Press Pass: So long, warmth

LARAMIE -- Hey fans, DJ Johnson here with this week’s version of "Press Pass."

Well, that was a lopsided victory that I truly enjoyed watching! And wow, what a gorgeous day we were given to watch our Cowboys take it to the Wolf Pack, 31-3, and "check-the-box" to become bowl eligible on the year.

While I personally don’t think six wins will get us into a bowl (insert angry sarcasm from last year here), I do think we have a few more victories in us this year to guarantee us a bowl game. I just hope that when the bowl bids are announced, my plane ticket will have a destination south of Laramie, and not north! But, any bowl game is better than no bowl game. Let’s head down to the field and see what was shakin’ at The War.

By the time most people get into the stadium, there are butts in seats and you don’t get to see all of the “Cowboy Joe Club” seat cushions pre-place throughout the stadium. Here, well before kickoff, you get a glimpse of some pre-positioned seats-backs that make those metal bleachers just a lil’ bit more comfortable.

Have you ever noticed the plethora of young men on the Wyoming sidelines, that are not on the team, but wearing Wyoming jerseys? Have you ever wondered who they are and what they are doing on the sidelines? In case you weren't aware, they are recruits who are looking at attending the University of Wyoming and playing football. As part of their official visit to the University, they are invited to a home game where they get to experience, first hand, the flow of the game from the sidelines. So next time you see them standing on the sidelines, take a peek, as they may be a star here in the near future.

Most folk are long-gone when the cleanup crew gets to work at The War. They are cleaning up all of those beer cups (at least the ones that didn’t make it into the cup-snake), peanut shells, and empty nacho containers. If you’ve ever wondered how they clean up the stands, here’s your answer. A team of 10 members take the power blowers and walk the stands, aisle by aisle, blowing all of the rubbish to one side of the stadium. From there it is disposed of, either by the crew or the flocks of birds who come in for a late afternoon snack.

John Deere is not only for farming. As in any game, it is unfortunate when a player is carted off the field in an ambulance or cart. A Nevada player suffered an injury during the game and was carted off using the above pictured utility vehicle. As you can see the cart has room for a player to be placed on a backboard, and strapped to the cart, or they have the option to sit in the pre-installed backward facing seat that even includes a seat belt. Hope all went will for this young man after he was carted off.

Just before the quarterback calls his final cadence, you’ll often see him glance up to the left or right of the end zone. If you’ve ever wondered what he’s looking at, it’s a pretty good bet that he’s looking at the play clock, which tells him how much time he has left to get the ball snapped. If you notice in the end zones, there is a digital display that illuminates the game clock on top, in white, and the play-clock on the bottom, in red. Here is an accurate visual representation of the quarterbacks view of the play clock during a play.

John Deere makes their second appearance in this week’s column. While not needed on Saturday, the sidelines are propositioned with these propane "bullet-heaters" to keep the players nice and warm. If you’ve never felt the heat from one of these, you’re missing out. On cold game days, you’ll see players huddled around these heaters that are sporadically placed on the sideline – and if you look closely, you might see a photographer, or two, stealing some heat from them every now and then!

On a scale of 1-10, what would you rate the stress level of a college head football coach? Here, Nevada head coach, Jay Norvell, elevates his blood pressure as he tries to get the attention of an official, in an attempt to challenge a pass that was ruled incomplete. After a good 20 seconds of elevated screaming, he finally got their attention and conveyed his disagreement of the call.

I don’t know why these pictures draw me in …probably because in pee-wee football no kid ever wanted to be that guy that holds the ball, because no matter the situation, the kicker was always going to kick your finger. With our infamous Wyoming wind, it is common practice to have a player secure a kickoff with a single finger, allowing the kicker to connect from the tee. I do like how the holder is looking downfield so the anticipation of impact becomes a non-factor in the overall play.

Speaking of wind, did anyone see the wind add an extra 10 yards to the end of the Nevada punt in the second quarter?. Even the coverage team was flabbergasted, as the wind literally blew the ball 10 yards further down the field. The ball was practically stopped on the turf when the wind gusted. After gaining an additional 7 yards, the Nevada defender literally threw his hands up in the air, wondering what in the world was going on.

Post-game selfie several hours after the conclusion of the game … the field was empty, stands were empty, beer cups were empty, etc, etc. The two remaining were myself and my favorite girl in the entire world. For those that don’t know my daughter, Jordan, she is a freshman at UW and if you’ve ever stopped by the ticket office to pick up tickets prior to the game, you may have interacted with her. Always a pleasure to hang out with her before and after games in Laramie!

Cowboys in Colorado, a group of Wyoming fans an alums, gave this ball to the 7220sports crew before kickoff Saturday in Laramie. These guys have been big supporters of the site since launch day, June 1. If you live south of the border but love the Cowboys, join this group. They do watch parties, have big tailgates and do some neat stuff to help Wyoming students from Colorado. Check for their ad on the website.

Before each home game, 7220sports.com founder, Cody Tucker, joins Keith Kelly and KFBC crew out of Cheyenne for a little Cowboy talk inside the Indoor Practice Facility. You can listen to them on the AM dial at 1240 or 97.5 FM. They are also online at kfbcradio.com.