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New site launches tommorow!

I know I posted that the preview for Southern Utah was going to be posted today. Well our new at SB Nation is expected to be up and running tomorrow! So I'm still going to work on the article but you will have to check it out tomorrow.

I'll post up the link as soon as everything is set.

Week 1 Depth Chart Released

Just five days now and we will finally see what the Cowboys are made of this year. The staff released their updated depth chart before the season opener. Any players that are suspended for the first game are not listed on the depth chart.



Not a ton of surprises here on the roster that goes three deep for most positions. A few highlights:

• Robert Herron listed as 3rd RB and KR.


• Mark Willis and Matt Birkeness grabbed the backup DE spots.
• Alexander is #1 RB with James Davis at #2.


• Justin Dire is #2 at Right Tackle. Only true frosh listed above 3rd on the O Line.
• Both JUCO D linemen are third string as they adjust to the altitude and competition.
• Keith Lewis won the starting job at Left Outside Linebacker

So not reall groundbreaking but by looking at the depth chart it is still amazing of how young team still is this year. Only three starters on defense and offense are listed as seniors. The areas that will be hit hardest are the secondary who will lose Chris Prosinksi and Marcell Gipson. Wide Recievers will lose David Leonard and Zach Bolger

What I'm watching this weekend

With games starting on Thursday and no NFL yet this actually quite a treat for College football fans this weekend. College football for five straight days and a three day weekend to make the most out of enjoying the proceedings.

Here is day by day listing of what games I'll be checking out:

Thursday:

#15 Pittsburgh at Utah - The Utes host the Panthers in a game that has big implications for both teams. An early loss could hurt both teams chances of playing in a January Bowl game. As a Chicago Bears I enjoy watching Dave Wannstedt fail so.... Go Utes! 6:30PM on Versus.

Friday:

Arizona at Toledo - Only two games on Friday and why would someone be interested in watching this odd matchup? Why, future scouting of course! The Pokes travel to Toledo on October 2nd and we know the Rockets have a good offense but they gave up over 37 points a game last year. 6PM on ESPN.

Saturday:

Washington at BYU - I don't care if the Cougars stay or leave the Mountain West I'm hoping they go down big to the Washington Huskies. For one I live in the state of Washington just a few miles away from Washington QB Jake Locker's home town of Ferndale. Locker is great person and great athlete just as everyone reports and I would love for him to make it to a bowl game this year. Plus it would also deflate the ever increasing ego of the Cougar fans to lose on their sacred turf in Provo. 5:00PM.

#24 Oregon State at #6 TCU - The Horned Frogs and Beavers are playing at Jerry's World and are putting their season on the line early. Hopefully TCU put together a strong performance in front of the national telecast. 5:45PM on ESPN.

Southern Utah at Wyoming - Won't be televised so you can either attend the game, listen on the radio or follow the stat tracker. I'll be watching the updates that happen every 30 seconds - yippy!

Couple late games if you want - Cincinnati at Fresno State on ESPN2 - 8:00PM and #12 Wisconsin at UNLV on Versus - 9pm.

Sunday:

SMU at Texas Tech - Only two games today and this is the better of the two. Interesting story lines here... can SMU knock off the Red Raiders in just their second year under June Jones? How Tommy Tuberville do in his debut at head coach after replacing Mike Leach? Find out at 1:30pm on ESPN.

Monday:

#3 Boise State at #10 Virginia Tech - The big enchilada this weekend pits these top ten teams in Fed Ex Field. Basically a home game for the Hokies this "nuetral site" game will be the toughest for the BCS busting Broncos all year (except for Wyoming..!) and big win here will hopefully shut up the ESPN naysayers for at least a few days. Very excited for our future conference mates and hope they come out firing. 6PM on ESPN.

Counting down the days

We're down to single digits days before the Cowboys kickoff their season on September 4th. The actual college football season starts off on Thursday with 18 games with the highlight being Utah visiting Pittsburgh and USC flying out to Hawaii.

This has been a very long offseason and all of the conference realignment drama is starting to wear on everyone. After the June craziness settled down it seemed we could focus on football. Then BYU and the WAC started courting each other till the Mountain West snagged Nevada and Fresno State. BYU has till September 1st to decide if they are leaving the Mountain West to go independent or otherwise.

