Pokes Have 'Loaded Deck' in Defensive Trenches

LARAMIE -- Wyoming's 11th practice of fall camp took place in the middle of a driving rain storm that sat over Laramie for a majority of the afternoon.

A drenched Jay Sawvel said post-practice he didn't once think about moving the two-plus hour workout indoors.

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Why?

For one, the Cowboys could likely see rain this fall, especially during the early portion of the schedule. Secondly, the team no longer practices on natural grass, which the third-year head coach said has led to numerous injuries in the past.

Wyoming is now near the halfway point of camp with opening day in Fort Collins just 17 short days away.

What Head Coach Jay Sawvel Had to Say:

“We had a good day and needed to get back out and get after it. It's a big week for everyone in our program because, No. 1, as a football team, we have to improve a lot. Then, No. 2, we have a number of players that this is a big week for: Who's playing? How much will they play? For our calendar, right now, today, we're in a game week structure this week. Today was a hard day. Tomorrow will be a hard day. Thursday we'll practice, but it'll be a little bit scaled back. Friday will kind of just be meetings and a walkthrough. Saturday, we're going to scrimmage."

That exhibition is slated for 4 p.m., the same time kickoff at Colorado State is scheduled for on Sept. 5.

In The Trenches:

The Cowboys have great depth on the interior of the defensive line. Wyoming welcomes back Jayden Williams in the middle. The junior from Bryan, Texas was a preseason All-Mountain West selection as voted on by numerous publications. He had 24 tackles last fall, three of which were for loss.

He is joined by a pair of talented players returning from injury in Dante Drake and Caleb Robinson, who both suffered a torn Achilles tendon last summer.

"It was interesting because a lot of injuries happened pre-camp and then some more injuries happened during the season, so it gave guys opportunities that may not have been penciled in to be a guy to get some reps and develop," defensive tackles coach Deonte Gibson said. "I think just the consistency of the way that these guys talk to each other, the way that they practice, has helped it. The picture looked the same because I thought we went out last year, even with injuries, guys' played their ass off.

"So, now that you have, essentially, a loaded deck, to some degree. Now, it's like, OK, you're fighting to figure out who's on the field first, which, I think, that's a good thing."

Douglas native Tegen Seeds had a strong season last year and will add to the depth. So will Murray State transfer Ja’Quan Redfern, who Sawvel said had a great summer and is like a "totally different person" after an oft-injured spring campaign. Sheridan product Alex Haswell is also in the mix. So is Henry Rehberg, who tore his ACL during his freshman season.

Arguably the biggest surprise in camp has been Tanielu Maafala-Barbasa, who has added roughly 50 pounds to his frame since arriving on campus in January. The freshman from Las Vegas was a standout in last Saturday's scrimmage.

"When he first got here, I was a little bit like, I don't know -- just in terms of where he was at structurally, you know, size-wise," Sawvel said on Tuesday.

Not anymore.

Wyoming also added a trio of others in the offseason, including freshmen MacGregor Byers and Xavier Jackson, along with Hudson Valley Community College transfer Mohanad Nahhas.

* A UW press release contributed to this report

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