Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
UW gets 2 starters back this week in Wacha and Priester
Cowboys safety Andrew Wingard celebrates after making a tackle on Nevada running back James Butler on Saturday as the Cowboys defeated the Wolf Pack 28-21. Wingard and the Wyoming defense will be getting some help this week as Lucas Wacha and Robert Priester return from injury.
LARAMIE - Craig Bohl said the "mad shuffling" from earlier in the season is over.
The second-year University of Wyoming football coach was talking about the constant lineup changes on the defense, especially at linebacker and in the secondary.
Some was due to injury, suspension or a lack of production.
As UW (1-6 overall, 1-2 Mountain West) comes off its first win of the season last week against Nevada and prepares for its next game at Boise State (5-2, 2-1) Saturday, there will be a couple of lineup changes this week - but in a good way.
The Cowboys get two starters back from concussions in junior middle linebacker Lucas Wacha and sophomore cornerback Robert Priester.
Wacha is second on the team with 52 tackles and prior to the Nevada game was the only UW linebacker to start in its first six games. Wacha started the season playing one of the two outside spots, but moved to the middle a few weeks ago because Bohl and defensive coordinator Steve Stanard wanted more production there.
The Cowboys have used four different starting lineup combinations at the three linebacker spots this season. Wacha and junior Eric Nzeocha gives the Cowboys two solid guys in the middle. Nzeocha was moved from tight end to linebacker in the spring and has struggled at times.
"It's still a work in progress, but I'm a lot more comfortable especially with guys like Lucas and (sophomore outside linebacker Tim Kamana) around. They always help me out," said Nzeocha.
"With the veteran we have coming back this week, it will be a great improvement for our team."
Kamana, who was a safety last season, started the season at strong-side outside linebacker. But injuries forced him to play on the other side last week. Kamana could start there again at Boise State, depending on the progress made by junior Will Tutein coming back from an ankle injury.
Junior D.J. May, who was a running back his first two seasons, has been good at the strong-side linebacker/nickel back position - a position he's started at the last five games. May has a team-high seven pass break-ups and has 32 tackles.
Priester returns at the boundary cornerback spot, and has one of the team's two interceptions on the season. Redshirt freshman C.J. Jennings started for Priester against Nevada and finished tied for team-high honors with nine tackles.
Bohl and Stanard were pleased how Jennings played, and with Priester back and the emergence of true freshman Antonio Hull at the other cornerback spot, they like the depth that is being developed.
"All this moving guys around has allowed us to feel more comfortable with our depth and ability to play more guys trough the course of a game," Stanard said. "We can limit number of reps the starters can get, which will help in their longevity and energy in the second halves of games, and through course of the rest of the season."
Bohl said developing more consistency in terms of the lineup and performance defensively is critical over UW's final five games, including last week.
Despite allowing only seven first-half points, Bohl said there were a few times Nevada had open receivers down the field but failed to connect with them.However, Bohl feels good about the personnel that has emerged in the back seven compared to the early in the season.
"We have our guys," he said. "Now we have to get out to practice and get them ready to go."
