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Pokes Authority live chat with Wyoming beat writer Ryan Holmgren
UW beat writer Ryan Holmgren chats about the Cowboys' upcoming game against Eastern Michigan, and, well, anything else you want to ask him.
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Hey Ryan, Certainly Coffman did nothing to lose his starting position last week... but do you think the team has a better chance of winning with Allen (who will have a week of practice) as opposed to going with Coffman on Saturday who may have little to no practice this week? Coffman doesn't deserved to be benched, but I think it can be argued that Allen deserves to start if he's the only QB able to fully prepare with the team... -
I think some of that depends on how much Cam practices today and Friday. He practiced yesterday, though wasn't moving around much during the 30 minutes media is allowed to attend. That said, he's a smart, veteran quarterback, so he's seen some 3-4 looks while at Indiana, which is what EMU will play. To answer your question, I'd say UW is better off with Coffman.
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At the end of the day, Allen has never made a start. I'd take a seasoned starter, as long as he's healthy enough to move around well.
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I'm starting this chat off with a prediction. 77-2 EMU. Our 2 points come when an EMU defensive lineman inexplicably runs to the wrong end zone after an interception. Man, that was horrible last week.
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Ha, I understand your sentiment, Dave. I don't think anyone — even North Dakota fans — expected that last week. However, the Pokes are a 13-point favorite against EMU, which hasn't won a nonconference road game since 1988.
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Any changes to the O-Line in regards to starters, rotation, scheme? I am hoping they can open some holes for the RB's this week.
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If he's able to practice, then we're better off with him. I just don't think we're in a position as a team to allow our QB to sit on the sidelines all week and then lead our team to victory on Saturday
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I don't think you're see many changes on the O-line as far as personnel goes. The five starters remain the same, at least according to the depth chart. I assume we'll see Renfree and Kiely rotating a bit at center, and you'll probably see some more of Zach Wallace at tackle.
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Wyo worse than people thought or UND a lot better than people thought? They (UND) were impressive but they weren't pick very high in polls.
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Probably a combination of the two. UND won its final two games of 2014, including a win over FCS-ranked Northern Arizona. So it probably should've been picked higher than ninth in the Big Sky preseason poll. Wyoming certainly didn't perform. I think it's hard to set expectations for a team like UW, which has so many new starters (new QB, three new starting linemen, new TE, two new WRS, two new LBs, one new CB and two new safeties).
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Hey Ryan, has Bohl discussed changes to the O-line? Pass protection was mediocre and run blocking was no better than last year against an above average FSC school.
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Caleb, Bohl has talked about the need to make changes and shore some things up execution-wise, but there won't be any personnel changes from what I've heard. UW pretty much has seven linemen it's comfortable playing (Cummings, Roullier, Renfree, Kiely, Boyland, Knestis and Wallace). But if they can't get it done this week, it'll be interesting to see if Bohl gives someone else a shot.
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This just in.... North Dakota just got another first down, and we got a 15 Yd Penalty on the play.
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Yep, UND beautifully churned out long drives with first down after first down. Bohl said Wyoming will be placing a big focus on discipline this week to avoid penalties going forward.
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I was unable to see the game last week Ryan, what was the single worse or concerning thing you took away from it?
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The running game, IMHO. Twenty-nine yards is a brutal rushing total, and with Shaun Wick and Brian Hill in the backfield, I never expected to see that.
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The run game is gonna suck when EVERY run seemed like it was up the middle. There was no creativity. And what happened to our screen pass game? I can only remember 1 attempt at a screen pass.
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Come to think of it, Dave, I can't remember many (or any) screen passes. Hill caught a pass in the flats, but it wasn't a true screen play. I think that's an area Wyoming could have some success in. Wick and Hill are dangerous in space.
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I'd love to but I live up in Bozeman, MT now. I'm curious to see what the Bobcats do against ND on Halloween in ND>
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I can't blame ya, Adam. I haven't been to a Creighton basketball game in two years. Hard to find time
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You guys are awful quiet today. Fire away with any questions, UW-related or not.
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Is it too soon to talk basketball? Any early projections for the men's team? Nance Jr. is a big spot to fill
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Never too early to talk basketball. Really looking forward to the season. I'm a big, big basketball guy.
Early projection: I think UW will surprise a bit this year. Not as far of a drop-off as one might think. Newcomers are really talented, and from what I've heard, Adams, Washington and Lieberman have made some nice strides in the offseason. -
You obviously don't replace someone like Nance with one person. And with so much youth, there will undoubtedly be some bumps. But I can see this team building momentum by the end of the season and ready to make another run in 2016-17. We'll see.
