www.trib.com/articles/2007/11/25/sports/uwsports/8a083fa26921ce838725739e0002afb8.txt
LARAMIE n Something had to give, and Wyoming didn't waste much time.
Less than 24 hours after the Cowboys closed out their disappointing season with a 36-28 loss in the Border War at Colorado State, UW coach Joe Glenn shook up his staff and fired offensive coordinator Bill Cockhill.
The move itself was a long time coming and no surprise, though the swift action could be considered a bit of a shock given Glenn's long-standing loyalty.
"The time came to make a change at offensive coordinator," Glenn said. "We're going to open a national search and see if we can get somebody in here to kick start our offense."
Offense wasn't the only problem for the 5-7 Cowboys, but even with one of the worst special teams units in the country, Glenn said this is going to be the only change he'll make.
Glenn didn't indicate a specific timetable or identify any favorites in the national search, but the process will likely be over by Christmas and he's not going to hire somebody he doesn't already know.
Glenn has spent the last eight years building a relationship with Cockhill, but the offensive regression has been hard to ignore lately and the pathetic production over the second half of the season highlighted the writing on the wall.
The Cowboys averaged barely more than 15 points per game while dropping six of their last seven games, falling quickly out of conference contention and coughing up a bowl bid even after a 4-1 start.
Cockhill was also listed as UW's quarterbacks coach, and starter Karsten Sween's struggles this season were perhaps the most glaring for the Cowboys.
After a promising freshman season, Sween threw 17 interceptions and often lacked decisiveness in the pocket, a frequent criticism of Cockhill's signal-callers.
The sophomore didn't take any questions from the media after Friday's loss to the Rams, instead offering a statement and retreating back to the locker room.
"I just want to say that I played as hard as I could (Friday) for the state of Wyoming and the football team," Sween said. "I left it all out on the field, and that's one thing I know I'm going to do as best I can.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can this offseason to be the best quarterback in this league, this conference next year. I just want to say sorry to all the fans for how this season went, but just know that I left it all on the line and we came up a little short."
That rarely happened during his breakthrough campaign last year when he posted a 5-2 record as the starter, but late this season defenses around the league seemed to have figured Sween out.
It didn't help that he was largely relegated to throwing screen passes and short crossing patterns, though he never criticized Cockhill or the play-calling during the tough closing stretch.
He seemed ill-suited for the no-huddle or the zone-option rushing attack the Cowboys tried to install this season, and considering how heavily invested Glenn is in Sween, the next offense figures to be geared toward his strengths.
"This wasn't easy at all, and I have a lot of respect for (Cockhill)," Glenn said. "We're just trying to find an identity that we can hang our hat on."
And they have no intention of waiting long to do it.
Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or [email protected]
Cowboys Tracker
n SATURDAY: After Wyoming's discouraging 36-28 loss in the Border War to end the season on Friday, coach Joe Glenn started the offseason by firing offensive coordinator Bill Cockhill.
n OVER AND OUT: The Cowboys were one of the nation's least efficient offenses in Cockhill's fifth season at UW, starting with the startling struggles of his quarterbacks and their 19 interceptions. Cockhill had one year left on his contract at a base salary of $123,000
n UP NEXT: Glenn offered no favorites in the national search for a replacement, but said it would be somebody he already knew. The process figures to be over by Christmas.
LARAMIE n Something had to give, and Wyoming didn't waste much time.
Less than 24 hours after the Cowboys closed out their disappointing season with a 36-28 loss in the Border War at Colorado State, UW coach Joe Glenn shook up his staff and fired offensive coordinator Bill Cockhill.
The move itself was a long time coming and no surprise, though the swift action could be considered a bit of a shock given Glenn's long-standing loyalty.
"The time came to make a change at offensive coordinator," Glenn said. "We're going to open a national search and see if we can get somebody in here to kick start our offense."
Offense wasn't the only problem for the 5-7 Cowboys, but even with one of the worst special teams units in the country, Glenn said this is going to be the only change he'll make.
Glenn didn't indicate a specific timetable or identify any favorites in the national search, but the process will likely be over by Christmas and he's not going to hire somebody he doesn't already know.
Glenn has spent the last eight years building a relationship with Cockhill, but the offensive regression has been hard to ignore lately and the pathetic production over the second half of the season highlighted the writing on the wall.
The Cowboys averaged barely more than 15 points per game while dropping six of their last seven games, falling quickly out of conference contention and coughing up a bowl bid even after a 4-1 start.
Cockhill was also listed as UW's quarterbacks coach, and starter Karsten Sween's struggles this season were perhaps the most glaring for the Cowboys.
After a promising freshman season, Sween threw 17 interceptions and often lacked decisiveness in the pocket, a frequent criticism of Cockhill's signal-callers.
The sophomore didn't take any questions from the media after Friday's loss to the Rams, instead offering a statement and retreating back to the locker room.
"I just want to say that I played as hard as I could (Friday) for the state of Wyoming and the football team," Sween said. "I left it all out on the field, and that's one thing I know I'm going to do as best I can.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can this offseason to be the best quarterback in this league, this conference next year. I just want to say sorry to all the fans for how this season went, but just know that I left it all on the line and we came up a little short."
That rarely happened during his breakthrough campaign last year when he posted a 5-2 record as the starter, but late this season defenses around the league seemed to have figured Sween out.
It didn't help that he was largely relegated to throwing screen passes and short crossing patterns, though he never criticized Cockhill or the play-calling during the tough closing stretch.
He seemed ill-suited for the no-huddle or the zone-option rushing attack the Cowboys tried to install this season, and considering how heavily invested Glenn is in Sween, the next offense figures to be geared toward his strengths.
"This wasn't easy at all, and I have a lot of respect for (Cockhill)," Glenn said. "We're just trying to find an identity that we can hang our hat on."
And they have no intention of waiting long to do it.
Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or [email protected]
Cowboys Tracker
n SATURDAY: After Wyoming's discouraging 36-28 loss in the Border War to end the season on Friday, coach Joe Glenn started the offseason by firing offensive coordinator Bill Cockhill.
n OVER AND OUT: The Cowboys were one of the nation's least efficient offenses in Cockhill's fifth season at UW, starting with the startling struggles of his quarterbacks and their 19 interceptions. Cockhill had one year left on his contract at a base salary of $123,000
n UP NEXT: Glenn offered no favorites in the national search for a replacement, but said it would be somebody he already knew. The process figures to be over by Christmas.
