As University of Wyoming coach Craig Bohl says, he and the Cowboys are treating it as any other, regular game day.
Saturday afternoon’s spring football game will be a split-squad game, and all of the players on the roster will get a chance to see action, Bohl said.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, there was no tailgating outside the stadium last fall, and social distancing forced lighter attendance.
4 against Montana State: redshirt sophomore Sean Chambers or redshirt freshman Levi Williams? Chambers was named the starting quarterback last fall, but broke his leg on the first drive of the season at Nevada.
Williams’ shoulder did not require surgery, however, and he feels he has as good a shot as Chambers does of taking the reins of new offensive coordinator Tim Polasek’s system.
“I really do going to play the best guy, he’s going to play the hot hand.
If it seems like there is always a quarterback competition at UW, it’s because there usually is.
Polasek, most recently the offensive line coach at the University of Iowa and previously the offensive coordinator at North Dakota State, has spent much of spring helping Chambers and Williams clean up their mechanics.
While the offensive emphasis might look similar, that doesn’t mean it has been an easy transition for players from former offensive coordinator Brent Vigen’s system.
Every level of the defense is filled with productive players who helped the unit rank in the top 25 in scoring defense under Jay Sawvel last season.
Sophomore tight end Treyton Welch has been a star during spring practice, Bohl said, but he only caught five passes in 2020. Junior receiver Gunner Gentry, who caught the team’s lone touchdown pass last year, will be out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury.
There are a lot of young receiving options for Chambers and Williams to choose from: redshirt freshmen Devin Jennings and Alex Brown and freshman Joshua Cobbs are all breakout candidates.
That is particularly true of the players who opted out of the 2020 season, who have essentially had to start from scratch this offseason.
Redshirt sophomore defensive end Solomon Byrd, the team’s leader in sacks in 2019, will likely not be atop the team’s first depth chart, Bohl said.
Conversely, the opt-outs having to make up ground has led to some pleasant surprises, such as redshirt freshman defensive end DeVonne Harris.
“I wouldn’t say frustration .
Another battle to watch is for the SAM linebacker spot, where redshirt sophomore Chuck Hicks and redshirt freshman Easton Gibbs are battling.
UW has a ton of players who have started games, particularly at tackle with senior Alonzo Velazquez, redshirt junior Rudy Stofer, redshirt sophomore Frank Crum and redshirt freshman Latrell Bible, who is back on the interior line.