Scout.com > Wyoming Wyoming-Boise State: Position-by-Position Story URL: http://wyoming.scout.com/2/679838.html Kyle Revelli CowboyBlitz.com Sep 14, 2007 The Cowboys will put their undefeated record on the line tomorrow against last year’s college football darlings, the Boise State Broncos. It will be the first road contest of the season for the Pokes in what may well be their most competitive game to date. Check out the key match-ups in our position-by-position preview. Going into what is easily the biggest game of the season for the Cowboys thus far in 2007, I thought readers deserved a closer look at each of the key match-ups in tomorrow’s contest. First, I should offer all you BSU fans out there a warning. I am a Wyoming native. I grew up in Wyoming. I went to college at Wyoming. I have always been a Wyoming fan, and I can guarantee with nearly complete honesty that this feature is 100 percent, undeniably without bias of any sort, purely and indubitably objective in every form of the word. What you are about to read is without a doubt, the most impartial, scientific, unprejudiced, neutral, detached and independent position-by-position analysis that I have written in my entire life. I promise. Now, on to the match-ups: Quarterbacks Even though Boise State quarterback Taylor Tharp is a senior and billed by Broncos fans as experienced, he’s really not. He only threw 13 passes last year, and while he did see action in eight games, it was extremely limited. This season, the Broncos’ only win came against Weber State—not exactly a formidable opponent—and while he looked solid against the Wildcats, Tharp’s performance at Washington in Week Two was probably much more indicative of what to expect against Wyoming’s defense. He has completed 43 out of 66 passes in ’07 for 469 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. All three picks came in the loss to Washington where he stumbled when the pressure was on him to put points on the board. He’s not a bad quarterback (despite the turnovers, he managed to throw for nearly 300 yards against the Huskies), but he’s no Jared Zebransky. Tharp throws a pass during practice. After a season-opener in which Karsten Sween torched a tough Virginia defense for 253 yards and a touchdown, he was far from impressive last week, throwing two second-half interceptions against Utah State that gave the Aggies a four-point lead. He bounced back quickly, leading the Pokes to three scoring drives down the stretch, but the BSU defense is far too talented to let the Cowboys get away with the same thing on the Smurf Turf. Still, he has far more game experience than Tharp, and one of his interceptions against the Aggies was purely a result of tight end Jesson Salyards missing the catch and tipping it into the hands of De’von Hall. Chances are the Broncos won’t be so lucky. Look for Sween to bounce back from a tough statistical outing last week. Advantage: Wyoming Running Backs Most of America would say this is a no-brainer, but a look at what both teams’ running backs have done so far this season makes the competition appear far less lopsided. While Ian Johnson has put up slightly more yards and touchdowns in the Broncos’ first two contests than either of Wyoming’s running backs, as a unit, they are every bit as dangerous—at least statistically. Wynel Seldon and Devin Moore have combined for 369 yards and three touchdowns on the ground so far in ’07, while Johnson has far less yards (210) to go with his three scores. Seldon carries the ball against Virginia. Last year Johnson put up mind-boggling numbers during BSU’s undefeated season, carrying the ball 277 times for 1,713 yards (6.2 ypc) and 25 td’s. Against Oregon State, he put up 240 yards and five touchdowns. The 240 yards ranked third in school history and the five TDs tied the record. His 12.67 points per game and 25 end zone trips led the nation, while his 142.83 ypg ranked second in the nation. Perhaps neither one of Wyoming’s backs are as talented individually as Johnson (although, there are many Pokes fans who would argue differently), and they definitely can’t hold a candle to what he did in 2006. Still, I think the Cowboys have the bigger day running the ball tomorrow, and this is why: First of all, together, they’ve had a much better season so far (neither team Wyoming’s faced has had any idea how to stop both runners), and second, I believe our defense will do the same thing Washington’s did. After seeing what Tharp did against the Huskies, the Cowboys are almost sure to put eight guys in the box and force the quarterback to win the game by himself. If Wyoming’s secondary can contain the inexperienced Boise State receivers, Tharp should have a poor day, and there will be plenty of brown and yellow shirts swarming around Johnson all night. Advantage: Wyoming Wide Receivers BSU lost every starter from their receiving corps after 2006, and the Cowboys clearly have the advantage here. I really don’t know what else to say about it. Of the five guys listed on their depth chart, only two of them had ever pulled in catches in a Bronco uniform prior to this season. The two that had, Vinny Perretta and Jeremy Childs, combined for just 30 catches last year. The Cowboys, on the other hand, not only return their leading receiver from a year ago, Michael Ford, they have seen senior slot receiver Hoost Marsh continue to improve (already Marsh has 237 all-purpose yards and touchdown). Perhaps the most exciting player in the receiving unit for Wyoming has been sophomore Greg Bolling, who has emerged as Karsten Sween’s favorite target. He’s caught touchdown passes in both games and pulled in 11 catches for 122 yards so far in ’07. Bolling was impressive in the Cowboys’ 32-18 win over Utah State last weekend. Advantage: Wyoming Offensive Line The Broncos have far more experience on the o-line than UW. They return four starters from a year ago, and two of them are three-year starters, Ryan Clady and Tad Miller. Clady is an All-American and anchors the unit. He has the potential to literal plow holes through defensive fronts, and the Pokes’ will have a tough time finding their way past him on Saturday. The Cowboys will have a tough time getting past big Ryan Clady tomorrow. Wyoming’s line is far better than anyone expected going into the season, and head coach Joe Glenn has raved about the blocking of each of the young starters—including the tight ends. They should be able to open up holes for the backs and provide Sween with protection—as they have done in their first two games—but...sorry Cowboys fans…they don’t win this battle. Advantage: Boise State Tight Ends Starting for the Broncos this year is 6-foot-2, 244-pound tight end Ryan Putman, who is responsible for replacing four-year starter Derek Schouman. Last year Putman had a total of six catches for 77 yards and one td. He played a lot but was primarily used as a blocker, and 2007 has been no different. Thus far, the senior has caught just one pass for six yards against Weber State in BSU’s season opener. