver. Not only are we trying to increase our competency and improve our offense, defense and kicking game, but we’re looking to find some depth at certain spots. It’s unrealistic for us to think we will go through the schedule we have with just 11 starters on both sides of the ball. We’re going to need to develop some depth, and that was a point of emphasis today.”
Bohl was Asked if Hall or Any of the Other Running Backs were Emerging or if the Competition was Still Close
“The competition is still fairly close,” said Bohl. “We’ve not had a lot of live work. Today was live but it was pretty contained on just goal-line situations. It’s interesting that you bring that up, because Coach (Brent) Vigen and I had a pretty lengthy conversation before practice about where we’re at with the running back position. We really haven’t had the opportunity one week into fall camp to sort that out.”
Bohl was Also Asked if There Were Any Players Adding to the Depth at Linebacker
“Adam Pilapil does so many good things and can play multiple positions. He is at middle linebacker primarily,” said Bohl. “We’re trying to find a back-up weak-side linebacker for Cassh Maluia. Ben Wisdorf is there, and he and Ryan Gatoloai-Faupula are having a pretty spirited competition. Over at the other side, I think Jalen (Ortiz) is doing a good job at the SAM/Nickel position as is Chavez (Pownell Jr.). Of course we have Logan (Wilson) back in the middle. We’re starting to make some progress there. I think the biggest thing is to nail down who our No. 2 WILL (weak-side) linebacker is.”
Bohl was Asked Where the Competition at Center Stood After Monday’s Practice
“It is a little bit of a mixed bag there. We probably haven’t made as much progress there as we’d like,” said Bohl. “Sometimes our snaps in the shotgun have been off a little bit. Sometimes our movement up front hasn’t been as good as we would like. We’ll continue to evaluate that position, but that is probably an unsettled position right now.
“Logan Harris got some looks today. We’re taking a look at a lot of guys. Logan is a strong, physical guy who’s got a presence. We’re going to give him an opportunity and take a look at him at the center position, along with Gavin Rush and Patrick Arnold.”
The Head Coach was also Asked What the Challenges Were to Finding a Quality Center
“There is so much more to it than just snapping the ball consistently,” said Bohl. “A center has to be as physical as any other offensive lineman, has to help coordinate pass protection changes, has to carry out his blocking assignment and has to carry out the snap count. It really takes a competent player there.”
The Head Coach Also Commented on the Fullback Position Where Senior Drew Van Maanen Has Missed Some Time Due to a Strained Hamstring
“I think Drew (Van Maanen) is getting closer to being back,” said Bohl. “He’s out there suited up, but the number of live repetitions he is doing at this time is limited. Jaylon (Watson) did some good things today. He’s made good progress since spring, and I thought today he made more progress than he had been making.”
Position-by-Position
Running Backs and Fullbacks
Brian Hill set new Wyoming single-season (1,860) and career (4,287) rushing records last season before opting to enter this past year’s NFL Draft following his junior season. The group of returning players looking to take over as the Cowboys’ starting running back include junior Nico Evans, sophomore Milo Hall and redshirt sophomore Kellen Oversteet.
Hall came out of spring practice listed No. 1 on the depth chart, with Evans and Overstreet sharing the No. 2 spot on the two-deep. Hall is a former Colorado high school player of the year at Cherry Creek High School where he led his team to the 5A state championship as a senior. Evans is a former Pac-5 All-CIF honoree in the state of California, and Overstreet was First Team Parade All-American his senior season at Penney High School in Hamilton, Mo.
“Brian (Hill) was such a workhorse and very productive for us,” said Bohl. “He did some phenomenal things throughout his three-year career here.
“The guys we have returning have been sitting in the wings waiting for their opportunity. They had a chance to show what they could do this past spring. I think they’ve all made improvements. While we had separation at the tailback position before, there is probably not as much separation among this group. They all did some good things this spring, and probably exceeded my expectations. We’re pretty happy with the running back position, yet it is unproven.
“Milo Hall and Nico Evans really asserted themselves in spring, as well as Kellen Overstreet did some good things.”
The fullback position is led by senior Drew Van Maanen, who will be entering his fourth season as the starter. Sophomore Jaylon Watson and junior Matt List also return.
“Drew Van Maanen is an experienced senior at the fullback spot,” said Bohl. “That is an important position for us, and Drew has done a really nice job the last couple of years. We also moved Jaylon Watson there in the spring from defensive end. Jaylon played some meaningful reps at fullback during spring practice, and Matt List is a junior and a returning letterman for us.” The Wyoming Cowboys entered their second week of fall practice on Monday. Head coach Craig Bohl was pleased with the performance of the Cowboy offensive line in a live goal-line live. Bohl said another focus of Monday’s practice was to focus on developing depth at several positions, including defensive line, wide receiver, linebacker and center.
