Wyoming recruiting recap from the Mtn

Here are couple videos courtesy of the Mtn. which focuses on the 2010 class for Wyoming. Thank goodness the Mountain West has it's own network or else the MWC would have gotten very little publicity today. ESPNU had eight and half hours of recruiting coverage and most of it was spent talking about the same 10-15 schools. The only non-BCS teams that were mentioned were BYU, Boise, Utah and TCU. And all those schools were mentioned at the very end of the broadcast.

Video #1 - Marius Peyton and Tim Neverrett break down the Pokes recruiting class



Video #2 - Interview with Dave Christensen

Cowboys leave their game at home. Lose by 28 to UNLV.

UNLV put together a solid first half and then an even better second half to win easy in Laramie tonight by 28 points. The Rebels improved to 18-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play with the 78-50 victory. After trailing 3-2 early in the game the Rebels buckled down and dominated Wyoming the rest of the way.

Matt Shaw led the Rebs with 16 points despite coming off the bench and only seeing 20 minutes of floor time. Tre'Von Willis and Chase Stanback also scored in double digits for the Rebels who have won four in a row and six of their last seven. On Saturday they will host BYU who won the first meeting of these two teams 77-73 on January 6th.

Nearly ever play had a nice night shooting for UNLV as they shot 53% as a team and hit eight three pointers. Wyoming never got anything going as they were a dismal 14 for 49 from field for a 28% average. The Pokes (9-13, 2-6) were out-rebounded 34-41on their home court.

After beating Utah last week the Pokes have lost two in a row and appear to be sinking fast after tonight's performance. Ryan Dermody was the only Poke to have much going tonight as he led the team with 12 points and hit four treys. Desmar Jackson had 11 points and was the only other Cowboy to hit a three pointer. Wyoming was 5 for 19 from behind arc. Adam Waddell returned to the lineup after a one game absence but was ineffective with 3 points and one rebound in 21 minutes.

The Cowboys head to Fort Collins on Saturday for a rematch with the CSU Rams who have been playing great lately. With the Pokes road woes don't expect this one to be a close one.

AWARDS

Cowboy Joe: Ryan Dermody had his best game in a long time. Way to go Mr Senior!

Cowboy Low: JayDee Luster was 0-8 from the field... ouch. Had five points on free throws. Did not step up and the lead offense tonight.

Cowboy Foe: Chase Stanback had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Cowboy Chatter: National Signing Day Edition

Here a few articles floating around about Wyoming and their recruits.

• Nehemie Kankolango and Skyler Hinton both enrolled early at UW after finishing their graduation requirements. Here is their story of adjusting to college life.
• Story about QB Sam Stratton and Signing Day schedule at UW.
• WR Drew Martinez signed his LOI at 8a.m. this morning.
• DE Sonny Puletasi could be a steal for the Cowboys.
• BYU could have it's best recruiting class ever.
• CSU has put together a very solid class.
• The Lobos grabbed a four star DT that had previously commited to Tennessee.

Geographical breakdown of Pokes Recruiting

Dave Christensen said when he came in that he would recruit far and wide and was willing to look anywhere for players that fit his mold. Well I would say mission accomplished. Previous Wyoming Coaches steered clear of Utah and just focused on Colorado and couple other nearby states.

The Cowboys even went international with their recruiting this year landing two players that played outside the United States.

Here is a breakdown of each state that every recruiting attended before committing to Wyoming. Some of the JC players went to high school elsewhere but I'm placing based on the college location.

