Behind the Numbers: Just How Good Was Wyoming's Defense in Akron?

LARAMIE -- Twenty-two.

That's the number of players defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl trotted out onto the field last Thursday night during the Cowboys' Week 1 meeting with Akron. Four different cornerbacks, safeties and linebackers saw minutes in Wyoming's 10-0 blanking of the Zips inside soggy InfoCision Stadium.

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Why is that significant?

Connor Shay and Shae Suiaunoa, for instance, were on the field for a combined 1,522 snaps last fall from the linebacker spot, according to Pro Football Focus. Their backups? 152. Cole DeMarzo led the way with 95, followed by Evan Eller (25) and Read Sunn (32).

The year prior, safeties Wyett Ekeler and Isaac White, teamed up for 1,736 total defensive plays. That would've likely happened again in 2024 if it wasn't for injuries to both seniors during the non-conference slate. Their replacements? 90. Andrew Johnson was in the secondary for 77 snaps in just six games. TJ Urban and Koa McIntyre combined for 13 in one outing each.

AKRON GAME COVERAGE VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Rants and Raves: Akron Edition

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* Cowboys Pitch 10-0 Shutout in Soggy Season Opener

* Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next For UW Football

* LIVE FILE: Wyoming Cowboys at Akron Zips

Just 18 players on that side of the ball saw action in last season's finale at Washington State. Ekeler and White never left the field. Neither did Shay or Suiaunoa. Cornerback Tyrecus Davis was on the island for all 56 snaps. Keany Parks (33) and Ian Bell (22) split time on the left side.

Aside from a half-game suspension for a helmet-to-helmet hit, nickelback Wrook Brown rarely watched from the sideline.

Get the picture?

Creating depth -- and shedding a lack of production -- was the goal for this staff in the offseason. If that unit's opening-night performance is any indication going forward, they found it.

Here are more in-depth numbers behind that shutout:

That's the number of missed tackles for the Cowboys' defense in the opener. Linebacker Brayden Johnson and free safety Jones Thomas were each credited with two. Seeing a single digit in this category is a good thing. Wyoming missed 20 tackles in the 2024 opener at Arizona State.

That's the number of penalties this unit was tagged with in Akron. All seven on the night were on the offensive side of the ball.

231

That's the total yardage allowed by Bohl's revamped defense, which features nine new starters from a season ago. Ben Finley, one of the top returning signal callers in the Mid-American Conference, completed just 16-of-38 passes (42.1%) for 139 yards and a costly third-quarter interception that thwarted any chance of putting points on the board. Akron averaged a whopping 3.7 yards per pass in this one. The Phoenix product completed nearly 55% of his throws last fall, while racking up 2,604 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air.

3.4

That's Akron's yards-per-carry rate on 27 attempts. Marquese Williams led the way with 30 yards. Sean Patrick finished with 26. The Zips, as a team, managed just 92 yards on the ground with a long of 14.

80.4

That's Brayden Johnson's PFF grade in the run-defense department in Akron, 7.4 points ahead of the next-best Cowboy defender Enoch Sibomana. The formula includes tackles, misses, stops, average depth of tackles and penalties. Your eyes didn't deceive you. Not only did the Oklahoma Baptist transfer pick off that Finley pass in the end zone, Wyoming's new weakside linebacker led all tacklers with eight.

Defensive tackle Lucas Samsula, appearing in his first game at the collegiate level after suffering an ACL tear in fall camp a season ago, tallied two of the Cowboys' four sacks in this one. Edge rusher Chisom Ifeanyi and nose tackle Ben Florentine also added to that total.

That's how many times Finley was hit on Thursday night. Six different players -- Brayden Johnson, Ifeanyi, Justin Taylor, Thomas, Tyce Westland and Andrew Johnson -- all got a piece of the senior quarterback.

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That's the number of hurries this Cowboy defense was credited with in Akron. Brayden Johnson, Jayden Williams and Westland were all credited with two.

That's the ultimate number of "pressures" the defense put on Finley on 38 drop backs. Four players -- Brayden Johnson, Ifeanyi, Samsula and Westland all finished with three. Head coach Jay Sawvel loves sacks, but he said during fall camp he wants to see quarterbacks flushed and dropped on a more frequent basis. For comparison sake, Arizona State's Sam Leavitt was sacked twice last August in Tempe. He was hurried eight times and hit just once in that forgettable 48-7 loss.

66.6

Samsula was Wyoming's highest-rated pass rusher with that overall score on 18 snaps. Fellow interior lineman Aneesh Yvas, a transfer from Bucknell, had the most opportunities to get after the passer at 27.

87.2

That was Brayden Johnson's PFF grade when it came to pass coverage in Akron. The senior linebacker was one the field for 42 pass attempts and in coverage on 34 of those. On five targets, he gave up just two catches for 16 yards. Andrew Johnson wasn't far behind with a grade of 79.8. The strong safety from Cheyenne allowed just one completion for a single yard on three pass attempts. He also delivered a jarring hit to the back of wideout Alex Adams as he bobbled a possible touchdown in the first quarter. Along with the latter Johnson, four other defenders landed in the 70's, including Taylor, cornerback Dainsus Miller and linebackers Ethan Stuhlsatz and Evan Eller, respectively.

Tyrese Boss was targeted the most in this one. The redshirt freshman cornerback, making his first-career start, allowed three catches for 35 yards, including a long of 16. His final grade was 58.9. That number is hovering around "average," according to PFF.

That's how many turnovers the Cowboys forced in the season opener. That, of course, was Brayden Johnson's interception two yards deep in the end zone with 2:13 remaining in the third and the Zips lining up at the 5-yard line. That was the only time the home team entered the red zone all night. Akron also turned the ball over on downs midway through the second quarter.

That's the number of times Finley and Co. even crossed the 50-yard line in this game on 13 offensive series. One of those made it to the UW 49. Another, the 40. Pretty crazy considering Akron's average starting field position was nearly at its own 30-yard line. The third possession of the night started at their own 46. The Zips didn't gain a yard.

3-15

That's Akron's third-down conversion rate last Thursday. As poor as Wyoming's defense played, at times, in 2024, that unit finished the season ranked No. 1 in the nation in this category, allowing just 37 conversions on 143 attempts.

2017

That's the last time a Wyoming defense pitched a shutout. That was a 27-0 blanking of Gardner-Webb inside War Memorial Stadium. When was the last time the Cowboys put up a goose egg against an FBS opponent? That came all the way back in 2010 when Dave Christensen's team embarrassed Border War rival Colorado State, 44-0. Alvester Alexander, you might recall, scored a school-record five touchdowns in that one. Wyoming hasn't held its opponent scoreless in an opener since 1977. That came against another Front Range foe, Air Force. Unfortunately for then head coach Bill Lewis, his team didn't score either in a 0-0 tie in Laramie.

22-plus

Bust out the checkbook. Sawvel told a crowded visiting locker room last Thursday night that the entire defense is receiving a game ball for that shutout. "I'm not sure yet," Brayden Johnson said with a smile postgame when asked where he will display his newest keepsake. "I have a little fireplace in my living room. I'll probably sit it on that."

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University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

During the summer of 2021, 7220Sports.com counted down the Top 50 football players in University of Wyoming history, presented by Premier Bone & Joint Centers, Worthy of Wyoming.

The rules are simple: What was the player's impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn't a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220's Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS -- only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don't agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports - #Top50UWFB