Wyoming Football: News and Notes

LARAMIE -- How good was Wyoming's offensive line in Saturday night's 27-20 victory at Hawaii?

After reviewing the film, Craig Bohl dropped this beauty.

"Guys like Emmanuel (Pregnon), Fia (Tulafono), Frank (Crum) and Zach (Watts), they were throwing guys out of the saloon," the Cowboys' ninth-year head coach said. "And (Hawaii) is big, strong guys. I thought our offensive line played really well from that perspective."

Get our free mobile app

The numbers back that up.

Wyoming rolled up 365 yards on the ground, led by running back DQ James, who finished his career outing with 179 on just 14 carries. Dawaiian McNeely added 81 more rushing yards, including a 61-yard touchdown jaunt early in the fourth quarter, on only four carries.

Quarterback Andrew Peasley had a forgettable night in the throwing department -- 7-of-15 for 76 yards and two interceptions -- but the junior did scamper for 71 yards on 14 attempts. Peasley scored a pair of touchdowns with his legs, including a 35-yard sprint to open the scoring in the second and cruising in from four yards out in the fourth to bury the dagger in the Rainbow Warriors.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS FROM 7220SPORTS:

* Three stars of the game: Pokes vs. 'Bows

* Turning point, unsung hero and what's next for UW football

* Behind the numbers: Wyoming vs. Hawaii

* Pokes pounce in paradise

* Rants & Raves: Hawaii Edition

* Tuck's Takes: What if I told you ...

Wyoming was coming off a 28-14 win over Utah State the week prior, in which the Pokes amassed 330 rushing yards. This was the first time in the Bohl era that his program has eclipsed the 300-yard mark in consecutive outings.

"We obviously we ran the ball well," Bohl said. "I thought our offensive line really did an outstanding -- I mean, outstanding -- job ... As the game went along, we really moved them around and the backs ran hard.

"But sometimes the hole was just wide open, there was nobody on the back end. So, we're really pleased with the explosive number of plays that we had."

The Cowboys landed nine running plays that produced at least 10 yards. James racked up six of those.

What made this performance even more impressive is the fact that starting left tackle Eric Abojei and Pregnon missed snaps with injuries. Titus Swen, Wyoming's leading rusher, also spent the last three quarters of the game in Honolulu on the sidelines after entering concussion protocol."

Here's some other news and notes from Bohl's Monday press conference:

* Bohl said he had yet to meet with the team's sports medicine department before stepping behind the podium Monday. Swen, he said, was still in concussion protocol last he knew. UW did suffer some "bumps and bruises" on the islands, according to the head coach, but nothing major. When will nose tackle Cole Godbout and nickelback Keonte Glinton return to the field? Bohl said those two likely will not be cleared in time for the Pokes' next game Nov. 12 at Colorado State. Both did see doctors on Monday, Bohl added.

* During UW's first bye week of the season, Bohl said the team would focus on the "Four R's." Refreshed, recalibrated, redefining and recruiting. Will that happen again during this break in the action? "I think we need to lick our wounds, but, no, we're not doing the four R's," Bohl said. "We're playing Colorado State, so four R's don't enter into that."

* Bohl did give the team Monday off but said "spirited practices" will follow over the next couple of days.

* Numerous players have mentioned to me this fall that Bohl has toned back the physicality in practice and added more time in the film room. When asked about that strategy, which is not the norm for this old-school coach, he said, "I think we have to be smart with our football team. You know, you're getting to the back end of the year. There's a lot to play for. Obviously, you know, I talked about that statement -- 'You remember November.' We're playing really meaningful games. This is going to be a really meaningful game (against CSU) for a lot of reasons. One, it's a great rivalry, and having a chance to keep the (Bronze Boot) is going to be really important. And it's another opportunity for another conference win."

* If there's a knock on the Cowboys' performance Saturday night in Hawaii, missed tackles are right near the top of the list. It's not an official stat, but you could see with your own eyes that things got sloppy. Bohl agrees. Does that have anything to do with less physical practices throughout the week? "We're going to address that this week," he said. "And that's why you can throw out the four R's. Now, there's only so many train wrecks you have in a football player, but I do think we need to tackle better than what we did."

* You weren't the only one who nearly suffered a coronary when Hawaii nearly executed an onside kick late in regulation. "My heart sunk," Bohl admitted. "I'd seen enough. It was like a bad movie happening right in front of me. It's like the Titanic going down." Ryan Marquez eventually came out of the pile with the football after it bounced off the hands of wide receiver Wyatt Wieland. Bohl said the team practices those situations, but things happen." Bohl added, that might have been the biggest play of the game.

* John Hoyland, for the third time this season, was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week Monday after drilling a pair of field goals -- one from 34 and another from 38 -- in Wyoming's win in rainy Honolulu. Bohl joked that the sophomore from Broomfield, Colo., missed three kicks in practice that he normally makes. When the lights came on, like usual, that changed. "It's something that I don't take for granted," Bohl said. "I think sometimes other people do. You just think it's an automatic deal. And, you know, he's had some challenging kicks, but he's been very, very accurate. Those points have all added up."

* Cam Stone broke up three passes last Saturday night and now has six of those on the season. Bohl said the sophomore cornerback from Texas practices like he plays. "I don't know if they've caught a ball on him in practice in two or three weeks," he said of Stone. "... But during that game, once again, I mean, they went after him a couple times and he delivered."

* Believe it or not, early signing day is only 50 days away. Obviously Bohl can't get into specifics, but I asked him if he feels good about the verbal commits he has and if the team is on track to hit its goals on the recruiting trail. "You know, it's such a different year because you're always looking now at what's going to happen with the transfer portal and who's out there," he said. "We feel good about where we're at. We've identified some things and, you know, there's a couple guys that are on the bubble right now that I think are going to commit here as we go. So yeah, we're pleased."

* I also asked Bohl what is the coolest Halloween costume he has ever worn. He didn't answer that, but did say he saw some interesting stuff on the islands. "It's been so long. I didn't even notice it's Halloween," he joked, adding that his coaches with young children would be able to go trick-or-treating. "... That Hawaii trip -- and I love the people there -- but that's not an easy trip. I didn't even know it was Halloween, I only knew it was close to being Halloween because when we're leaving the stadium and going back to spend the night at the hotel, I saw some pretty unusual characters running around Honolulu for Halloween."

* If it seems like Bohl has been more laidback in press conferences this season, you would be correct. The old dog has definitely learned new tricks. Yes, winning helps, but it's evident he has put his money where his mouth is. Every player, and I have asked several, have confirmed as much. There will be a story about that later in the season, but check out what Bohl said last offseason when it came to getting to know his players better right HERE.

* Stay tuned to 7220sports.com throughout the bye week. You can download our free mobile app right HERE. You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter right HERE.

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players