Canada - 1
Nehemie Kankolongo - RB

California - 2
Austin Daniels - DB
Justin Dire - OL

Colorado - 5
Riley Lange - DE
Patrick Mertens* - DL
CJ Morgan - WR
Sam Stratton - QB
Tyler Strong - DT

Germany - 1
Oliver Schober - LB

Illinois - 1
Dylan McElveen - DB

Kansas - 1
Nick Puetz - OL

Minnesota -1
Evan Williams - RB

Missouri -2
Skyler Hinton - OL
Darrenn White - ATH

New Mexico - 2
BJ Sumter - DT
Kurt Taufa'asau - DT

Oklahoma - 1
Sonny Pueltasi - DE

Texas - 2
Marqueston Huff - DB
Emory Miller - QB

Utah - 2
DeJay Lester - WR
Mazi Ogbonna - WR

Washington - 2
Travis Bogard - OL/DT
Daniel Fleischman - OL

Wyoming - 1
Drew Martinez - WR

*walked on last year but earned a scholarship this year

Good things come in pairs

Dave Christensen must have been reading a lot of the Old Testament the past few months because in his recruiting he ended up with three sets of teammates to commit to Wyoming. Last year the Pokes one set of teammates who came in from Booker T Washington HS in Tulsa, OK. Shamiel Gary and Terry Smith started the trend last year and it continues this season.

So who are these peas in a pod?

Crete Monee High School
Crete, IL

Greg Barksdale -LB

Dylan McElveen - DB

Mcelveen commited to the Pokes on October 6th and his teammate Barksdale followed suit just twenty days later. These are the first pair to commit to Wyoming and should provide some much needed speed to Cowboys defense. Barksdale could stay at LB or move to Safety.

Snow College
Ephraim, UT

Mazi Ogbonna - WR

DeJay Lester - WR

These twin wideouts from Snow College in Utah visited in the Fall then both committed on December 17th. A number of other programs were interested in this pair (Utah and Oklahoma) but they came to Laramie. Expect both players to see plenty of plays in the Fall and provide a real spark to Cowboys passing game. Both are already enrolled at Wyoming and will participate in the upcoming Spring Football practices.

New Mexico Military Institute
Roswell, NM

Kurt Taufa'asau - DT

BJ Sumter - NG

The loss of Fred Givens, John Fletcher and Mitch Unrein really hurts the Pokes on the defensive line. Thankfully these two big fellas from NMMI committed in January and have a good chance of starting next season. Sumter is the strongest linemen in the history of the NMMI program and Taufa'asua has a great blend of size and agility. Their military background from NMMI should also be a good sign as these players are used to training and discipline.

JUCO players provide instant impact

NICK PUETZ IS ONE OF SIX JC COMMITS

With so many holes to fill on both sides of the ball Coach Christensen and his staff were looking at help on both sides of the ball. The offensive and defensive lines were hurt the hardest by graduation and the wide receivers were unable to stretch the field which severely impacted the offense.

By bringing in six Junior College players the Pokes are able to find players that fit their system and have had a couple of years to develop physically and mentally on the football field. They were certainly help keep the momentum going for the program that could have been decimated with the loss of three starters on the defensive line.

A dozen freshman started for Wyoming last season but you can't count 18 and 19 years old to be impact players in their first year. By bringing in JC players a number of freshman can redshirt this year and spend that time in the weight room and learning the system.

As the 2009 and 2010 classes develop I expect the Cowboys to recruit fewer and fewer players from the JUCO ranks. Hopefully the Pokes won't need to every look for a JUCO QB ever again as Dax Crum was a bust under Glenn and Robert Benjamin has already left Laramie after losing his starting job to Austyn Carta-Samuels.

2010 Player Commitments - Wyoming - Junior College/Transfers
NAME	POS	HT	WT	HOMETOWN	SCHOOL
DeJay Lester	WR	6-1	195	Layton, UT	Snow College
Mazi Ogbonna	WR	6-1	190	Westbury, NY	Snow College
Nick Puetz	OT	6-4	307	Salina, KS	Coffeyville CC
Austin Daniels	CB	5-10	180	Pasadena, CA	Mt. San Antonio College
Kurt Taufaasau	DT	6-2	290	American Samoa, SP	New Mexico Military Int.

Bernard Sumter DT 6-2 310 Roswell, NM New Mexico Military Int.

National Signing Day Eve

The commits were all snug in their beds while dreams of Laramie danced in their heads...

Was tempted to throw out some poetry here but that is not my strong suit. We're just a few hours from the official signing of one of the best classes in recent memory. Coaches aren't allowed to officially comment on athletes before they commit so it will be great to finally get some insight from Coach Christensen and his staff.

