Spirited Workout Tuesday Exactly What Wyoming Staff Expected

LARAMIE -- Justin Popovich ran a 5-yard out, reeled in the quick pass, planted his right foot in the ground and turned up field.

Well, sorta.

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The 6-foot-3, 209-pound wideout was crudely met by cornerback BJ Inmon, who immediately -- and emphatically -- dropped the Lock Haven transfer before slowly stepping over him to celebrate.

The crack of that hit echoed Tuesday inside the Cowboys' indoor practice facility. So did the thunderous bellowing from teammates and onlookers.

"I thought that we had a really good intent today, coming off the scrimmage," Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said, following the team's 10th practice of the spring. "I thought that was the No. 1 thing that we wanted to get."

Sophomore cornerback Tyson Shamsid-Deen jawed back and forth with Popovich after that booming hit, telling him he was "holding" downfield during the next series of snaps because of the embarrassment.

The senior wideout didn't back down.

In fact, he made a handful of impressive grabs in the 24-period workout. It was a far cry from last Saturday's 95-play scrimmage that featured at least a dozen drops, according to Sawvel. Outside guys struggled. So did tight ends and running backs.

Not on this day.

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Deion DeBlanc had his best outing of the spring, Sawvel said, finding soft spots deep in the secondary during 7-on-7 drills. Quarterback Tyler Hughes connected on back-to-back long balls, too, hitting Bricen Brantley and Eric Richardson in stride on what would've been 60-yard scoring strikes in a real game.

PJ Jackson also laid out for a pass down the south sideline, initially bobbling the Mason Drube toss before securing it with both hands as he landed on the turf. Running back Samuel Harris made a similar grab, beating rookie linebacker Mason Wright on an out-and-up pattern.

Tyler Hampton made a one-handed catch over the middle. Fellow tight end Gage Brook drew the approval of his offensive unit when he adjusted his 6-foot-4 frame mid-air to snare a back-shoulder throw.

"I thought, offensively, the tempo that we played at wasn't good enough," Sawvel said, referring to the scrimmage. "I thought, in the perimeter, we didn't block well enough. We needed to be much more physical on the perimeter than what we were on Saturday. Then, obviously, we had way too many drops."

Sawvel said though he was pleased with the pass-catchers in this two-plus hour workout, he quickly shifted his focus to the players those guys beat down the field. True freshman corner Kendall Griffin was victimized by Brantley. Richardson got the better of Weber State transfer Logan Mackey and the longest-tenured member of this secondary, Ian Bell. Linebacker Dash Bauman couldn't do anything about that perfectly-placed throw to Hampton.

Rookie safety Therman "Boogie" Williams could only secure the tackle on Brooks, who until just a few weeks ago was a backup quarterback.

"We got a lot of really good work in the secondary today," Sawvel added. "We have a lot of progress that we still have to make ... We have to get corner improved."

The Cowboys will return to the practice field Thursday where they will shed the pads and instead wear "spiders," a lightweight protective gear for the shoulders. Sawvel said he wants to give his team a breather before what he hopes is another spirited scrimmage on Saturday.

EXTRA POINTS:

* If the season started today, it appears the starting offensive line would look like this: Rex Johnsen (from left to right), Chandler Donaway, Jason Maciejczak, Giovanni Panozzo and Braylon Jenkins. Their reserves would be: Caleb Hall (again, from left to right), Kalvin Janssen, Johnathan Bush, Brandt Rice and Josiah Petaia. Offensive line coach Joe Tripodi said last Saturday nothing is set in stone. "There's still some things up in the air, so, like, we still got to figure out the best combination that we can play to help the Cowboys win," he said.

* Johnsen, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior, spent the early portion of practice Tuesday losing his lunch in a nearby trash can. Despite that, the Iowa product never left the field and took part in a series of 1-on-1 drills.

* Donaway has a mean streak. The 307-pound East Texas A&M transfer manhandled his opposition for a majority of the evening, including "pancaking" a number of pass rushers. He will likely replace Wes King at the guard spot after the senior bolted this offseason for West Virginia. A source told me today Donaway "is a way better all-around player" and he spent the previous three years at some "small school in Texas."

* Linebacker Steven Perez and tight end Landon Pace had a heated exchange in the end zone during a pass-protection drill. The redshirt freshmen locked on to one another and no one was giving an inch. That's what you want to see this time of year.

* Nikos Varelas, a little-known walk-on running back from San Antonio, impressed his position coach Gary Harrell Tuesday by juking linebacker Anthony Beavers in a one-on-one passing period. All it took was one cut and a head fake and the USC transfer was headed north while Varelas cruised south.

* Gage Brook looks awfully comfortable at his new position. The quarterback-turned-tight end has made a number of plays in the passing game this spring, including the nice adjustment listed in the story above. "He's better than I thought he'd be," one source told me.

* Wyoming was shorthanded in the receiver room. Jackson Holman (concussion) and Ky'Lyn Washom (illness) both missed practice. Holman simply said, "the ground always wins," referring to a collision in Saturday's scrimmage. He hopes to return Thursday.

* Popovich reminds me a lot of former Denver legend Ed McCaffrey. Not only is he a tall, lanky wideout, he gets dirty. His jersey used to be white. Tuesday, it appeared to be dirt-stained. His entire midriff is exposed, which means the scratches and scrapes are, too, including a nasty-looking bruise in the kidney area. There's nothing flashy about the senior, he just goes to work. What really gave me the Eddie Mac vibe was the crushing blow he took from Inmon. He simply popped up and returned to the huddle. The only thing missing was the constant neck cracking.

* Samuel "Tote" Harris is the real deal. You can read all about the all-around back right HERE.

* Who is going to step up in this young cornerback room? Ian Bell has been here the longest. Will it be him? Read all about the redshirt junior right HERE.

* Wyoming's defensive tackle room is razor-thin right now, losing two more players to injury on Tuesday. What's the outlook for that group? You can find that HERE.

* Tyler Hughes, just days after making the decision to cap his collegiate career under center in Laramie, had a phone conversation with the program's most-famous alumnus, Josh Allen. What did the two signal callers discuss? Check that out HERE.

* Have you signed your youngster up for the upcoming Logan Wilson football camps in Laramie and/ or Casper? You can find all that info HERE.