LARAMIE — As a captain and one of the true leaders of the Wyoming defense, defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole will be the first to tell you his unit’s play has not been up to par through the first five games.
That admitted, Bertagnole will also warn you to prepare for a quick turnaround. The senior leader and Casper native was pleased with the defense’s performance against Air Force and sees only more success on the horizon.
Next on the docket for the Cowboys is a Mountain West home game against San Diego State on Saturday.
“I feel like we’ve definitely gotten better. We didn’t start out how we wanted to in the non-conference play,” Bertagnole said. “We really didn’t live up to our standard and our expectations. I feel like going into this game and building off Air Force, is something we’re looking forward to.”
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Wyoming defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole trips up Air Force quarterback John Busha in the second half of the Cowboys’ 31-19 victory over the Falcons on Sept. 28 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
Against three Big 12 foes and a strong FCS squad in Idaho, Wyoming’s defense was found wanting. Through those four games, UW ranked among 115th in the nation in total defense, allowing 429 yards per game.
The Pokes rebounded in their return home against Air Force and its triple option. UW limited the Falcons to 320 total yards. That number may have been 70 yards better had Bertagnole not been flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which erased a punting situation and enabled the Falcons to continue their drive with a fresh set of downs.
A large part of the Pokes’ defensive success against the Falcons was owed to the players in the interior of the defensive line, a group that includes Bertagnole, Ben Florentine, Dante Drake and Jaden Williams. Those four combined for 13 tackles, one tackle for loss and a half sack. Bertagnole himself finished with five tackles and the half sack. The interior players did an excellent job of maintaining their gaps and pursuing the football. Those two areas were lacking in the four losses in the non-conference slate and Bertagnole said it is a point of emphasis at practice.
“Ball key is an emphasis every single day at practice because obviously we don’t want to give (opponents) cheap stuff that’s just us being undisciplined,” he said. “So focusing on that, but then running to the ball is huge. If you have everybody running to the ball, guys are going to miss tackles during a play every now and then, and if you have guys running to the ball, then somebody doesn’t break a tackle and get an extra 20 yards. … Effort and energy is a big emphasis with the d-line.”
Looking at the Pro Football Focus grades through five games, the numbers tell a story of necessary improvement.
Bertagnole, coming off a second-team All-Conference award, has earned a 70.4 run grade, but just a 52.6 pass rush grade on a scale of 0 to 100. Florentine, the Pokes’ other starter inside, currently has a 63.7 grade against the run and 51.0 grade in pass rush while Drake has earned a 59.4 run grade and 54.5 pass rush grade. Jayden Williams has been graded out the best, but has just 83 total snaps. His numbers sit at 72.9 versus the run and 53.8 for pass rush.
Wyoming linebacker Shae Suiaunoa chases down BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff during their game Sept. 14 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
As Bertagnole enters the final seven games of his collegiate career, his focus remains on improving every single week to help Wyoming chalk up W’s. He knows individually his pass rush has to improve. That goes for the entire defensive line across the board.
Bertagnole pointed out pass rush success will come as the defense wins on first and second down. Opposing quarterbacks are having so much success finding open targets within three seconds that the Pokes’ linemen don’t have enough time to get home.
Wyoming strong safety Andrew Johnson chases down Air Force quarterback John Busha during their game Sept. 28 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.
“Winning first and second down is probably the biggest part, because even if you are in a close game, if they’re in third and long, they’ve got to drop back and throw it, so that gives you an opportunity, too,” Bertagnole said.
With lessons learned from a difficult non-conference slate, Bertagnole and his defense line teammates are beginning to show progress.
“We’re taking steps forward. I’m super happy with seeing what we’re doing in practice right now,” he stated. “We all have a bunch of energy and we’re super happy with where we’re at right now in conference play. Obviously, the first four games didn’t go as planned. We’ve responded every week with improvement and so going into our second game of conference play 1-0 is our mantra.”
Follow UW beat writer Anthony Dion on Twitter @anthonydion03