Tashaun Gipson had his freshman moments.

Marcell Gipson at times looked like somebody that hadn't played a football game in three years.

Wyoming's young corners are clearly far from a finished product, but the Cowboys weren't exactly disappointed with their debuts in a hard-fought 21-20 win over Ohio to open the season on Saturday in Laramie.

"We're standing here in the winner's circle," UW coach Joe Glenn said. "Now I know you've got to grade the film, and they might have played a little light.

"But for these two guys, Marcell hasn't played in three years and the last time Tashaun played he was a quarterback for Kimball High School (in Dallas), this is a big difference playing in a Division I football game."

The Gipsons might not have had as big of an impact as expected in their first try at the level, but there was reason for encouragement.

UW played off the Bobcats receivers and gave up piles of yardage in the short, controlled passing game, but neither brother gave up too much down the field.

They didn't come off the corner much to pressure the quarterback either, though they didn't really have a chance or the time to do it.

And ideally Glenn wouldn't want to rely on tackling from the secondary so much, but at least the Gipsons and their 14 combined takedowns proved they're capable if necessary.

"When we grade it, you'll see that they didn't give up any bombs over their head and they tackled fairly surely," Glenn said. "They spread it out, and we were quite a bit bigger than they were, so they had a really good idea to spread it out and reach-block us and stretch us and run up in the gaps where you get stretched.

"A lot of chinks with the passing game - chink, chink, chink - and they did a great job of it. Just not quite enough."

That's a familiar theme for the Bobcats, who've let fourth-quarter leads slip away twice in as many games against UW.

Ohio had a much better game plan for the rematch than it did for last season's home loss - running less, picking on the only inexperienced players on a veteran defense and throwing for 248 yards.

But the entire unit was stout when it mattered most, and excluding a kickoff return and terrible field position after a UW turnover, the defense was only on the hook for 10 points.

"I thought the defense played well overall, but there were just more shorter routes than we expected," Tashaun Gipson said. "I knew they were going to come out here and try to test us.

"I got what I expected."

A team-high nine tackles for the true freshman were a surprise though, and the Cowboys will certainly have to make some adjustments throughout the season to slow down the shorter passing game.

But as long as UW avoids the big plays and continues to hold opponents to one offensive touchdown, Glenn won't have much to complain about.

"They had a lot of people in the stands looking at them and they might have been nervous," Glenn said. "And a lot of family from Dallas was here, so hats off to them.

"I didn't see any bombs over their head, and they played off a little bit more than I thought they might, but you know what, they're standing in the winner's circle."

That's a fine place to start.

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

Cowboys Tracker

SATURDAY: Wyoming 21, Ohio 20.

RECORDS: Cowboys (1-0); Bobcats (0-1).

FOR STARTERS: UW coach Joe Glenn has won five of his six season openers with the Cowboys.

NUMBERS GAME: True freshman Tashaun Gipson didn't have the best day in coverage, but the corner helped make up for it with a team-high nine tackles.

HE SAID IT: "We're standing here in the winner's circle." - UW coach Joe Glenn.

UP NEXT: The Cowboys open conference play on Saturday, hosting Air Force at 1:30 p.m.