The State of Cowboys Football Address

Hey, everybody. Preseason award-picks have been announced, so now we’re officially in countdown mode! We have approximately 36 days, 21 hours, and 30 minutes until Wyoming’s season opener at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa and 44 days, TBD hours, and TBD minutes until the home opener against Gardner-Webb, but who’s counting?

Anyway, with the season just starting to peek its head around the corner, we’re gonna take a look at the State of the Wyoming Cowboys Football Team.

The Cowboys lost a ton of talent to the NFL and graduation. Chase Roullier, Brian Hill, Tanner Gentry, Jacob Hollister, Jake Maulhardt, and Lucas Wacha all found new careers in the NFL. Others like D.J. May, Shaun Wick, Chase Appleby, Eric Nzeocha, and Ethan Wood all graduated and are (hopefully) doing well for themselves out in the real world.

All of those are big losses. Maulhardt, Hollister, and Gentry were last year’s three leading receivers, while Wick, May, and Hill took 95% of the rushing attempts. Wacha, Nzeocha, and Appleby were all anchors on the defensive side, and Wood was one of the better punters in the conference.

So, how will the Cowboys make up for the missing production?

Well, as for the running backs, junior Nico Evans, red-shirt freshmen Kellen Overstreet, and Milo Hall are all competing for the starting job. Experience will be a huge boon for Evans, but Bohl will give everyone the chance they take. Don’t be surprised if Drew Van Maanen even sneaks in for a few more carries this year.

The defense is a question mark, however. They were mediocre at best last year, and the only hope is that experience will help them perform better. Seeing Appleby and Wacha go won’t be good, but Logan Wilson and Andrew Wingard (Preseason DPOY) are more than willing to step up. Another plus will be having a healthy Carl Granderson for a season.

The wide receiving corps will be led by their workhorse, CJ Johnson, but the rest, for better or worse, is wide open. Austin Conway, for example, can make his way into the starting lineup, but there aren’t many other experienced receivers on the team.

Honestly, the production of the wide receivers depends entirely on how much progress Josh Allen ( makes this off season. If he makes the strides we’ve expected him to make, he can potentially make any group of receivers look at least passable.

Which brings us to the man himself, Josh Allen. If you don’t know about the potential first round NFL draft pick who leads the Pokes, please feel free to exit the rock you have been living under. The real problem is what happens if he gets hurt. Nick Smith, who started in two games for the Cowboys in 2015, is the only other upperclassman quarterback. Nick Szpor is technically the second string punter, and Tyler Vander Waal (the other two QBs on the roster) is fresh out of high school. In other words, its Allen, or bust.

All that being said, the Cowboys are not in an enviable situation. The Mountain division seems to be up for grabs this year and there are too many question marks surrounding this team for them to be a lock to win the division.

The State of the Wyoming Cowboys Football Team is....... good but not great.