Pokes Practice Report: Disruptive Defensive Front Steals Show

LARAMIE -- Quarterbacks, beware.

With just 25 ticks remaining on the game clock and the ball resting at the opposing 24-yard line, Mason Drube reeled in the shotgun snap and began to survey his downfield options.

Get our free mobile app

That was short-lived.

The second-year signal caller had pressure coming off the right edge, courtesy of defensive end Esaia Bogar. The middle was clogged up, too. Caleb Robinson was also in hot pursuit.

That wasn't all.

Jayden Williams, all 300 pounds of him, shucked his would-be blocker and set his sights on the Gillette product. Drube, who was coasting toward the east sideline, attempting to buy more time, instead took a chance with his legs. He spun around and began to run in the wrong direction.

Williams wasn't fooled.

The junior defensive tackle finally caught up with the QB near the west hash marks, dropping him at the 22-yard line. A play that started just outside the red zone came to a merciless end 34 yards behind the original line of scrimmage.

It was just another Saturday at the office for the big man.

"Never in my life have I seen him run that fast," safety Brooklyn Cheek said with a smile, referring to the native of Bryan, Texas. "But he gets that excited a lot. I feel like they should have blown the whistle because it's JY. JY was going to keep going no matter what.

"I was super excited about that. It's a fun defense."

Tell that to Drube, who landed awkwardly on his knee and never took another snap during the Cowboys' first official scrimmage of fall camp. Jay Sawvel said the redshirt freshman is fine.

So was Williams' pursuit.

"I mean, we don't want him to trip up the quarterback that way," Wyoming's third-year head coach said. "No, I don't want that, but you appreciate the effort."

Williams was one of many defenders who showed up with bad intentions on a cloud-covered afternoon inside War Memorial Stadium.

No stats were kept in this exhibition, but tackles like Ja'Quan Redfern, Dante Drake and rookie Tanielu Maafala-Barbasa certainly passes the eye test.

Redfern, who tips the scales at 288, met 6-foot, 214-pound Markell Holman in the hole early. In what resembled a live "Oklahoma Drill," the Murray State transfer stood his ground, forcing a no gain. Maafala-Barbasa, who goes by the nickname "Tani," also had a one-on-one opportunity in the hole. He promptly disposed of running back Jaden Lawrence.

Edge rusher Jack Dunkley also punished Holman once behind the line of scrimmage.

On the second possession of the afternoon, Tyler Hughes and the No. 1 offense set up shop at their own 2-yard line. Two false starts later, the graduate transfer put the ball in the belly of Holman five yards deep in the end zone. He only made it four before middle linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz dumped him for a safety.

In a real-game situation, Sawvel said, the QB sneak would've been the correct call. A tough lesson instead was learned.

"You have to use cadence to your advantage when you're coming out (of your own end zone)," he said, referring to the back-to-back yellow hankies. "If you can get the defense to jump offside, you get a cheap five yards."

Cheek, who picked off a Hughes' pass during a two-minute drill and laid a big lick on tight end Jake Wilson that sent the sophomore to the sideline, called the two-point play the "best feeling ever."

That was just a microcosm, he added, of what that unit is all about.

"Everybody out there, they just want to run through you," Cheek said. "They just want to hit you. We're all like a family on our defense. That's my favorite thing about this year."

The offense did show signs of life, at times, including an 8-yard scoring strike from Hughes to Charlie Coenen on the offense's first trip inside the opposing 20. The William and Mary transfer heaved a changeup right over the fingertips of safety Jaden DaCosta and into the chest of Coenen, who got inside position on freshman cornerback Kendall Griffin.

"It was just a simple rollout," Coenen added. "I was backside of it, so just trying to get over to Tyler's vision. He ended up seeing me, threw a good ball and I made a play. So, good execution by the offense."

Nico Hamilton and Dontae Burch also found the end zone on the ground, capping a pair of four-minute drives.

Sawvel and Co. held out big names like Samuel "Tote" Harris, Deion DeBlanc, Kyle Frendt, Jackson Holman, Donnie Wingate and Jones Thomas. He said all are dealing with "soft-tissue things." Offensive lineman Chandler Donaway, who missed the first eight practices of the fall, dealing with a "personal issue" back home in Texas, also didn't suit up. Neither did cornerback Dainsus Miller, who just rejoined the team after a recent court ruling determined players from the Class of 2022 can have an additional season of eligibility.