With so many impact players from the 2009 class how will the 2010 class stack up? This is certaintly a larger class and the staff had the luxury of time when putting it together. Last year there were only a few weeks to assemble to recruits.

The running back situation will be very intersting to watch in the Fall. Alvester Alexander came on strong towards the end of last year. Nehemie Kankolongo is the Pokes top rated recruit this year and has already enrolled at UW this winter. Evan Williams just committed a couple weeks ago but his highlight video is impressing everyone that catches a glimpse.

We'll have a lot more thoughts and analysis tommorow after the class is officially announced.

Preview: UNLV Rebels at Wyoming Cowboys

UNLV Rebels at Wyoming Cowboys
Laramie, Wyoming
8PM MST
TV: The Mtn

The good news for the Cowboys is that they play at home so they at least have a chance of winning. The bad news is that a talented UNLV squad is coming to town in hopes of building their resume for the post season. The Rebels (17-4, 5-2) are winners of three in a row and are trying to keep pace with the New Mexico Lobos and BYU Cougars atop the Mountain West.

The Cowboys have suffered many bad losses this season but their most recent could take the cake. Losing to an Air Force squad that is young and had lost 20+ Mountain West game in a row takes this season to a new low. Wyoming was missing big man Adam Waddell but should have been able to compete better with the Falcons no matter what.

Desmar Jackson has been lights out for the Pokes ever since Afam Muojeke was lost for the season. Jackson had scored 21 points in each of the last two games to lead the scoring effort, his energy and hustle is exciting. Hopefully his example will rub off on some of his teammates.

Tre'Von Willis leads the Rebels with 17 points a game and his hitting 48% of his shots. After that the Rebels can hurt a number of ways. Chance Stanback is averaging 10 points and 5 boards a game. Oscar Bellfield, Kendall Wallace, Derrick Jasper and Matt Shaw can step up any night and all average 6+ points a game. UNLV has been impressive on the road this year with a 7-1 mark on the road. The Rebels average just one point less on offense than Wyoming but their defense is superior by allowing 65 points compared to 74 for the Pokes.

Last season the teams split the series with home team winning both times. If Adam Waddell is able to go on Wednesday that will help a ton. Otherwise this one could pretty lopsided in the Rebels favor.

	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	STK
UNLV	17-4	75.3	65.7	9-2	7-1	W3
WYO	9-12	76.6	74.4	9-6	0-6	L1

Wife of Jay Novacek found dead this morning

The wife of former UW great Jay Novacek was found dead this morning in a relatives home in Burleson, Texas. LeAnne Novacek, 45 is pictured above with her husband at a fundraiser circa 1997. Foul play is not suspected at this time.

Jay Novacek was a great TE for Wyoming and then went onto a Pro Bowl career with the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Truly a terrible tragedy for the Novacek family and all of those that know them.

An autopsy is planned for Tuesday morning. There has been no official release from the Novacek family.

UPDATE 11PM MST: Burleson Texas police are now saying that the incident appears to be a suicide caused by a gunshot wound. Here is the update from Dallas News.

Mountain West Standings: 2/1/10

Mountain West Standings for 2/1/10. The four teams of BYU, New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State are finally starting to seperate themselves from the rest of the pack. Over the next month it will be a battle to see which teams can position themselves for a spot in the NCAA Tourney. BYU and New Mexico are solid projections right now. Can the Rebels or Aztecs impress the voters over the next six weeks to earn a tourney spot?

SDSU, UNLV and CSU would be all be likely to end up in the NIT if they don't make the NCAA tournament.



Mountain West Conference Standings

	Conf	All
BYU (12)	6-1	21-2
New Mexico (15)	6-2	20-3
UNLV	5-2	17-4
San Diego St.	4-3	15-6
Colorado St.	3-4	12-9
Utah	3-4	10-11
TCU	2-5	10-12
Wyoming	2-5	9-12
Air Force	1-6	9-11