Vorel: Six wins are likely Wyoming's ceiling in 2014
8 hours ago • By MIKE VOREL Star-Tribune staff writer
Define: Process.
Merriam-Webster would tell you it's "a series of actions that produce something or that lead to a particular result." But in this case, let's jump a little further down the rabbit hole.
When applied to Wyoming head football coach Craig Bohl, those "actions" include recruiting a tougher brand of football player, installing a fat-trimming, will-testing, win-forging training regimen, and leading practices with double reps and more dry heaves than sluggish walk-throughs. The "particular result" is a championship. Bohl, who is entering his first season at Wyoming after leading FCS North Dakota State to three consecutive national titles, has been quick to emphasize "the process" since arriving in Laramie. "It's a process. Anything that’s built that’s great will take some time," he said at Mountain West football media days in July.
In fact, the first-year coach has thrown around the word with dizzying regularity, wasting little time in tempering expectations.
Unproven quarterback play? It's a process. Lack of depth? Process. Vulnerable to big plays?
You guessed it. Time and effort will yield the intended result.
So what should "process" mean to hopeful Wyoming football fans?
Basically, Bohl believes the Cowboys will win. But maybe not just yet.
Take a look at the path ahead, and it's easy to see why. Wyoming is greeted in its non-conference slate by two top-10 teams in Oregon and Michigan State -- both games on the road, to pile on -- as well as Florida Atlantic, which enters the 2014 season riding the wave of a four-game winning streak, and Montana, which ranks No. 5 in the FCS preseason poll. By the time the Cowboys mercifully reach conference play, they may be fresh out of bullets.
Even if all the dominoes fall as planned -- Wyoming's offensive line flourishes in a run-heavy attack, Bohl finds the program's next reliable quarterback and the shift to a 4-3 defense results in less running lanes and fewer big plays allowed -- this schedule still may not yield six wins or a bowl berth. However, it's not impossible. In Bohl's first season at North Dakota State in 2003, he took a team that crawled to a 2-8 mark the year before and finished 8-3. He would have only one losing season in 11 years in Fargo. Some processes are shorter than others. Plus, the shelf isn't totally bare. The Cowboys return 17 starters in 2014, including nine on defense.
Still, the challenges can't be ignored. Wyoming is facing a boat-sized void at quarterback, where Brett Smith carried the bucking horse on his shoulders for much of the last three seasons. The move from a spread offense to a west-coast attack is like learning a new language, and Bohl and offensive coordinator Brent Vigen lack all of the players necessary to run it the way they have so successfully in the past. These Cowboys are hungry to win, but they may not be capable. While the future is bright, six wins is a best-case scenario in the present. There's a reason that Bohl has emphasized "the process," one that exists conveniently without a definite timetable. It's because Rome wasn't built in a day. Or an offseason. Before they can win, the Cowboys first have to battle. Every empire needs a beginning, after all.
Know the Foe: Montana football feature athletic, talented defensive line
Posted: Friday, August 29, 2014 8:00 am
By Scott Nulph [email protected]
University of Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said in his introductory news conference back in January that one of the keys to a successful football team is having a dominant defensive line.
So, it’s somewhat ironic that Wyoming will see one of the best defensive lines in the Football Championship Subdivision on Saturday when the Cowboys host Montana at 2 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium.
The Grizzlies feature a veteran group led by senior defensive end Zack Wagenmann and senior nose tackle Tonga Takai. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Wagenmann was voted preseason defensive player of the year in the Big Sky, while he was joined by Takai (6-3, 310) on the All-Big Sky preseason first team. The two are part of a group that held opponents to 143 rushing yards and 22 points a game last year while recording 29 sacks — 8½ by Wagenmann.
“Zack Wagenmann is an outstanding defensive end,” Bohl said. “He plays with a great motor. The group up there will pose a big challenge for us. Those four-down guys can really wreak some havoc. We don’t have a real experienced offensive line, and there’s a new system that’s come into play. “We will be challenged by those guys up front.” Montana’s other two starters on the defensive line are senior tackle Travor Rehm (6-3, 265) and junior defensive end Tyrone Holmes (6-4, 245). Even the Grizzlies’ backups are veterans, with three juniors listed among the second-stringers.
Montana is no stranger to the Wyoming coaching staff, most of whom came from three-time FCS champion North Dakota State. During the past couple of years, that staff has seen Montana game film in preparation for other games. Last year, NDSU would have played Montana in the second round of the FCS playoffs, but the Griz were upset by Coastal Carolina in the first round.
UW’s coaches know what kind of talent they’ll see in Montana’s defensive line. “They’ve got some stout guys up there that are coached very well and play really hard,” said UW offensive line coach Scott Fuchs. “They never quit and you always see them playing hard into the fourth quarter. They know what to do and they do it very hard.”
