An injury helped Alex Stover wrestle the starting spot from Fred Givens.

An injury to Stover helped Givens win it back.

And now that everyone at nose guard is healthy, the Wyoming Cowboys will employ a three-man rotation -- which includes true freshman Mike Purcell -- in an effort to shut down opposing rushing attacks, starting this week with Harvey Unga and BYU.

"We feel like we've got three starters in those three kids," UW defensive coordinator Jerry Montgomery said. "You'll see some different things this week that we're going to do to get those guys in a little bit more.

"Purcell will play more and he should've played more on Saturday, it's just hard to rotate three guys at one position. But we're going to do some things differently to get those guys on the field."

The Pokes are just happy that they can finally have all of them at 100 percent.

Givens started the past two years, but lost his job in part because he was injured during spring camp.

When Stover went down with a groin injury against Texas, the door reopened for Givens, who took advantage of the opportunity and has now won the job back.

And Stover's absence also opened a spot for Purcell, a former defensive end who has been converted to nose guard and burned his redshirt against New Mexico.

"Our guys are doing a good job up front providing pressure and I feel good about where our defensive line is right now," said UW coach Dave Christensen, who welcomed Stover back into the rotation in Saturday's loss at Utah.

Admittedly, Purcell was a bit hesitant about taking off his redshirt because he didn't know if there would be enough playing time to go around.

Despite not playing as much as planned against the Utes, he's happy to be playing as a freshman.

And the rest of the three-man wrecking crew sees the benefits of the rotation as well.

"Ultimately, we all stay fresh, which is nice," Stover said. "We'll be able to work some teams down by the fourth quarter throwing that many bodies at them. We all have our unique playing styles. It's not like any one is better than the other."

Givens is the most active, with 27 tackles -- including five for loss. Stover is best when clogging the middle, but he has just one tackle in three games. And Purcell gives the Pokes a little better option in the middle on passing downs.

While rotations are often dictated by the pace of play -- and the Cowboys have some kinks to work out in the rotation -- they could have a dangerous triple threat from a position that usually gets little of the glory.

"Freddy's got a lot of experience in games, and he's disruptive and makes plays," Montgomery said. "Stover may be the soundest. He's solid and in his gap and nothing's getting by him. And Purcell is the most athletic out of the three."

As long as they all remain healthy, it's a three-man rotation that should shut down any rushing attack between the tackles down the stretch.

Contact Laramie-based UW sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at eric.schmoldt@trib.com. Check out his blog at tribtown.trib.com/ESchmoldt/blog

COWBOYS TRACKER

WEDNESDAY: The Wyoming football team continued its practice in preparation for its second consecutive game against a ranked team.

THREE'S A CROWD: With sophomore Alex Stover returning last week, the Cowboys are employing a three-man rotation at nose guard that also includes senior Fred Givens and freshman Mike Purcell.

HE SAID IT: "We all have our unique playing styles. It's not like any one is better than the other." -- Stover.

SATURDAY: No. 25 BYU at Wyoming, noon, War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, on the mtn.