LARAMIE – There hasn't been a lot of talk about two of the University of Wyoming's better defensive players during fall camp.

However, fourth-year coach Craig Bohl begs to differ about what he's seen from junior safeties Andrew Wingard and Marcus Epps.

"There's news, you just haven't seen it," Bohl said after the Cowboys' 21st practice of fall camp Wednesday.

"We're really pleased with some of the things that they're doing. We have to play better defense this year. We have a lot of players back, and they're playing better, faster, more aggressively and they're communicating better. Those two are leading the way."

Wingard was voted the Mountain West preseason defensive player of the year by the media. He has played in 26 games over the past two seasons and has 253 tackles. Epps has played in 25 games and has 194 tackles.

Combined, Wingard and Epps have 22½ tackles for loss, 21 pass break-ups and eight interceptions over their first two seasons.

Bohl said the number of game-like reps for both have been reduced in fall camp due to the number of games they've played during their careers. Another reason is UW wants to get other players ready to play, including sophomore Alijah Halliburton, senior Tim Kamana and possibly true freshman Esaias Gandy.

"Camp has gone good. (Epps) and I are just a couple of veterans that know what we're doing," Wingard said.

"We're excited. We look forward to making a lot of plays on ball and being the anchors of the defense with all of our experience."

Wingard was a first team All-MW selection last season with 131 tackles, 7½ tackles for loss, two quarterback sacks, two interceptions and four pass break-ups. However, Bohl said hamstring pulls prior and during fall camp "limited some of his play last year."

Bohl said Wingard is running faster now than he has in the past.

Bohl also said Epps has improved his tackling and breaks on the ball.

UW's 4-3 defensive scheme is the same as the previous three seasons, but new defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton plans to utilize the skills of Wingard and Epps and mix up pass coverages. In the past, the Cowboys were exclusively a man-coverage squad. This season, Wingard and Epps will be more involved in pass coverages, and will continue to help defend the run.

In other words, UW will ask two of its better defenders to do more.

"We will have more opportunities to get our hands on more balls and mix things up instead of playing just one coverage," Epps said. "We've done a good job of getting a feel for the defense, and that's continued with each practice during camp."

Wingard said this final week of camp has gone by slowly, and that he is anxious to show what this defense can do in UW's season-opener Sept. 2 at Iowa.

But that's about the only thing that has gone slowly for him as he enters his third year in the program.

"It's weird. I'm a junior and I feel like I've been in college for five days," he said with a laugh. "But I really like it, and I can be a leader now."

Pokes on Facebook

Two UW football games this season will be aired live on Facebook.

The MW, through a partnership with Stadium, announced Wednesday that UW's Sept. 30 home game against Texas State and its Oct. 14 game at Utah State are two of six games that will be carried live on Facebook in 2017.

The Texas State game kicks off at 2 p.m. The Utah State game starts at 2:30 p.m.

"We are continually exploring ways by which we can innovate and expand the visibility of our conference membership," MW commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. "Through our partnership with Stadium, we're excited to offer our football product on the world's most widely used social media platform."

Facebook has more than 100 million video views daily.

Practice report

The Cowboys practiced in spiders (lighter shoulder pads), helmets and shorts Wednesday morning.

"It was an excellent work day. Guys moved around well," Bohl said. "But we will be back in full pads (today)."

UW spent the early portions of practice working on punting. As for the rest of the special teams units throughout camp, Bohl said: "Our specialists are kicking the ball well, and the snaps are going well. We've worked on our returns, punt blocks and those things extensively.

"But, quite frankly, a lot of times you really never know until you get out against an opponent. We've got some good returners, but will know a little more during a game."

No one was added to the injury report. Players who remain out include: junior wide receiver James Price (clavicle), junior tight end Austin Fort (knee), sophomore defensive end Shiloh Windsor (concussion) and sophomore defensive tackle Brent Gilliland (concussion).

NFL scouts from the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks were at practice. Scouts from eight different NFL teams have watched UW practice this week.