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You're getting a taste of what the War might look like on Saturday. This fan base is displeased. I doubt we crack 20000.
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Ha, still about 19,000 more than Minot State regularly draws for home football games. I enjoyed seeing game-day atmosphere last week, even if fans didn't have much to cheer about. Beautiful setting, that War Memorial Stadium.
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Can Wyoming schedule Minot state in basketball for your return home
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Home for me is actually Minnesota, so I'd love to see Wyoming get a home-and-home (or even a two-for-one) with the Gophers. Heck, I could save the company money and crash at my folks' house.
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Any concern from coach bohl about the play of the defensive line (supposed to be a strength) seems like they didn't get any push up front unable to clog running lanes?
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Thanks for asking, Patrick. I've actually got a story filed about that very topic. That'll be posted later today, so keep an eye out for it.
Yes, that's a concern because the front four was supposed to be strong enough to take some pressure off the back seven. -
Some of that is because they didn't get a good push, but a lot of it has to do with be aligned wrong. UND overloaded one side by moving over a tackle, which UW didn't adjust to very well. Some of that is on the linebackers, who are responsible for making the calls. So you can't pin everything on the front four, but certainly they need to improve going forward.
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Anyone playing fantasy football? Just realized that the NFL season begins tonight. Need to set my lineup.
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on the subject of the secondary is DJ May only suspended one game or is that fluid at this point pending police report.
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I'm pretty sure it's just a one-game suspension. Bohl doesn't comment on the suspensions, but I've simply been told he's out for EMU.
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I'm in four this year. Always anxious opening weekend. Lots of question marks out there
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Right on. I'm in two, but only one money league. Team name: Somewhere Over Dwayne Bowe.
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Nothing like a good fantasy football team name pun.
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Haha, jamesdwyo!! I don't think I'm allowed to approve that comment, but that's a quality team name. Well done.
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Thank you Ryan, like much of the state I will be off hunting for the next 2 weeks but hope to see improvement at least in the mental and ground aspect of the game when I come down for the New Mexico game.
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Patrick, absolutely. I've got a buddy (a UW grad) coming down for the New Mexico game. He's optimistic that the Pokes will improve this week. Saturday will be a telling sign of what's to come this season.
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It sounds like EMU can run the ball can we stop it? I mean did you notice anything last week that would leave you to believe we can stuff the run?
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EMU running back Darius Jackson is a physical specimen. Six-foot, 221-pounds. Similar to Shaun Wick's build. Tough runner. He's going to be tough to stop. I think UW started to play better and faster defensively in the second half. That's reason for optimism. We'll see. I'm cautious to make any brilliant predictions after guessing that UW would beat UND 38-21 last week. Woof.
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It just sounds like their Passing game is weak at best do you see us loading the box and if so could we have a chance to stop the run?
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I could see that. If EMU quarterback Reggie Bell plays, Wyoming will really, really need to do a good job of keeping contain on the outside. He is very elusive. Though he was injured last week and might be sidelined.
He threw a couple of passing touchdowns, though, and EMU has some talent on the outside. And a big line. -
Ryan, regarding basketball, hear any word on the progression of Alan Herndon or Jonathan Barnes? Adding any bulk, size?
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Brian, Herndon and Barnes have put about five pounds on each — at least as of about a month ago when the roster was updated. I assume Herndon will start and Barnes will compete with Jordan Naughton and Hayden Dalton for playing time.
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Unfortunately, practices were close all of summer. I'll try to get a basketball update or two here in the coming weeks. Basketball media day is at the end of this month already.
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I was worried about the secondary and linebackers on our D but thought the d-Line was one of the better strengths on our team. Were we missing assignments or was our D-line just not as good as advertised?
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How about Andrew Moemeka? Not in the mix at inside for playing time?
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James, missing assignments. Defensive coordinator Steve Stanard told me the line had wrong alignments a handful of times, which made for awkward fits from the linebackers. That's good news, because that's fixable.
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I can go another 10-20 minutes. Any more questions?
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Let's go with Brian Hill. He's going to break one at some point. Having watched him in practice this year, he just looks like a guy who will end up in the NFL. Good speed, added strength from last year, etc.
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nice I sure hoe so! Got to go thanks for your time! and GO POKES!!!!
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Shameful promotion: Wrote a little blog last night on basketball recruiting: trib.com
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OK, on that note, we'll wrap things up. Thanks for joining this week. If you have any additional questions, I'll be holding a live video chat on Periscope at 12:30 p.m. Saturday from the press box. Follow me on Twitter for the link.
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Thanks again, and as always, keep reading the Casper Star-Tribune.
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