Wyoming Football: News and notes ahead of Air Force

LARAMIE -- "Who cares if I beat them at a different school last year? I don't really care about that."

That Andrew Peasley is one cool customer.

And his head coach loves the answer the junior quarterback gave when asked if he gained an edge over Air Force after tossing three second-half touchdown passes to help lead Utah State to a 49-45 victory inside Falcon Stadium last September.

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"He certainly recognizes time of possession and staying on the field is going to be important," Craig Bohl said Monday during his weekly press conference. "And I also think there's a semblance of confidence. He played really well against them."

What does all this mean? Not much.

New year, new challenge.

Troy Calhoun's Falcons -- and their vaunted triple-option attack -- are hitting on all cylinders. Quarterback Haaziq Daniels and fullback Brad Roberts have helped orchestrate more than 508 rushing yards per outing through two games this fall. That's the best mark in college football by more than 200 yards.

Yikes.

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To make matters even scarier, the visitors feature one of the best defenses in the nation, allowing just 13 points per game in lopsided victories over Northern Iowa and in-state rival, Colorado.

"My assessment, this is the best Air Force team that I've seen in nine years since I've been the Cowboy football coach," Bohl said bluntly. So, I hope our fans show up Friday night."

Peasley, who is completing 55% of his passes through three games, has led Wyoming to consecutive wins over Tulsa and Northern Colorado. After a brutal debut at Illinois, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Oregon product has responded by connecting on 39 of his last 60 attempts while racking up 400 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

He says, this is simply just another game.

"I'm excited," Peasley said. "Obviously Air Force is a unique opponent with their offense they run. For us, this week, it's going to be about our possessions and we're going to have to finish them in the end zone. So, you know, we have a short week. I think it'll be important tomorrow to get a good practice in for everyone."

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised by CBS Sports Network.

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

* Right tackle Frank Crum left last Saturday's game during the second quarter with an injury. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound junior is listed atop the depth chart this week, but will he actually play? "He's day to day right now, maybe at best," Bohl said. If the Laramie native can't go, redshirt freshman Caden Barnett will get the call. "He came in and played well for him," he said of the 6-foot-5, 308-pound Justin, Texas, product.

* Dawaiian McNeely missed the season opener in Champaign with a right hand injury. Since, the sophomore running back has played with a large black "club." When will that come off? "Well, I'm not the doctor," Bohl joked, adding that there is no exact timetable. He is the football coach, however. Does the heavily wrapped hand scare him when it comes to giving McNeely carries? He did fumble near the goal line late in regulation against Northern Colorado. "Yeah, I get real worried," he said. "He's done a good job adapting, but yeah, you get worried about that." McNeely has 74 yards on 20 carries this season.

* Is starting running back Titus Swen back at full strength? "He'll get better," Bohl said. "You know, every player is different. (Former UW running back) Nico Evans had an injury that was similar and it was about three games later to where he was back." Swen found the end zone three times in the 33-10 victory over the Bears, but finished with just 76 yards on 15 carries.

* There were a ton of upsets in college football this past weekend. Bohl took notice. The Mountain West had a rough day in the upset department. Colorado State fell to visiting Middle Tennessee, 34-19. The defending champs, Utah State, got blasted at home 35-7 at home courtesy of neighbor Weber State. Incarnate Word, a small private school in San Antonio rolled Nevada inside Mackay Stadium, 55-41. "I cut my teeth at that level, and there are good players at that level and there's good coaches at that level," Bohl said. "Those are opportunities that you're going to get an A-game, which we got."

* Peasley didn't have any designed runs against UNC last Saturday. Was that pre-planned? "We dialed some of those things back," Bohl said. "Some of it was schematics." Peasley has shown this season that his legs can be a major weapon. He has 109 yards on 21 attempts.

* Bohl said he learned his lesson after watching former QB Sean Chambers take a beating, including suffering three season-ending leg injuries during his time in Laramie. "Without question," he said. "You look at how many hits because you're going to have a couple unscripted hits. That's whether that's pass protection or he takes off and runs on a scramble. So, you start to look and see, how many hits do you want to expose a guy to? We're certainly not like an NFL club, saying we're not going to run our quarterback at all, but that's a weapon that we've utilized in a timely fashion. And Andrew does have good speed."

* Speaking of Peasley. Here was an interesting comment from Bohl on Monday. "Andrew has really been a joy to coach," he said. "He and I have gotten to know each other. I try not to talk to him too much. I think if you get too many people in the quarterback's ear ... I have gotten in his ear, sometimes in some positive ways and sometimes in some pretty firm ways. He's good with that."

* How much does practice change when you're not only preparing for an option offense but on a short week, to boot? A lot, Bohl said. However, the game plan for the Falcons, according to defensive coordinator, Jay Sawvel, began in July when the schedule was released. "We've been grinding," Bohl said. "Our defensive staff has been in there a lot and, you know, we feel good about our plan. It's going to come down to the players executing it."

* Stay tuned to 7220sports.com throughout the week for more on the Cowboys meeting with Front Range rival Air Force. You can download our free mobile app right HERE. You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter right HERE.