Cowboys discover identity inrun

L A R A M IE» Even when the numbers suggest Wyoming’s offense should do the opposite, the Cowboys run.

And run. And run. And then run some more.

Wyoming has run the ball 314 times this season. That’s 72.5 percent of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps. Last week against New Mexico, which is giving up more passing yards than anybody else in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Wyoming ran it 55 times and threw it just 15. Circumstances of the game can dictate an offense’s approach, but those splits aren’t likely to vary much against Nevada on Saturday because, well, that’s not the Cowboys’ identity.

“Running the ball is what we do,” offensive lineman Logan Harris said matter-of-factly.

And despite everybody knowing that, the Cowboys have been highly successful doing it. Wyoming’s 236.7 rushing yards per game rank 15th nationally and trail only Air Force’s option offense in the Mountain West in that category. Only twice have the Cowboys been held to less than 200 yards on the ground, and that average has increased to 263.3 yards against MW foes.

Running against seven-, eightand sometimes even nine-man boxes, Wyoming is still ripping off 5.3 yards per carry — tied with Air Force for tops in the league.

So how have the Cowboys been able to be this effective with this much attention from defenses trying to slow them down? The answer, at least in part, is how they practice.

It’s not unusual for teams to try to hone their running game between the tackles throughout the week. Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio practiced it when Wyoming first-year assistant Bart Miller was on staff at those programs. Offensive lineman Patrick Arnold said the Cowboys did it under former offensive line coach Scott Fuchs, whom Miller replaced after last season.

But talk to most of Wyoming’s offensive linemen, and they’ll say Miller brought a different mentality to the group once head coach Craig Bohl hired him away from Ohio in February — one that includes an increase in the speed and frequency with which the running game operates during its week of preparation.