So playing some football would be a really nice change of pace right now. And that wish is finally going to come true.

So what to expect this week on Cowboy Altitude?

Monday - Mountain West News

Tuesday - Preview of Southern Utah @ Wyoming

Wednesday - Wyoming Offense Breakdown

Thursday - Wyoming Defense Breakdown

Friday - Pre Game Information

Saturday - Game Time!

Also, incase you missed it Eric Schmoldt of the Casper Star Tribune did a great job of the season preview that debuted today featuring articles on several great topics. Here are the links to each story: stadium upgrades, crazy summer for mwc and uw, offense is expected to rise up, new team slogan, veteran secondary, schedule breakdown, o-line says they aren't weak, new 4-3 defense.

Cowboys schedule four game series with Utah State starting in 2011

The University of Wyoming renewed their "rivalry" with the Utah State Aggies by scheduling four games start next season. In 2011 the Cowboys will travel to Logan on October 8th, after a two year break the Aggies will then head to Laramie in 2014. Following games will take place in 2015 and 2016.

Utah State finished 4-8 last year in the WAC but everyone seems high on second year coach Gary Anderson and hope that he can turn the team around. Former Poke standout WR Jovon Bouknight is now the WR coach for Aggies after spending last year as the Offensive Grad Assistant.

This now completes the Cowboys 2011 OOC schedule with home games involving Weber State and Nebraska and road trips to Bowling Green and Utah State. This sets up much quite nicely for Wyoming to have a breakout season with ACS in his junior year and Knapton and Hendricks will be seniors.

"The Cowboys have won the last four meetings with Utah State--games in 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2007. However, Wyoming trails in the all-time series 24-34-4. Wyoming and Utah State first played one another on Nov. 21, 1903."

The only question is what conference will Utah State be a member of next year? Or will they even have a conference.

Wildcatter Suites nearly complete

After nearly a year of construction the final steps of completing the new Wildcatter Suites and Club at War Memorial Stadium are fast approaching. The project will be completed and ready for the season kickoff on September 6th.

The extensive project added 10 luxury suites that cater to corporations as well 250 club seats. Membership has it's privileges as alcohol will served in the Stadium club as well a game day buffet that is updated for every game. Check out the full buffet menu for the 2010 season.

All 10 suites are already sold out at $40,000 a pop and only a handful of the club seats remain at $2,500 per seat. This additions will greatly increase the revenue stream for the program and enhance the game day experience at the War. With the indoor seating it will also help actual attendance in the stadium in late October and November when the temperatures drop. They are season tickets so the seats are "sold" no matter what but now there will be more butts in the seats. These butts can also stay warm and enjoy a brew while watching the Pokes take the field.

There are number of other other renovations being completed at the War. These include enhanced concessions and renovated restrooms on the East part of the stadium, and and updated entrance on the west side that features a large bucking horse logo. Check out the live webcam to see the most up to date view.

More info on the updates and well as photo galleries check the UW site for the most up to date details.

The improvements were designed by HOK who an impressive resume:

World-renown HOK Sport Venue Event is serving as the architecture firm for the
design of the Wildcatter Stadium Club & Suites at War Memorial Stadium. HOK
Sport has designed athletic facilities around the world for the past 25 years.
Included in its recent projects are: the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of
the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL; Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers;
a renovation of the University of Oklahoma Stadium; an expansion of Penn State
University's Beaver Stadium; the new Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis
Cardinals; AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants; the new Yankee
Stadium; and the London 2012 Olympic Stadium.

Cowboys release basketball schedule (finally)

Well the Pokes finally realized that the season was just around the corner and it might be a good idea to let the fans know when to show up. With the full schedule finally released today we can see who the team will face.

First impressions look like the Pokes will have no excuses if they don't improve on their 10-21 mark a year ago. The Pokes are taking part in the Cancun Challenge which does feature some decent teams including: Missouri, Providence, North Florida, Western Illinois and Lasalle. Not necessarily powerhouses but decent matchups. Indiana State will be a good matchup in the MWC-MVC challenge when the Sycamores come to Laramie.