Montana’s defensive front will be a big challenge to a UW offensive line that not only starts only one senior, but has also had to learn a new way of doing things. The Cowboys are moving from the spread offense of recent years to the West Coast offense.
“It will be a great challenge for us as an O-line to come out and answer the questions of the last few years about toughness, how hard we really want to hit,” said UW junior center Rafe Kiely. “With this new offense, we’ll get to answer those questions.
“You’re going to see a lot more people attacking their blocks, double blocks, all the stuff you love as an offensive lineman. People on the ground, bodies piling up, that’s what we love to see.”
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Know the Foe: Montana
— Record: 0-0 Big Sky/0-0 overall
— Coach: Mick Delaney (3rd year, 15-9; 5th year overall, 20-20-1)
— Key players: Offense, QB Jordan Johnson (Sr., 6-1, 195), RB Jordan Canada (Sr., 5-9, 190), WR Ellis Henderson (Jr., 6-0, 185), LG Jordan Hines (Sr., 6-4, 285), RT Devon Dietrich (So., 6-4, 270); Defense, DE Zack Wagenmann (Sr., 6-3, 255), NT Tonga Takai (Sr., 6-2, 310), CB Joshua Dennard (Sr., 5-11, 194), CB Nate Harris (Jr., 5-10, 180), FS Matt Hermanson (Sr., 6-1, 202).
— Notable: Montana returns five starters on offense and five on defense from a team that went 10-3 last season and earned a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. … Montana is ranked fifth in the preseason Sports Network preseason poll. … Grizzlies quarterback Jordan Johnson is on the Payton Award Watch List to start the season. The Payton Award is FCS’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. Despite that, Johnson wasn’t picked as the All-Big Sky’s preseason quarterback. That went to Eastern Washington’s Vernon Adams. … Montana has recorded a winning season in 27 of the last 28 years. … Montana last played Wyoming on Oct. 4, 1997. UW won 28-13 in Laramie. … Big Sky teams will play Football Bowl Subdivision teams 17 times in 2014. The Mountain West leads the way with eight, followed by the Pac-12 with seven. … Montana did not play at FBS team last season.
UW-Montana football Q&A
Posted: Thursday, August 28, 2014 8:00 am By WyoSports staff
WyoSports senior editor Robert Gagliardi did a question-and-answer session with Bill Speltz, who covers Montana football for the Missoulian newspaper in Missoula, Montana, about Saturday's game with the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Twitter: @billspeltz
How vital is senior quarterback Jordan Johnson to the offense, and who does the offense and the dynamic of this entire team change when he's not in the lineup?
He is easily the most important player on the team. To give you an example, when he was unable to play in 2012 because he was fighting a nationally-publicized sexual assault charge, Montana went 5-6. He came back and Montana went 10-3 last season. He's an accurate passer and extremely smart - a high school coach's son. Just as important with a young line, he has the ability to make something out of nothing with his scrambling. In his absence, Montana would probably go with redshirt senior Shay Smithwick-Hann, who has struggled as a starter in the past.
What is the status of the team's two starting offensive tackles, who have battled injuries during camp? If they can't play, who does that impact the offense?
My hunch is that neither Trevor Poole (back) nor John Schmaing (appendicitis, academics) will play. (It was announced this week that Schmaing is out for the season due to academics). They will be replaced by sophomores Jackson Thiebes (left) and Devon Dietrich (right). Both are inexperienced but have had the luxury of playing with the No. 1 offense all August. Both also believe they will be well-prepared for Aug. 30 because they face dynamic defensive ends in practice every day.
Sounds like the Griz are stout on defense. What are the strengths, and are there any weaknesses?
I'd say potentially solid. They have a tremendous front and a mostly-veteran secondary but are inexperienced at linebacker. Free safety Matt Hermanson has piled up a ton of tackles in his career. End Zack Wagenmann is an NFL prospect. The Griz struggled to stop the pass last year, especially when pitted against a scrambling quarterback.
What kind of buzz is there for this game around Missoula and the state? Even though Montana is FCS playing at a FBS school I would imagine it feels confident it can go into Laramie and win.
The Griz football team is the biggest attraction in Montana. It averages around 26,000 fans at home, which from what I've gathered is more than Wyoming. The state stands still for home games and the governor is usually present. Because Montana is 0-13 against the Cowboys I'd say they're cautiously optimistic. There's a great deal of respect for Bohl around here, and Montana's question marks on the offensive line and at LB have fans wondering. Plus Montana is a little shaky at place-kicker.
How do you see this game unfolding, and what is your predicted final score?
I think it's going to be close. I think it plays into Montana's favor that Wyoming no longer runs a pass-happy spread. I think Montana's experience at quarterback could make the difference, although Wyoming has a battle-tested defense that is sure to blitz. Because (UW quarterback) Colby Kirkegaard is so untested I'll say Montana 21, Wyoming 17.
