McCoy looks good as punter and kicker

For the last few weeks junior Austin McCoy has been pulling double-duty as Wyoming’s punter and kicker. He will handle the place-kicking chores in Saturday’s season opener with Southern Utah because sophomore Ian Watts will serve a one-game suspension for violating team rules.

During fall camp when McCoy was doing both, he was inconsistent at both. Wednesday at practice he looked sharp. He made a 46-yard field-goal near the end of practice, and also boomed a 70-yard punt from his own end zone. He also did a good job of getting hang time on his punts on a short field.

“He’s kicking a lot better and getting good height on the ball,” coach Dave Christensen said. “We’re not going to ask him to kick a lot of 50-yard field goals, but he’s certainly good from the 30-yard line and in. He’s done a nice job. … He’s punted well and has been consistent there.”

McCoy did both at the start of last season. He was 4 of 6 in field goals with a long of 25. He also made 3 of 4 field goals. He averaged 43.3 yards per punt, which was nearly five yards better than his average in 2008 as a freshman.

Some other thoughts and observations from Wednesday’s practice:

–Junior Bryson Studnicka has been moved from defensive end to fullback.

–UW lists nine receivers among the four position spots on this week’s depth chart, and its likely all nine will play against Southern Utah based on the rotations in practice.

–True freshmen quarterbacks Sam Stratton and Austin Woodward shared time as the scout team quarterback this week, as has true freshman receiver Drew Martinez. Woodward, a walk-on from Sheridan, is listed as the backup punter to McCoy.

–UW had five running backs practice today, only four will be available for the opener and only one — sophomore Alvester Alexander — has any game experience.

–Shane Sullivan, a walk-on true freshman receiver from Orange, Calif., broke his leg early in fall camp and has been on crutches and in a cast since. But he still goes to every practice and meeting. He told me the leg feels pretty good and hopes to be out of the cast soon.

–Christensen on BYU leaving the Mountain West Conference: “It hasn’t changed my thought process any. We’ve got to get ready for Southern Utah. I have no control over it and I don’t spend a lot of time on things I don’t have control over.”

Join me at 3 p.m. Thursday for a live chat about UW football, anything UW sports related and even the latest happenings in the MWC. Here is the link  http://wyomingcowboysblog.com/2010/08/31/live-chat-cowboy-football/

You also can go to this blog and scroll down until you see it.

And, be sure to join me at 6:30 p.m. Saturday for the first live blog of the year for the season-opener against Southern Utah. Here is that link http://wyomingcowboysblog.com/2010/09/01/live-blog-wyoming-vs-southern-utah/

See Thursday’s Wyoming Tribune Eagle www.wyomingnews.com and Laramie Boomerang www.laramieboomerang.comfor a story on UW junior offensive guard John Hutchins and how he doesn’t plan to let another opportunity to start for the Cowboys slip away. Also see a reaction story from other UW coaches on BYU’s departure from the MWC.

Speaking of that, here is a good story by Frank Schawb of the Colorado Springs Gazette on that as he talked to MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson Wednesday http://gazetteafasports.freedomblogging.com/