Ags have fighting chance
When the Utah State Aggies open their season in Laramie, Wyo., this Saturday at 2:30 p.m., it will be against a Cowboys team most experts are predicting will finish in the cellar of the Mountain West.
Wyoming is coming off a disappointing end to 2005. Over a six-game losing streak to end their season, they turned the ball over 25 times. The good news for the ‘Boys is that quarterback Corey Bramlet, who turned it over seven times against TCU, is gone. The bad news is star wide receiver Jovon Bouknight, the school’s all-time record holder in all-purpose yards, with 6,047.
Midway through 2005, Joe Glenn was one of the hottest coaches in Division I ball. In 2004, Wyoming notched their first victory over an SEC squad with a 37-32 victory over Ole Miss. That season ended with the ‘Boys springing the upset on UCLA in a bowl game (Wyoming’s first since 1993).
Wyoming opened 2005 4-1 including another win over Mississippi. In fact, they even managed to cover the spread in their opener at Florida with a 14-32 score in the loss in the Swamp. Then came the disasterous 14-28 loss to TCU and this team came totally unglued. They lost the remaining five games on their schedule and Glenn’s name was no longer on the tongues of big conference athletic directors.
The team the Aggies face returns six starters on each side of the ball. Sophomore Wynel Seldon was the leading rusher last year with 871 yards, Wyoming’s best total since Marques Brigham’s 1,114 in 1998. The leading returning receiver is Michael Ford with 29, and at tight end Wyoming has Wade Betschart, who started four games last year.
Starting at quarterback for Wyoming will be Jacob Doss, who had a nice prep career in Kentucky, but has never started a game in college. They do have four starters back on offensive line and are a veteran unit at that position.
How the Ags’ young defensive line stacks up against Wyoming will be one of the crucial battles that could determine the outcome. Another such focus point for both coaching staffs will be USU’s all-WAC receivers, senior Tony Pennyman and junior Kevin Robinson, who match up well on paper against Wyoming’s corners, Michael Medina and Julius Stinson.
Wyoming loses super junior cornerback Derrick Martin, who went in the sixth round of the NFL draft to the Baltimore Ravens. Also gone are corners Terrance Butler (nine starts), Brandon Bell (two starts) and safety Ron Rockett (11 starts, honorable mention all-Mountain West). Look for Ags’ Offensive Coordinator Mike Santiago to test the Cowboys inexperienced corners early. If Leon Jackson III gets it going downfield, it’s going to be a long afternoon for fans in Laramie.
The strength of Wyoming’s defense is it’s linebacker corps, especially honorable mention All-Mountain West Ward Dobbs. Guy said the Cowboys are switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme to take advantage of that strength and also because they “don’t have a lot of defensive linemen.”
To attack Wyoming’s 3-4, Santiago will also use some familiar faces in new positions, like tight end Rob Meiers, fullback Ryan Bohm, tailback Lynwood Johnson and fullback Jimmy Bohm.
The X factor could be the Aggies running back position, where after a very long wait, Marcus Cross is set to make his debut. Two other guys in the mix at that position are also newcomers, Rob Sirstens, who transferred from the University of Utah, and Antraun McDaniel, a junior college transfer.
“Marcus is a great runner,” fullback Jimmy Bohm said. “He runs it hard and he’s very quick. It makes it nice blocking for him because we only have to hold our block for a second.”
Wyoming is the favorite in this game because they play in the higher-rated football conference and because the Aggies must go on the road, where they haven’t played very well recently. But this USU squad is capable of pulling off the upset and the pressure is all on Wyoming, who have Virginia on deck. If the Cowboys were to drop this home opener, it could set up a scenario in which they come home from Virginia 0-2, looking at a home game against WAC powerhouse Boise State.