Making the Grade: Wilson Pokes’ Top Pass Catcher in FoCo

FORT COLLINS, Colo., -- Jake Wilson made his first collegiate catch Saturday night.

In fact, he snagged two, for a team leading 51 yards. One of those was a perfectly placed second-quarter pass right down the seam for 29 yards.

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At this time a year ago, the 6-foot-5, 243-pound Montgomery, Texas product wondered if -- and how -- he had developed potentially cancerous cysts in his left knee. Those results were negative. The infection that followed, though, had doctors bracing him for the chance he could lose the limb.

The tight end will forever have a roughly eight-inch scar that begins at his lower quad muscle and stretches to the top of his shin. It's serves as a reminder that "there's more to life than football," he said back in March.

While there weren't many positives in the season opener, a 35-13 setback against Border War rival Colorado State that included four costly turnovers from the offense, Wilson's performance could be the beginning of reaching the potential he and the coaches have for him in Laramie.

Wilson was given an overall grade of 76.3 in Fort Collins, the highest mark on that side of the ball, according to Pro Football Focus.

He was on the field for 38 snaps, 20 of which were pass plays. He wasn't tasked with taking on any edge rushers in the passing game, but he did grade highest in run blocking at 77.6, nearly three points higher than the next closest teammate, Charlie Coenen.

Let's check out some other PFF grades from a mostly forgettable night:

* For those who were on the field for all 55 offensive snaps, linemen Rex Johnsen, Jason Maciejczak, Braylon Jenkins and Giovanni Panozzo, along with quarterback Tyler Hughes, Johnsen was the team's best pass blocker, allowing zero hits, sacks or pressures on 26 drop backs. Wyoming's left tackle finished behind Panozzo (67.3), who was making his first-career start, in the run-blocking department (66.3).

* It was a rough night at the office for Hughes in his Cowboy debut. The graduate transfer from William and Mary was picked off three times and strip-sacked on the final possession of the night. The Marietta, Ga., native completed 12-of-19 throws for 130 yards. He earned a PFF grade of 60.8 overall. Hughes did roll up 52 yards on the ground on only 11 carries. One of those was a 9-yard scamper to the end zone during Wyoming's opening drive of the second half. It was the only touchdown for Christian Taylor's offense.

* Wyoming receivers were awfully quiet in Fort Collins. Eric Richardson led the way with only two grabs for 13 yards on five targets. Two of those whiffs came when the senior from Missouri slipped coming out of his break, both leading to interceptions, including one near the CSU red zone in the second quarter. Richardson finished with a PFF grade of 54.6, worst among wideouts. Coenen also caught two passes for a dozen yards. He did haul in a pretty pass from Hughes on the sideline late in the third, a 21-yard gain that was negated thanks to an illegal-man-downfield penalty. That would've been Wyoming's only third-down conversion of the game (0-8). Deion DeBlanc reeled in the only other pass at the position. That went for six yards.

* Samuel Harris, who head coach Jay Sawvel said was "banged up" in the second half, finished the afternoon with a team-high 63 yards on 16 attempts. That's an average of just 3.9 yards per carry. The sophomore they call "Tote" graded out at 54.7. A pair of fumbles, which were recovered by the Cowboys, didn't help his cause. Markell Holman was sidelined with a rib injury after rushing the ball one time for 14 yards.

* Hughes was sacked just one time in this outing. That unfortunate honor belonged to Jenkins, Wyoming's starting right tackle. He was also the culprit of the illegal-man-downfield call that ultimately led to an interception and a CSU touchdown, putting the Rams up 28-13 late in the third quarter.

* Esaia Bogar looked like one the top defenders on the field Saturday. PFF agrees, handing him a grade of 79.8, a team high. The edge rusher tallied the lone sack of the game and was credited with two "hurries" on CSU quarterback Hauss Hejny. The sophomore finished his career night with 214 yards passing while connecting on 23-of-33 throws. He also threw five touchdowns, three of which went to Wake Forest transfer Reginald Vick Jr. Bogar was also the Cowboys' top tackler at 81.9. He capped his day with 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

* Safety Brooklyn Cheek had the best pass-rush grade at 75.6. The Cal transfer finished with a hurry and a hit. The latter forced an incompletion on a 3rd-and-5 midway through the second quarter.

* Desman Hearns was the top cover man for the Cowboys in Fort Collins, earning a grade of 77.5. The senior nickelback did allow four catches on five targets, but limited the damage to just 14 total yards.

* On the flip side, Jones Thomas brought up the rear, giving up five completions on six attempts. One of those, according to PFF, was a 57-yard touchdown toss from Hejny to Vick late in the third quarter. Sawvel called that a "missed check" at the line of scrimmage. Thomas, a Fort Collins native, appeared to get caught looking in the backfield, taking a few steps forward and allowing Vick to blaze right down the middle of the field. Thomas gave up 95 passing yards in the loss. His night only got worse in the fourth quarter when he was flagged for running into the punter, giving CSU an automatic first down with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation.

(Special teams grades were not available at press time)

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