The toughest non conference/non tournament team looks to be the Wisconsin Green Bay Phoenix who finished 22-13 last year. Other teams include UC Irvine (14-18) which the best part is their nickname: The Anteaters!! South Dakota finished 22-10 last year and Pokes travel there in December.

Watchout out the Gentlemen out of Centenary a school in Louisiana who posted a 8-21 record. Yes, their nickname is the Gentlemen. What is their mascot? Some nice guy that finishes last?

Houston Baptist Huskies finished 12-21 last year. Western State is a Divison 2 squad, Kean University looks to be Division 3. Kennesaw State went 13-20 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

At least the Cowboys are playing an exhibition against Peru State (NAIA D2) instead of the regular season like last year.

Here is the full schedule. Just two and a half months till hoops season kicks off!


Date Opponent Site Time/M.T. (TV)
November
Sat., Nov. 6 Peru State (Exhibition) Laramie, Wyo. 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13 Kean University Laramie, Wyo. 8:00 p.m.
Tue., Nov. 16 at Northern Colorado Greeley, Colo. 7:00 p.m.
Thurs., Nov. 18 North Florida ^ Laramie, Wyo. 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 20 Western Illinois ^ Laramie, Wyo. 7:00 p.m.
Tue.-Wed., Cancun Challenge + Cancun, Mexico
Nov. 23-24 Nov. 23 vs. Missouri TBA
Nov. 24 vs. Providence or La Salle TBA
December
Wed., Dec. 1 at South Dakota Vermillion, S.D. 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 4 Mountain West Conference/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge
Indiana State Laramie, Wyo. 5:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Fri., Dec. 10 at UC Irvine Irvine, Calif. 8:00 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 14 Denver Laramie, Wyo. 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 17 Western State Laramie, Wyo. 7:00 p.m.
Mon., Dec. 20 Centenary Laramie, Wyo. 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 22 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Laramie, Wyo. 7:00 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 28 Kennesaw State Laramie, Wyo. 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 31 at Houston Baptist Houston, Texas 1:00 p.m.
January
Tue., Jan. 4 at Colorado State* Fort Collins, Colo. 7:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Jan. 8 New Mexico* Laramie, Wyo. 4:00 p.m. (CBS C)
Wed., Jan. 12 at TCU* Fort Worth, Texas 5:30 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Jan. 15 Utah* Laramie, Wyo. 1:30 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Jan. 22 at Air Force* Colorado Springs, Colo. 1:30 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Tue., Jan. 25 UNLV* Laramie, Wyo. 8:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Jan. 29 at San Diego State* San Diego, Calif. 8:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
February
Wed., Feb. 2 BYU* Laramie, Wyo. 6:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Feb. 5 Colorado State* Laramie, Wyo. 6:00 p.m. (CBS C)
Wed., Feb. 9 at New Mexico* Albuquerque, N.M. 6:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Feb. 12 TCU* Laramie, Wyo. 1:30 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Wed., Feb. 16 at Utah* Salt Lake City, Utah 7:00 p.m. (CBS C)
Wed., Feb. 23 Air Force* Laramie, Wyo. 8:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., Feb. 26 at UNLV* Las Vegas, Nev. 8:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
March
Tue., March 1 San Diego State* Laramie, Wyo. 8:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Sat., March 5 at BYU* Provo, Utah 1:30 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Wed.-Sat., Mountain West Conference
March 9-12 Basketball Championships$ Las Vegas, Nev.
Wed., March 9 No. 8 Seed vs. No. 9 Seed 3:00 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Thurs., March 10 Quarterfinals 1:00 p.m., 3:35 p.m. (The (Mtn.)
7:05 p.m., 9:35 p.m. (The Mtn.)
Fri., March 11 Semifinals 7:05 p.m., 9:35 p.m. (CBS C)
Sat., March 12 Championship 5:05 p.m. (VERSUS)

Breaking down the 2010 Schedule

We are just eight days away from the start of the Wyoming Cowboys 2010 season and this season has plenty of intrigue. The Pokes have one of the toughest schedules this year and earning a repeat bowl berth will not be an easy task by any means.

I've post the schedule below so take a look and my full analysis will be posted afterwards.

