Behind the Numbers: One Last Look at Wyoming’s 2024 Defense

LARAMIE -- Aaron Bohl said he was beyond tired of pouring over last season's game film.

Mistakes, missed assignments and a serious lack of depth glares at him through the screen, serving as a constant reminder of failure during his first year as Wyoming's defensive coordinator. If he learned one lesson from that forgettable 3-9 campaign it's this: He doesn't want to call games on Saturdays.

Huh?

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"Right now is the most important time of year for us," Bohl said back in April, referring to a slate of 15 spring practices. "We are establishing a culture, establishing fundamentals and establishing an attitude of how we play to get back to where we were. That stuff doesn't get fixed once you get in the season."

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Bohl's side of the ball received the most drastic makeover this offseason. He knew it was coming -- and necessary.

Edge rushers Sabastian Harsh, Ethan Day and Braden Siders all entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. So did 290-pound tackle Jaden Williams and starting cornerbacks Keany Parks, Tyrecus Davis and Wrook Brown. Both safeties -- Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White -- exhausted their eligibility. So did linebacking duo Shae Suiaunoa and Connor Shay. Six-year veterans Jordan Bertagnole and DeVonne Harris did, too.

It's a fresh start, Bohl said. One he was eager for.

"I learned more last year than I've learned in any year of coaching in my life," he admitted. "That was frustrating, but it was good. I feel like I've grown a lot."

The Cowboys' offense returns 80% of its production from 2024, including quarterback Kaden Anderson and a trio of his favorite targets like tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and wideouts Chris Durr Jr. and Jaylan Sargent.

The defense, according to ESPN, welcomes back just 32%.

How barebones is this situation? Here are some stats to chew on: 148 tackles (out of 745), 4 sacks, 3 pass breakups, a forced and recovered fumble. Defensive end Tyce Westland is responsible for the latter two, along with three quarterback takedowns and 41 of those stops.

Without him: 107 tackles, a sack, 3 pass breakups.

That's what Bohl had to build on. That's also why he spent the spring pulling what hair he has left right out of his head.

"No doubt, it's driving me absolutely nuts," he said with a grin. "But we'll get them corrected. We have good players on the offense that are going to give us some good looks."

Who has stood out this offseason? Bohl pointed to the few returners he did have in guys like tackles Ben Florentine and Jayden Williams. Ian Bell and Jones Thomas could be major contributors in the secondary. Linebacker Evan Eller, who redshirted a year ago, has been around the ball throughout camp. Until a knee sprain slowed him down, the same could be said for his running mate Gary Rutherford.

The starting backend could consist of players from schools like Portland State, Snow College and Marcer. Linebackers, Oklahoma Baptist and Lindenwood. There are now a pair of pass rushers from Riverside City College (Calif.)

Head coach Jay Sawvel said he was in the market for players with something to prove, guys who live and breathe football.

Bohl thinks they found just that.

"The best teams are the ones that have a chip on the shoulder, the ones that constantly just feel pressure because the margins of winning and losing are never that much," he said. "If you have guys that every day feel like they're being pressed and pushed, you're going to be in good shape."

We will begin to see it all play out in just six days when the Pokes open the season at Akron:

Total Defense (National rank: 103rd; Mountain West: 9th)

Wyoming allowed nearly 411 yards of total offense per game last fall. Only San Diego State (421.3), Utah State (470.1) and New Mexico (492.1) were worse. We saw the Cowboys' offense put a season-high 604 on the latter in Albuquerque last November. Bohl's unit allowed opposing offenses to pick up a mind-boggling 6.5 yards per play in 2024. Only the Lobos were worse at 6.8. Air Force, per usual, featured the stingiest defense in the conference, allowing just 341.9 yards an outing.

Passing Defense (National rank: 68th; Mountain West: 6th)

Middle of that pack. That's how you can describe Wyoming's pass defense a year ago -- on the surface. You always have to keep in mind, when you face an option attack annually, like Air Force, these numbers will be skewed a bit. Jack Wagner, Idaho's third-string QB, only threw for 101 yards in a game of keep away last September then was capped with a 17-13 upset, too. What you did see with your own eyes was back-to-back weeks where BYU and North Texas torched the Cowboys' battered secondary for 318 yards through the air. Opponents averaged 12.4 yards a catch (218.9 per game) and found the end zone 16 times.

Rushing Defense (National rank: 111th; Mountain West: 8th)

These numbers hurt the soul. Wyoming, which typically featured one of the top run-stopping units in the Mountain West, was pushed around and bullied throughout the 2024 campaign. Sure, injuries played a major role. Lack of depth, though, exposed plenty of holes. Opponents gashed the Cowboys to the tune of 5.5 yards per carry and nearly 192 yards per game. The black eye from a season ago, of course, was letting New Mexico signal caller Devon Dampier and running back Eli Sanders run wild, rolling up 412 yards and five touchdowns on the ground on just 29 attempts. It was as ugly as it sounds. Bad news: Dampier is now at Utah -- Wyoming's Week-3 opponent.

Third-Down Defense (National rank: 1st; Mountain West 1st)

Yes, you read that right -- No. 1 in the country. Crazy, right? Wyoming, despite being a shell of itself last fall compared to year's past, limited offenses to just 37 conversions on 143 attempts. It's still hard to believe. The next closest conference team was UNLV, which held its opponents to 65-of-201. The worst in the Mountain West? That title belonged to Nevada: 87-of-166. This was by far the highlight for Bohl's defense in '24.

Fourth-Down Defense (National rank: 57th; Mountain West 1st)

Wyoming was so stingy on third down it seemed like at the time, fourth down was the biggest letdown. Turns out, it really wasn't. The Cowboys' batted .500 in this all-important category, allowing offenses to pick up 11-of-22 opportunities. San Jose State and Boise State were also tied atop the league.

Team Sacks (National rank: 125th; Mountain West: 10th)

Here's a stat that needs a big kick in the rear end in '25. Wyoming managed to tally just 15 sacks last fall, led by Siders, who finished with 3.5. He's now on the edge at West Virginia. Westland did register three and Florentine had one. Nevada finished with 14 sacks and New Mexico pulled up the rear with 11. Boise State, which of course punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff, landed 55 in 14 games. Will Peter Eyabi, Esaia Bogar, Chisom Ifeanyi or Brayden Wilson, among others, have any answers this fall? Sawvel and Co. better hope so.

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Turnovers Gained (National Rank: 123rd; Mountain West: 11th)

And here's another stat that must see marked improvement if the Cowboys hope to reach the postseason or challenge for a conference crown. Wyoming forced just 11 turnovers in 12 games. You don't have to be a mathematician to know that's not good enough. Six of those were interceptions -- three of which came from Brown who is now at the University of Houston -- and five were via the fumble recovery. Only New Mexico finished with less, 10.

Red-Zone Defense (National Rank: 130th; Mountain West: 12th)

When the opposition reached the Cowboys' 20-yard-line, it was all but a guarantee they were putting points on the board. Only three programs -- UMass, Ball State and Louisiana -- were worse in this category than Wyoming. In 38 opportunities, offenses scored 36 times. Twenty-two of those were touchdowns, 13 via the rush. fourteen field goals were also tacked on.

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