"We got a lot of work done," Sawvel said. "You know, I think we were right around 110 plays, or pretty close to it, between all the groups. That's not including all the special-teams plays that we got, which there was quite a few of them ... We've got a lot of improving to do this next week. We've got to take a big leap from now until next Saturday when we scrimmage again."

EXTRA POINTS:

* Markell Holman had an early highlight in this workout when he snagged a dump pass on the perimeter, turned up field and proceeded to leap over the top of oncoming cornerback Kendall Griffin.

* The No. 1 offensive line looked like this on Saturday: Rex Johnsen (from left to right), Josiah Petaia, Jason Maciejczak, Giovanni Panozzo and Braylon Jenkins.

* Jake Wilson extended his arms to reel in a high pass down the seam from Tyler Hughes on the opening drive. Before he could get the ball tucked into his body, safety Brooklyn Cheek smoked him in the midsection. The big Texan laid on the turf for a few minutes before slowly making his way to the sideline. Wilson did return to the huddle on the ensuing drive. "I'm still feeling that a little bit," Cheek said with a laugh. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. Once this adrenaline wears off, I'll probably feel it a little bit more. But, no, I love that. I'm glad that happened at the very beginning because then the rest of the time I was like, I want to do it again, I want to do it again, I want to do it again. But that's just me. I mean, I used to be super scared of contact, growing up, but now it's my favorite thing in the world."

* When the scrimmage began, former head coach Craig Bohl was under the goalposts in the north end zone and UW Athletics Director Tom Burman was standing in the south. Think this season might be an important one for the program?

* Wyoming's offense was flagged five times for false starts on Saturday. The punt unit was hit with one. Linebacker Gary Rutherford was called for a defensive pass interference in the end zone, but if it was a real game, the quarterback was likely suffering a sack instead.

* Wide receiver Eric Richardson might have made a house call on a kick return. Same can be said for cornerback BJ Inmon, who also showed impressive speed on his opportunity.

* Sawvel has said time and again this fall that Landon Sims is better than ever after suffering a third ACL tear last November. That was on display Saturday when the junior QB made a number of plays with his feet, including picking up eight yards on a 3rd-and-10. He again scrambled for the first down on the fourth-down snap.

* The deep ball was all but nonexistent in this two-hour showcase. Tyler Franklin, a JUCO quarterback who signed with the program in late July, hit PJ Jackson on a 30-yard out-route late in the day. That was the longest attempt all afternoon. Franklin led the final scoring drive, which culminated with a plunge over the white stripe from running back Dontae Burch.

* Rookie linebacker Dante Bruley made his presence felt in his first collegiate scrimmage, blocking a punt off the powerful right foot of Bart Edmiston Jr.

* This was the final opportunity for the media to watch this team ahead of its season opener Sept. 5 at Colorado State.

* Make sure to download our FREE mobile app right HERE. Once you do, make sure to turn on all alerts and don't miss any of the latest in University of Wyoming news. You can also sign up for our daily newsletter right HERE.

LATEST UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Pokes Practice Report: Red-Zone Woes Still Linger

* Dainsus Miller Set To Return To Cowboy Football Program

* Drew Brees Shouts Out Former UW Coaches in Hall of Fame Speech

* Wyoming, Like Akron, Once Had a Gimmick That Panned Out

* Is There Really a QB Battle in Laramie or Just Lip Service?

* Sawvel: 'I Just Want to Score a Bunch of Points'

* Pokes Practice Report: Fatigue Leads to Follies

* Wyoming's Smiley Samoan Slides Into Potential Starting Role

* Pokes Practice Report: Packing on Pounds ... The Good Kind

* Cowboys' Offensive Line Depth Takes Hit This Offseason

* Wyoming QB Taylor Hasselbeck Suffers Season-Ending Knee Injury

* 5 Things I'll Be Keeping an Eye On During Wyoming's Fall Camp

* Paul Nunu -- Wyoming's 'Hawaiian Punch' -- Passes Away at 71