Wyoming defense steps up in second fall scrimmage

Posted 8/20/13

Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen was pleased to see the defense step up with some big plays on Saturday and balance out the second scrimmage after the offense dominated in the initial scrimmage of fall camp last Sunday.

Junior quarterback and …

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Wyoming defense steps up in second fall scrimmage

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LARAMIE — Wyoming’s second scrimmage of the fall took place on Saturday in Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium, and it was a much more balanced scrimmage between the offense and defense. The defense forced two interceptions by junior strong safety Darrenn White and sophomore linebacker Deven McKenna, and sacked Cowboy quarterbacks six times. Junior linebacker Mark Nzeocha and senior defensive tackle and co-captain Patrick Mertens led UW with two sacks each and were credited with six and five tackles, respectively.

Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen was pleased to see the defense step up with some big plays on Saturday and balance out the second scrimmage after the offense dominated in the initial scrimmage of fall camp last Sunday.

Junior quarterback and team co-captain Brett Smith was also asked by media members after the scrimmage if it was good to see the defense’s improved play on Saturday, knowing that it will take a total team effort for the Pokes to have a successful season once the regular season starts.

All told, Wyoming running backs scored all three rushing touchdowns and two of three TDs through the air. Christensen was asked afterward to assess his running backs’ performance on the day.

“Tedder (Easton) has worked extremely hard, and he is real committed to our program. He understands his role, some times that is being a battering ram, but he does whatever is asked of him and he does it with everything he’s got. He has been a tremendous part of this football team with his work ethic.”

Quarterback Smith was also impressed with the performance of the Cowboy running backs.

“I thought we did a good job running the ball today,” said Smith. “The line was able to get a good push on the defense, and the backs were able to find some holes and make some big plays. I definitely thought we ran it well.”

Christensen was also asked about the three series in the middle of the scrimmage that sophomore quarterback Thompson was inserted into the No. 1 offensive unit.

“Robert (Herron) has played well enough during fall camp, I decided he wasn’t going to play today,” said Christensen. “But he is fine and ready to go.”

“We just talked to the kids about that — two weeks from today we’re going to play that first game,” said Christensen. “We’ve got a lot of work to get done between now and then. I’ve liked everything I’ve seen from an effort standpoint up until this point, and I look forward to continuing to work on our preparation over the next two weeks.

And what does Smith want to focus on as he and his teammates prepare for their season opener against the Huskers?

“I just want to continue to get better — polish things up,” said Smith. “Make sure everyone is doing what they can to learn their assignments and make sure we are mentally sharp and physically sharp and that we are ready to go. Hopefully, if we continue to work hard like we have been, we will have success.”

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