UW football fall camp — Day 4

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Robert Gagliardi

For the second consecutive day, the Cowboys practiced in shoulder pads and shorts Thursday morning. They have their first full-padded practice Friday.

Fourth-year coach Craig Bohl said “there was a lot of energy out on the field” Thursday.

UW did a pass-under-pressure drill early in practice, and Bohl felt the defense got the best of the offense. Bohl also said he likes where the Cowboys’ defensive line is right now.

“Without question, we’re further along on the defensive front with more athleticism and explosiveness,” he said.

Here is Bohl after Thursday’s practice:

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Ties vary to Air Force for UW players from Colorado Springs

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Robert Gagliardi

The Air Force Academy is located just north of Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a service academy, its recruiting base is national, not just local.

Wyoming has six players on its roster from Colorado Springs, and their ties to the Air Force academy and Air Force football varies.

Ethan Wood

Senior punter Ethan Wood (Liberty HS) lived on the Air Force Academy for a brief time while his father worked there. He also attended a few football games as a kid.

Wood is coming off one of his best games in UW’s 38-17 win at Colorado State last Saturday. Wood averaged 44.5 yards per punt, four of his six punts were downed inside the 20-yard line — including two at the 1.

Wood said that was one of his best games in his career. However, he also said last year’s game at Air Force that UW lost 31-17 may have been his best-ever. He punted eight times for a 47.1-yard average, including a long of 62 yards. Four of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.

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Fullbacks continue to evolve for Cowboys this spring

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Robert Gagliardi

Everything was new for the Wyoming football team last year with a new coach, new schemes, etc., one of the newest positions continues to be a work in progress — fullback.

“I like the upward trend we’re on,” UW running backs coach Mike Bath said. “This offseason was big for these guys.”

Drew Van Maanen

UW returns all of its fullbacks that were on the roster last season, including the two that played in sophomore Drew Van Maanen and junior Jordan Ellis. Others who return include redshirt freshmen Wade Cicierski and Matt List.

The fullback isn’t asked to carry the ball much — if at all — for UW. Ellis was the only guy that did, and had just one carry for five yards. Blocking is the top priority for this group, although Van Maanen and Ellis caught two passes apiece last season.

Van Maanen saw the most playing time, and Bath said “with every snap he gets, he gets better. Now we’re building on the fundamentals from last season and refining them.”

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