Boise State, Wyoming football take advantage of early bye weeks
Most times, a football team will gladly accept a bye week, but when it slows down momentum, it can be not as welcome.
Both Boise State and Wyoming had last week off as they prepared to face each other this Saturday at War Memorial Stadium. Though the timing isn’t ideal, coming in mid-September and all, it was useful for the Broncos and Cowboys.
For Boise State, it was a time for reflection after a 44-21 loss at Oklahoma State, and for Wyoming, it was a time for recuperation after a flurry of injuries.
“I’d always prefer it later ... I do think there’s a couple benefits to it being early,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “After the Oklahoma State game and things we have to work on, I think that also benefited us. ... We’re a team that’s always under development.”
Harsin’s staff was able to hit the road and do some recruiting, players caught up on classes, and the team focused on the most exciting of topics: fundamentals.
That approach worked last year for Boise State, which lost by 19 to a Power Five school (Virginia) last September and went into a bye. The Broncos then rattled off seven wins in a row. That loss was a stunner, and prompted some humbling team meetings.
Most of the roster remembers that week, and there was no need for a “big meeting” this year, as senior defensive end Durrant Miles put it, though the focus is similar.
“It’s happened naturally, it hasn’t been too forced, the team knows the expectation and the standard,” Miles said. “... What we put on national television wasn’t it against Oklahoma State.”
Wyoming won its last game before the bye, but it needed all 60 minutes to notch a 17-14 win over FCS Wofford. Raghib Ismail Jr. caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Vander Waal with 17 seconds left for the winning score. Coach Craig Bohl said his attitude was “‘we have to do whatever we’ve got to do just to win the game.”
The Cowboys had just one running back available, and were without two senior tight ends and two defensive backs against the Terriers, after having faced New Mexico State, Washington State and Missouri to start the season.
“I don’t want to say we were on life support, but I knew we were going to need to catch a breather,” Bohl said. “Those were a pretty intense three games we went through.”
Bohl expects top rusher Nico Evans (42 carries, 279 yards) to play against Boise State. He missed the last two and a half games with a rib injury. Also expected to face the Broncos are No. 1 tight end Austin Fort, who did not play the past three weeks, and nickel/returner Tyler Hall.
“We’re healthier than we have been in quite some time,” Bohl said. “We went through a pretty rough stretch there with injuries.”
Though both teams might prefer a midseason week off, having the bye before starting Mountain West play has its perks.
“I also know it was probably a timely bye for Boise as well,” Bohl said. “The fact we have a bye week and they have a bye week, that kind of neutralizes things.”
WYOMING TIDBITS
Senior safety Andrew Wingard is the nation’s leading active tackler with 399. ... Vander Waal, a redshirt freshman, is 59-of-111 passing for 588 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Cowboys are 123rd nationally in passing efficiency. ... Only junior receiver Austin Conway (19 receptions, 124 yards) has double-digit catches. ... Kicker Cooper Rothe has been solid, hitting all six field goals and all eight extra points. ... Wyoming has three plays of 30 yards or more in four games; Boise State has 11 in three games. ... At 7,215 feet, War Memorial Stadium is at the highest elevation of any FBS or FCS stadium.
BOISE STATE AT WYOMING
When: 5 p.m. MT Saturday
Where: War Memorial Stadium (29,181; FieldTurf)
TV: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor, John Schriffen)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: BSU 2-1 (lost 44-21 at Oklahoma State on Sept. 15); Wyoming 2-2 (beat Wofford 17-14 on Sept. 15)
Series: Boise State leads 11-1 (BSU won 24-14 last year in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 17
Weather: High 60s, partly cloudy, 15-20 mph wind
This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 2:55 PM.