Mountain West media members picked the University of Wyoming football team to finish in the middle of the pack in their conference. The Cowboys return experienced pieces and should play with a familiar “Wyoming tough” style.
This will be head coach Craig Boh’s tenth season in Laramie, and he’s enjoyed relative success in recent years – earning a winning record and reaching a bowl game five of the past seven seasons. But he has his hopes set on a conference championship run this year.
“We’re consistently winning, and there’s a sense of pride within our state. But now the next objective is, okay, now we got to elevate,” Bohl said at a recent media event. “And I think we have the tools to do that coming into this year.”
The team returns a plethora of talent on defense and in the trenches. Linebacker Easton Gibbs was selected as preseason Mountain West defensive player of the year, and both the offensive and defensive lines have players ranked among the best in the conference.
“If you're going to play in Laramie, you're going to be playing in some games [where] there's going to be six inches of snow on the ground and the wind’s going to be blowing. And so it's not for the faint of heart,” Bohl said. “But what we have found is the guys that come here are the guys that we want to coach.”
Offensively, Bohl’s staff recruited multiple wide receivers to try and inject some speed and talent into that position group. The Cowboys have always ran the ball well, but much of their success will hinge on the development and passing ability of returning starting quarterback Andrew Peasley. The former transfer from Utah State had an up and down season last year and sustained a couple of injuries.
“This offseason, I focused on getting stronger and really getting comfortable in our system to put a lot of focus on our offense,” Peasley said.
The Cowboys have a number of exciting games on their schedule this year. They host the annual Border War against Colorado State, but they’ll also travel to play Texas in Austin and they host Texas Tech in Laramie in their season opener.
“It's just the chance to come in as an underdog and get off on the right foot. You know, you can generate a lot of energy and a lot of motivation going forward throughout the year playing big schools like that,” linebacker Easton Gibbs said.
More information about Wyoming football, including the schedule and how to get tickets, is available here.
