Pokes Practice Report: ‘I’m glad we’re not playing Illinois today’

LARAMIE -- The headline really says it all.

Craig Bohl was not thrilled with some aspects of a light practice Wednesday inside War Memorial Stadium, holding a brief press conference that lasted all of two minutes and 33 seconds.

Wyoming's ninth-year head coach made his thoughts cut and dry -- he's thankful the real thing doesn't start for another 10 days.

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"The pace needs to get better and a mature team understands that," Bohl said. "I probably overestimated our maturity level. I'm glad that we have some more practices to go. They may be a little bit tired, which is why we cut things back today, as well. But, you know, we're in full-blown preparations for Illinois.

"I'm glad we're not playing Illinois today."

Harsh? Maybe.

Sending a message? Definitely.

With just three seniors on this squad, Bohl said it's not uncommon for inexperienced teams to hit a lull during the dog days of fall camp. The heat. The pain. The fatigue. It's all a factor.

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Still, the veteran coach isn't accepting excuses.

"You try to watch your tongue," Bohl said. "Sometimes you can say some things and the tape is the best indicator to show them what we need to improve on. So, you know, there were some snafus that occurred today. I don't want to act like the sky is falling, but I guess having a selective memory, I would've hoped maybe it had been a little bit sharper than it was."

Frank Crum, a junior offensive lineman from Laramie, is one of the leaders on this team. He said despite not having full contact today and being in half-pads, the attitude can't change.

"You know, a lot of young guys aren't used to it, so it's different," Crum said. "You know, there shouldn't be a drop off in intensity and how technique is done, even though we're not in full pads. I think that's a learning curve."

Growing pains are bound to happen when you feature the third-youngest roster in the FBS.

"You don't have a lot of voices out there with a lot of experience," Bohl said. "Some of the guys are doing a good job leading, but I think some other younger players don't know what they don't know yet."

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