Cowboy Joe Looking for Hardware

[MrTitleist]

From the Casper Star Tribune


The gaudy ring is starting to show a little too much wear.

Joe Glenn's Las Vegas Bowl jewelry still sparkles, but it's well travelled and he's ready for an upgrade.

There was once some fresh paint around the ring of War Memorial Stadium showing Wyoming's bowl appearances.

But the last addition is starting to fade slightly in Glenn's eyes, and the Wyoming coach is ready to break out some new brushes.

He knows better than anybody that two years is far too long between bowl appearances -- even for a program that had waited 11 until Glenn led them back to the postseason with a win in Sin City over UCLA.

That program is now built entirely in his image for the first time -- from the roster stocked completely with his recruits to the uniforms that once again feature the original school colors, playing up the tradition that Glenn has embraced since arriving in Laramie in 2003.

And if he's feeling any outside pressure to live up to the standard he's set for UW after the two-year drought, Glenn -- ever the optimist -- doesn't show it.

"I just think there's the pressure that you put on yourself," Glenn said. "I expect us to be better, and if we're better that means we're in a bowl game.

"If we're somewhat better, that means we're fighting for the conference championship, which is why we do this. At this point, with me running my big, Irish mouth off, we need a measuring stick. That's why we've been waiting for this game with Virginia."

The measuring stick he's been waiting for comes Saturday in Laramie at high noon.

The Cavaliers memorably edged UW in overtime last season, part of a disastrous 1-4 start that derailed the Cowboys' hopes of getting back where Glenn thinks they belong.

They turned it around last season after making a big switch at quarterback -- going 5-2 down the stretch to become bowl eligible at 6-6 -- but the damage had been done.

The Cowboys will face a similar challenge over the first five games again -- even down to the cakewalk with Utah State -- leading up to the yardstick that could matter most, opening the Mountain West Conference slate against league favorite TCU.

"In the first two games, we'll figure out pretty much where we're at," Glenn said. "Last year, it was so-so. We were better than that.

"This year, we've got a veteran quarterback (sophomore Karsten Sween) coming up to the line of scrimmage that's led seven starts, so I feel a little bit different about this year."

Sween is just a part of the difference -- albeit at the most important position on the field -- since Glenn has more confidence at every slot on the field.

He's lauded his linebackers at nearly every turn.

He's named his backfield "Thunder and Lightning," playing off the pounding running style of Wynel Seldon and the game-breaking speed of Devin Moore -- who he calls the "fastest player he's ever had."

He's hailed the abundance of speed at every position, and his infectious positive attitude spread far enough to lead one senior to claim that the Cowboys' goal was to go undefeated.

"I think our talent level now is such that our kids and our coaches feel like we can line up with anybody in the United States and play football and get a victory," Glenn said. "I've been very excited about this year, and there's no doubt that every year the recruiting has got a little better, a little better, a little better.

"You can see it. We expect a little more, absolutely. Yeah, you bet."

Talent, naturally, is in the eye of the recruiter, and the league's media didn't exactly put the odds on the Cowboys.

The voters couldn't decide if UW was a contender or completely out of the race this season when putting together the preseason polls -- splitting the difference and tabbing them to finish fifth in the nine-team league.

But Glenn found a way to spin that into a positive as well, and some motivation found its way on to a whiteboard in the team's weight room before the first scrimmage of fall camp.

"We are picked 5th in the West," it read. "WHAT are WE going to do about it?"

That's the question that Glenn's been so excited to answer, and he's not shy about pointing out reminders to the guys who hold the key.

"We're there. We're close enough," Glenn said. "We've got some tough games that we will play at home, tough on the road. But the teams that put it on us last year (TCU and BYU) both come to our house.

"I told the guys the other day, 'There's all the bowl games and the last one was 2004.' We need to get to a bowl game, and why not win the conference championship on the way?"

There's jewelry waiting for Glenn if they can, and he's ready to try on a new ring.

[Kansan Cowboy!]

Joe Glenn Rocks! What an Optimistic guy! That has me believing in these guys even more.