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have seen a virtual explosion from their own senior tight end Wade Betschart, who posted career highs in receiving and receiving yards against Utah State, pulling in five catches for 65 yards. Betschart seldom goes down on the first hit, and Glenn calls him the best blocker he has ever coached. A preseason all-conference selection, Betschart wins this battle by himself—though he doesn’t have to. The Cowboys have two more talented tight ends in Chris Sundberg and Jesson Salyards. Sundberg went down with an injury against the Cavaliers in Week One, but Salyards picked up the slack against Utah State, catching two crucial passes, including a two-point conversion that gave the Pokes some breathing room in the fourth quarter. Betschart is perhaps the best blocker the Wyoming team. He also has a good set of hands. Advantage: Wyoming Defensive Line Most of Boise’s defensive line graduated in 2006, but both ends are returning. On one side, you have senior Nick Schlekeway, who finished eighth on the team in tackles. On the other, there is junior Mike T. Williams. Williams split time on the end last year and ended up with 22 tackles and 6.5 tackles for a loss. Keeping both Williams and Schlekeway out of the back field will be a chore for the Cowboys’ o-line, but the rest their front is as inexperienced as Wyoming’s. The Cowboys’ three new starters have lived up to nearly anyone’s expectations so far in 2007. They held Virginia to its lowest rushing total in years (seven total yards) and put enough pressure on quarterback Jameel Sewell to force the frazzled gunslinger into two interceptions and just 87 yards. Obviously, a large portion of the credit should be given to the Cowboys’ secondary and linebacker, but even Julius Stinson, who picked off the two passes from Sewell gave the credit to the line. The Pokes’ two defensive ends, Mitch Unrein and John Fletcher combined for a sack on Sewell as well. The front three weren’t quite as dominant in the Pokes’ win over USU. The Aggies were able to muster 137 yards on the ground, and quarterback Leon Jackson did a much better job than Sewell, putting up 147 yards, no interceptions and one touchdown while avoiding being sacked. Fletcher and Unrein looked sharp again, forcing a recovering a late-game fumble that helped Wyoming put the game away. This is a pretty even match-up, but with the Cowboys being on the road for the first time this season, experience should win this battle. Advantage: Boise State Linebackers BSU lost a lot of talent at this position, including 2006 WAC Defensive Player of the Year Korey Hall and star teammate Colt Brooks. Starting this season are juniors Kyle Gingg and David Shields. Gingg has the most experience of the unit; he finished fifth on the team with 50 tackles and four tackles for a loss last year. Although Boise’s linebacking corps has potential, it won’t be able to compete with the experience and leadership of Wyoming’s. The Broncos will miss Korey Hall against the Cowboys’ running game tomorrow night. The Cowboys four starters can do it all. They’re fast, tough, experienced, intelligent, can cover and get to the quarterback, and the numbers prove it. The defense is ranked 10th in the nation, and the Pokes have given up just three third-down conversions in their first two outings. Ward Dobbs leads the unit with 11 tackles and a sack. They’ll have their hands full against Johnson and the BSU running attack, but they faced an even tougher offensive attack from the Broncos last year and held them to their lowest point total of the season. Advantage: Wyoming Secondary BSU’s secondary didn’t take as big of a hit as most of the other positions on the team. The Broncos return three out of four starters, including second-team All-WAC pick Marty Tadman. Tadman has pulled in 11 picks over the last two seasons and led the team in ‘06 with six. He finished second on the team last year with 67 tackles. His leadership combined with Boise’s experience at this position makes this one a tough battle for the Pokes. Marty Tadman will be a big threat to intercept a pass tomorrow night. He averaged one every other game in 2006. Still, the Cowboys’ two starting corners, Julius Stinson and Michael Medina, may be the two most talented players on Wyoming’s defense. They were both starters last year on a secondary that finished eighth in the country in pass defense, and they have been solid in the Pokes’ opening two contests. Stinson has been by far the most dominant player on Wyoming’s defense in 2007 and possibly the most dominant on the whole team. Already he has racked up 18 tackles (the most on the team), two tackles for a loss (the most on the team) and two interceptions (the most on the team). At safety, the Pokes are far less experienced, but neither Michael Ray nor Quincy Rogers has looked lost in the Cowboys’ two wins. Ray posted a career-high seven tackles against the Aggies, and Rogers has racked up nine tackles and two pass breakups (the most on the team) in the last two games. Not only is Stinson a great coverman, he does a pretty nice celebration dance as well. This could go either way. The Broncos have home field advantage and slightly more experience, while the Cowboys have terrific cornerbacks and a top 10 defense nationally. Advantage: No one. So there it is. Take it for what it’s worth, but if the Cowboys really do have the advantage at five of eight positions, it could be a long day for the orange and blue, despite playing at home…but that’s just my opinion... Log on tomorrow for message board posts throughout the game and a recap after. Copyright © Scout.com and CowboyBlitz.com