LARAMIE -- Craig Bohl kept his comments short and sweet after the Cowboys wrapped up Tuesday's practice in Laramie.

Wyoming's head coach is paying attention to a couple position battles and praised the veterans on the backend of his defense.

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A word that keeps popping up is depth. The Pokes have that in droves. Bohl said that is only aiding in installation. These guys aren't rookies.

Here's what Bohl had to say:

* With 95% of the 2020 roster returning -- and an offensive line with more than 145 combined starts under its collective belt -- camp has been moving along much smoother than it would with a young squad. "There's some elementary steps that you have when you have a freshman that is trying to learn his way," Bohl said. "You look at that offensive line, I mean, those guys are men. I mean, they're old guys. Not so much that they can't move around, but with their experience level. We've probably added more than what we have normally been able to do."

* Treyton Welch and Parker Christensen have been battling it out for the starting job at tight end, though Bohl has said in his prostyle system the guy who trots on the field first isn't really crucial in the grand scheme of things. "Treyton and Parker both have, I think, exceptional skills between blocking and route running, which is really good," he said.

 

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* Bohl praised his veteran secondary Tuesday. He has been high on starting cornerbacks CJ Coldon and Azizi Hearn all camp. Monday, he heaped some of that on safety Esaias Gandy, who finished 2020 with 43 tackles, which was second on the team behind Chad Muma. "I think he's an experienced player," Bohl said of Gandy, a 6-foot-1, 198-pound senior from Colorado. "He's certainly really good around the line of scrimmage. He's improved his coverage skills, which is going to be important for him to do. He's smart and he's a seasoned player. It's great to have him."

* Injuries have been held to a minimum so far this fall. Bohl has given much of that credit to the work guys have done with the training staff. "I'm pleased with how our injury reports have been pretty low," he said. "We've had no concussions." Bohl didn't report any additional setbacks Tuesday.

* Jaylen Pate, the redshirt freshman from Chicago, who finished last season with seven tackles and a sack in spot duty, caught Bohl's eye on Tuesday. "He's done some good things," Bohl said, adding that the defensive end spot typically utilizes a five-man rotation. "... It's good to have that kind of depth at that spot."

* Bohl was brief when asked about the performance of quarterbacks Sean Chambers and Levi Williams, who have been battling for the starting spot this fall. "You know, the competition has been really good," he said. "They've helped one another and they're both getting better."

* Wyoming will practice Wednesday in full pads.

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