Date Opponent Time
Sat, Sep 4 Southern Utah 7:00 pm
Sat, Sep 11 at (5) Texas 5:00 pm
Sat, Sep 18 (3) Boise State 6:00 pm
Sat, Sep 25 Air Force 12:00 pm
Sat, Oct 2 at Toledo 5:00 pm
Sat, Oct 9 at (6) TCU 1:30 pm
Sat, Oct 16 Utah 4:00 pm
Sat, Oct 23 at Brigham Young 12:00 pm
Sat, Oct 30 San Diego State 12:00 pm
Sat, Nov 6 at New Mexico 4:00 pm
Sat, Nov 13 at UNLV 8:00 pm
Sat, Nov 20 Colorado State 12:00 pm

A few important things to take note of this season. The Cowboys play all their games on Saturdays this year including the Border War which has been played on the Friday following Thanksgiving the last few years. Also there is no bye week in the season this year. Last year the Pokes had a week off between trips to Air Force and Utah. A bye week can be vital to help players get over nagging injuries and refresh themselves... not happening this year.

Cowboys start the season on September 6th versus FCS Southern Utah. The Pokes should roll in the opener and start on a great note in front of the home crowd under the lights. The next two games are brutal traveling to Texas and then hosting Boise State. Both teams are ranked in the top 5 and aiming towards a National Championship. The Pokes played the Longhorns tough last year in Laramie for the first half. It will be tough knock off Boise but at least they aren't playing on the smurf turf. Boise will be used to the elevation so that won't be much of a factor.

The next two games are the most pivotal of the season. Hosting Air Force and then traveling to Toledo to face the Rockets of the MAC. Last season the Zoomies held onto a 10-0 win in Colorado Springs and the crowd really effected the Cowboys offense. Being at home should be a big boost and the growth of the offense will be vital here. A win against Air Force will give Wyoming a great start of conference play and a shot at returning to a bowl game.

Last year the Cowboys split their OOC schedule with wins over Weber State and Florida Atlantic. The road victory over Owls was huge ACS and the Cowboys. A similar feet over Toledo is needed this year. Toledo isn't ranked very high in the MAC but they have a prolific offensive attack. If Wyoming can slow down the air attack of the Rockets and exploit their porous defense they can grab that precious second OOC victory.

The MWC gauntlet starts after Wyoming returns from Toledo with trips to TCU and BYU sandwiching a home game against the Utes. This same schedule ruined Colorado State last year and they ended the season 3-9. Of the three games the Utah matchup should be the closest - Wyoming fans won't be able to yell at the Utes for awhile with them heading to the Pac 10 next year.

The final four games are all winnable - SDSU at home, New Mexico and UNLV on the road, then the Border War in Laramie. If Wyoming can start the season 3-2 and keep their heads together after the TCU-Utah-BYU plague then they should have a great shot of going at least three for four and earning a back to back bowl berth!

Chargers RB Ryan Mathews has nose cauterized

Not Wyoming related but the Cowboys faced Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl last year and I like to keep up with him. I think he'll have a great career in the NFL but still very glad that he couldn't get past the Pokes Defense Line in overtime of the NM Bowl. Plus the Bulldogs are joining the Mountain West.

So apparently Mathews has had an issue with nose bleeds throughout his career and the his most recent gusher occurred after taking a hit against the Dallas Cowboys over the weekend. So the solution to this problem was to have his nose cauterized in what is described as an "uncomfortable" procedure.

So what exactly does it mean to have one's nose cauterized? Well since you asked...

According to Wikipedia:

If a person has been having frequent nose bleeds, it is most likely caused by an exposed blood vessel in their nose. Even if the nose is not bleeding at the time, it is cauterized to prevent future bleeding. The different methods of cauterization include burning the affected area with acid, hot metal, lasers, or silver nitrate. Such a procedure is naturally quite painful. Sometimes liquid nitrogen is used as a less painful alternative, though it is less effective. In the few countries that permit the use of cocaine for medicinal purposes, it is occasionally used topically to make this procedure less uncomfortable, cocaine being the only local anesthetic which also produces vasoconstriction, making it ideal for controlling nosebleeds.

So I doubt they coked him up to help deal with the pain since that would violate the leagues drug policy. I'm sure it hurt plenty to have a white hot poker or acid stuck up your nostril. Yes, I would say that does qualify as uncomfortable.