LARAMIE -- One day and some film review seemed to take the edge off Wyoming.

It might have also provided enough evidence to name a quarterback.

The doomsday attitude that prevailed after Wednesday's first scrimmage of the fall was replaced Thursday by praise for the defense, satisfaction with the running game and, maybe, an answer under center.

The Cowboys once again are planning on naming a starter today, but the whispers around the program indicate there may already be one -- junior college transfer Dax Crum.

"We'll finish talking about it (Thursday night), and right now I anticipate (an announcement today), but it hasn't been settled yet," UW coach Joe Glenn said. "We're going to stay on the same timeline as we have been, we just need to finish talking about it.

"We'd just like a little more time to finalize it and make sure we're doing the right thing. One way or the other, I want to wait and so does (offensive coordinator) Bob (Cole)."

Glenn didn't seem close to a decision after the disappointing, touchdown-less scrimmage, but Cole hasn't wavered from the original deadline. The Cowboys might have been closer to a decision on Thursday if Glenn hadn't had to make an appearance for the conference in Denver, which clearly wasn't his preference.

Either way there should be one today, and as much as it was expected to be an arms race between Crum and returning starter Karsten Sween, the battle might hinge more on the ability to manage the ground game.

Neither quarterback got to do much passing against the second-team defense on Wednesday, but UW's best drives featured Crum calling the signals -- even if they were led by the running backs.

"That's a big part of our offense, making run checks and getting in the right running play to make sure we put our offensive line in the best position to make the right blocks," Crum said. "That's a big part of being a quarterback here.

"People think you just drop back and pass it, but there's a lot more to it than that."

Eventually the starter will have to handle the passing game though, and at least during Thursday's indoor practice, Crum seemed to be the leading candidate.

More often than not he took the first snap during drills, and if run checks are indeed a deciding factor, Crum handled nearly all the snaps in live work with the rushing attack.

Most of those came before Glenn returned to practice midway though the session, which is yet another reason the team wasn't prepared to make an official statement Thursday.

"I think right now the ball is in Joe's court, so whenever he decides to announce it, he'll announce it," Cole said. "But at this point in time, that's not my call to make."

After some uncertainty on Wednesday, that time appears to be approaching.

Not a moment too soon, either --- virtually everyone around the program seems ready to move forward.

"Here's what's tough, I watch the tape and I see, then I leave," Glenn said. "I really don't know exactly what's been said, I just didn't need to be gone right now when we're making this choice.

"In all fairness, let's give me a little more time with Bob. Hang with us."

At least for one more day.

FURTHER REVIEW: The Cowboys might have altered the numbers slightly, but the ones they came up with looked pretty good.

Cole and the offensive staff took out the fumbles and the negative plays from Wednesday night and settled on some new rushing totals, finally deciding on 287 yards.

Admittedly mulligans aren't allowed on game day, but for an opening scrimmage it helped cast a more positive light on an otherwise dim performance.

"After I watched the film, obviously the things that I was most disappointed about were what I saw during the scrimmage, the penalties, turnovers, fumbles, this and that kind of stuff," Cole said. "We went back and took out all the plays where if we didn't fumble the ball and run backwards, rushing yards were 287. Against our defense, they're damn good, that's impressive.

"That was one thing we thought we could take with us and go. If you can rush for 280 a game, you're going to win."

DEEP END: Defensive coordinator Mike Breske has closed the gap between his starters and backups, just like he hoped to coming into camp.

Now he has to officially designate who's who.

The front seven shouldn't have any changes when UW's new depth chart for both sides of the ball is released today, but there are still some spots open in the secondary.

Quincy Rogers is likely secure at one safety, but Buffalo native Chris Prosinski might emerge as the other starter over Michael Ray.

The Gipson brothers -- Marcell and Tashaun -- continued to work with the first team on Thursday and could both start against Ohio.

BUMPS AND BRUISES: Yet another offensive lineman was forced to the sideline on Thursday, and Ryan Otterson obviously wasn't happy about it.

The left tackle was on crutches and had a walking boot on his right ankle after injuring it during the scrimmage, though he called it a precautionary measure.

"It's just a sprain to me," he said. "I'd rather be out there practicing, I hate watching."

Otterson expected to have an MRI on his ankle today, and X-rays were negative.

Running back Jimmy DeAndrea might need surgery on his injured thumb, and linebacker Zeb Whipp also missed practice with a neck sprain.

Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or austin.ward@trib.com.

Cowboys Tracker

THURSDAY: Wyoming practiced indoors one day after its disheartening scrimmage, which didn't seem quite so bad to the coaching staff after film review.

(QUARTER)BACK ON: Cowboys coach Joe Glenn wavered on a decision at quarterback on Wednesday, but Thursday he was back in favor of announcing a starter today.

Glenn wasn't happy about having to make an appearance for the conference with the decision-making process going on, and there were rumors that Dax Crum had won the job while he was away.

NUMBERS GAME: UW crunched the numbers again and came up with a rushing total it preferred for the scrimmage -- 287 yards.

The Cowboys took out some of the fumbles and backwards running that followed them during film review and was much happier about the effort on Thursday.

HE SAID IT: "We'd just like a little more time to finalize it and make sure we're doing the right thing." -- Glenn.

TODAY: The Cowboys are planning to officially announce a starting quarterback and will practice in the afternoon.