Leonardfan
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John Wendling had 2 rushes for 60 yds...not sure how he did on the defensive side of the ball though. His rush yards came off fake punts I believe.
Jimmy Chitwood said:i wanted to start a thread for white defensive backs we need to keep an
eye on in this upcoming '06 season. as most of you know, i think Utah's
Eric Weddle is the best DB in the country, period. at either corner or
safety... and Tommy Z is finally getting some much-deserved hype, as
well.
but here's to the rest of the guys out there who play great football but get
virtually no air-time on ESPN...
my first guy to talk about is FS/SS John Wendling from Wyoming.
after leading the Cowboys in tackles as a sophomore, Wendling has just
gotten better and better. here's the skinny:
from the Cowboys website: he will enter his senior season as a
leading All-America candidate in 2006. A three-year starter at safety for
the Cowboys, he has added 13 pounds to his frame from a year ago,
while maintaining his speed and explosiveness -- he ran a 4.38 40-yard
time during winter conditioning and posted a vertical jump of 40.9
inches. During 2006 spring practice, Wendling trained at the strong-
safety position, in addition to his familiar free-safety spot. He could be
utilized at either position his senior year. Prior to the 2005 season, he
was ranked by Phil Steele's College Football Preview as the No. 16 best
free safety in the nation.
as posted on Fox Sports '06 college football preview:
Best Defensive Player: Senior SS John Wendling. The big, fast tackling machine suffers from playing in the same conference as Utah's Eric Weddle. At 6-1 and 222 pounds with sub-4.4 speed, he's a sleeper pro prospect who'll get more and more attention as the year goes on from the scouts.
Shada caps win in big way</font>
By Andy Hamilton, Pat Harty and Ryan Suchomel
Iowa City Press-Citizen
Adam Shada isn't worried about his place in history.
The sophomore cornerback found a place in the recordbook anyway on Saturday.
Shada picked off a Curtis Painter pass and returned it 98 yards for Iowa's final touchdown of the day. It broke the Hawkeye record of 94 that was held by Brad Quast (1988 versus Kansas State) and Bobby Stearns (1954 versus Minnesota).
"It's pretty cool; it feels good," Shada said. "I'm not into personal accomplishments. It'll be nice if it's still standing in a few years when I come back to a game."
It was the exclamation point on a big afternoon by the Hawkeyes and drove the stake into the heart of the Boilermakers.
On second-and-4 from the Iowa 24, Painter dropped back and tried to fire a bullet into the end zone.
Shada grabbed it near the left hashmark, then began to weave his way toward the right sideline.
Close to midfield, Shada saw a lot of green open up in front of him, sprinted left, picked up a few blockers, and ran down the left sideline to the south end zone in Kinnick Stadium.
"I think I got to about the 45, I was going right, and everybody was telling me on the sidelines that the left was open," Shada said.
"After that cuback, I got a couple of big blocks. There was only one guy left, and (Mike) Klinkenborg was hustling to get him and made a great block."
The interception was Shada's third of the season and sixth of his career. It was another bullet in the chamber to fire at his detractors who were down on him after a pile of pass interference penalties in the first two games.
"I don't listen to anything anyone says. We don't change our style of play because we get a couple of flags," Shada said. "I've thought we've played well this year."
That style of play is an Iowa trademark. The Hawkeye defensive scheme tries to take away the deep completion. Purdue came into the game was the fifth-best passing offense in the nation, averaging 317.6 yards per game. Iowa gave up just 254 yards Saturday and also picked off the Boilermakers three times.
"I think we have an opportunistic defense," Shada said. "It's not a bend-but-don't-break thing, but it's kinda you give a little bit of cushion, but if someone catches the ball, you're hitting them. And if they put the ball up, you're getting it."
Charles Godfrey and Marcus Wilson each added an interceptions for the Hawkeyes, but Shada had the one to remember.
"I went to the sidelines to try to catch my breath and went back out there," Shada sad. "I was out there for four plays, but I was too tired. I took myself out, let Fletch (Bradley Fletcher) get some plays."
What if Weddle hadn't turned his back on Wyoming?</font>
By PETER HOCKADAY
Star-Tribune staff writer Thursday, October 12, 2006
LARAMIE -- Imagine it, for a moment, because that's all you can do.
Picture John Wendling making the hits on a defense where Eric Weddle makes the picks. Imagine the media dubbing it the "Weddle and Wendling Show," or maybe even the "Weddle-ing Show." Envision opposing coaches breaking out in hives as they try to gameplan for Wyoming's terrifying twosome of defensive backs.
It almost happened.
Weddle, Utah's star playmaker, put Wyoming as a close second on his list out of high school after UW head coach Joe Glenn recruited him first to Montana and then to Wyoming. Wendling, a Rock Springs native, was a Cowboy from the start and is currently the leader of UW's defense.
When the two square off Saturday, fans can only imagine what it would have been like if both players, not just one, were wearing brown-and-gold.
"It would've been great to play with each other in the same backfield, it would've been a great tandem," Weddle said. "But he's there and I'm here, and he's doing his thing and I'm doing mine."
Weddle's "thing" could be defined as interceptions and all-around playmaking. The senior from Alta Loma, Calif., has six interceptions this season and is second in the nation in that category. Weddle has played several different positions on both defense and offense and scored three touchdowns, as many as any other player on the team on either side of the ball.
But, thanks to Wendling and the rest of the defensive backs, UW hasn't exactly needed another playmaker in the secondary this season. The Cowboys have the top-rated pass defense in the nation, and are giving up barely more than 100 yards per game through the air.
As expected, Wendling has been right near the top of the stat sheet all year for UW. He is second on the team with 37 tackles, and had a defensive touchdown on a 54-yard fumble recovery against Air Force.
Much like Weddle, Wendling has been a threat in multiple ways for UW. As the Cowboys' personal protector on punts, he has the ability to read punt coverage and call fakes, and he has done it effectively this year. He has called three fakes and ran all three for first downs, averaging 32 yards per carry on the fakes. He has also returned kicks for an average of 20.1 yards per return.
"There's three facets to the game, and if we can help anywhere, the more we can help the better off we'll be," UW defensive coordinator Mike Breske said. "John's one of our best athletes, and he's got to be involved on special teams."
Wendling and Weddle met in San Diego this summer at Mountain West Conference media days, going out to several meals together and playing pool. Breske said Wendling called his Utah counterpart "a guy you want to hate but can't."
"He's definitely got my vote for All-American this year," Wendling said of Weddle. "He's one heck of a player. I don't know if I can be compared much to him, because he's on a whole other level."
But there's still a distinct possibility that both players could be on the same level next year n the NFL level. In a recent article, ESPN.com ranked Weddle at No. 11 and Wendling at No. 16 among defensive backs in next spring's NFL Draft. At Wednesday's practice, two NFL scouts scribbled notes after most of Wendling's moves.
Before that process starts, there's Saturday's game. And even if the two players were almost in the same uniform, they'll shape Saturday's game for two different teams.
"Twenty-three and 32," Breske said, invoking Wendling's and Weddle's numbers, respectively. Then he grinned. "The good guy and the evil guy."