Double-teams are typically Fred Givens' domain.

The Wyoming noseguard frees up the rest of the front seven by taking on as many blockers as he can, a role Givens has never minded a bit.

But he might have to get in line this fall.

Defensive ends John Fletcher and Mitch Unrein are going to command their share of attention, and behind them are four athletic linebackers that can blitz from any angle.

It might just turn the 6-foot, 301-pound Givens into a surprise playmaker for the Cowboys.

"The offensive lines are going to have to spread out and cover both (ends)," Fletcher said. "That's probably going to free Freddy up in the middle this year.

"That's going to be another thing that the offense is going to have to watch out for."

It's unlikely they'll see Givens pile up sacks like his counterparts on the defensive line, but the junior could become a threat in his own right.

Givens figures to improve on his one-sack, four-tackles for losses season as a sophomore, particularly if Unrein and Fletcher can take some heat off him for a change.

"Whoever gets the glory, it doesn't matter to me," Givens said. "What matters to me is that UW gets the victory.

"If my job is to take up blockers, that's what I'm going to do and I'll just try to make plays out of a double-team. The credit doesn't matter to me, I can joke around with them about the stats, but it doesn't really matter if we win."

The good-natured Givens helped keep the jokes coming last year by providing a steady anchor up front and letting Fletcher and Unrein go crazy in the backfield.

UW is even deeper on the line this year, with Mike Neuhaus and Danny Dutmer pushing for playing time on the end and senior Rob Hollway backing up Givens.

The loss of Anthony Wilson (three sacks last season) to an eligibility issue took away some of the expected depth heading into fall camp, but the Cowboys seem to have enough bodies without him.

"I think we were probably going to take more snaps anyway," Givens said. "But it's tough that we had to lose a guy that could come off the bench and get some sacks and give us a breather.

"But we'll work through it, we've adapted and we're ready to go now."

If anything, it might leave more sacks for Givens.

Unless Fletcher and Unrein continue to leave the heavy lifting to the noseguard.

"They give me credit," Givens said. "It's not like that. They know I'm taking up blocks, and if they make plays, I'm happy for them.

"If they miss the play, I'll just give them a hard time that I did all that work for nothing."

More often than not, it's worth the effort.

BUMPS AND BRUISES: UW coach Joe Glenn has had more guys in street clothes than he might like, but until Monday he'd avoided many injuries deemed to be too serious.

Starting wide receiver Brandon Stewart's break in his shoulder easily qualified.

"That's a tough one," Glenn said. "Just hope beyond hope that we can get him back this season. It's going to take some time."

Glenn said the early word from trainer Robb Williams was a recovery time of four to six weeks, which will force some juggling at receiver before the season opener against Ohio on Aug. 30.

Stewart won the battle in camp to start at inside receiver, edging sophomore David Leonard on the latest depth chart.

Leonard could easily be elevated, but the Cowboys are also considering a move for Chris Johnson to the inside.

"We can go a lot of different directions," Glenn said. "David Leonard's there, CJ could go inside now, we've got some guys that can work at it and see what we've got.

"I'm still saying everybody else is coming back. We still don't know (Marcus) Felker's deal, trying to get a brace for his arm, and we've got a lot of guys jogging around. We've been pretty fortunate, but at the same time, I don't like losing anybody. Brandon's been doing a super job for us, been money for us on offense and special teams."

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

D-LINE TRACKER

Tackle

John Fletcher Jr. 6-6, 270

Danny Dutmer Sr. 6-3, 248

Noseguard

Fred Givens Jr. 6-0, 301

Rob Hollway Sr. 6-4, 267

End

Mitch Unrein Jr. 6-4, 270

Mike Neuhaus Jr. 6-3, 259