Akron QB Ben Finley Has Wyoming’s Undivided Attention

LARAMIE -- Remember Jake Haener?

He's the former Fresno State quarterback who twice was an All-Mountain West selection, capping his collegiate career with 9,120 yards passing and 68 touchdown tosses.

The Washington transfer parlayed that success into becoming a fourth-round selection of the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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You might recall, he helped lead the Bulldogs to a pair of lopsided shutout victories over Wyoming, including a 30-0 blanking in the 2022 season finale.

Haener is the signal caller that most reminds Aaron Bohl of Akron's Ben Finley.

Uh-oh.

"I think he's a very, very good quarterback," the Cowboys' second-year defensive coordinator said, referring to the 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior his unit will face in Thursday night's opener. "He's probably one of the better quarterbacks I've seen throw on the run and be able to connect deep. Not a lot of guys can roll left, turn around, get set up and throw a 30-yard ball.

"It's going to be a good challenge for us."

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Finley, who suited up his first three seasons at North Carolina State before a brief one-year stint at Cal, threw for 2,604 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. He completed nearly 55% of his passes in the process.

Twice, once against Buffalo and again versus Colgate, Finley tossed four touchdowns. He lit up Western Michigan to the tune of 395 yards through the air. That was a career high.

"It's exciting for Ben, being a first time, full-year starter," Akron head coach Joe Moorhead said in July at MAC Media Days in Detroit. "... I thought he really put together a nice season, certainly a lot of positives, but by the same token, a lot of things we need to address, correct and build on. He's added 15 pounds to his frame and is playing with a lot more confidence and a lot more precision. He's doing a great job leading the guys."

Finley did throw nine interceptions. He also didn't receive a whole lot of help up front, falling victim to the sack 24 times.

Jay Sawvel said don't let the 0.6 yards per rush fool you, the Phoenix product can be elusive.

"He's got enough ability to move and maneuver to extend plays. No. 1, which he likes to do and throw the ball down field," Wyoming's head coach said. "Secondly is, on third downs to keep chains moving ... This is not like a guy that just stands there and doesn't move around.

"He's a really good athlete."

After all, it's in Finley's DNA.

Not only were his parents both college athletes, his older brother, Ryan Finley, became a fourth-round pick of the Bengals after throwing for more than 10,000 yards in three seasons at NC State. He began his career at Boise State and saw time late in a 63-14 dismantling of the Cowboys in Laramie back in 2014.

Akron, like many mid-majors around the country, was busy in the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason, replacing some of its top talent, including its three leading rushers and two most-productive receivers. The offensive line has been revamped, too.

Finley could receive a major boost, though, from a player who is already on campus.

Alex Adams, after dealing with a variety of injuries over the prior two seasons, is finally healthy this fall. In 2022, the LSU transfer snagged 63 balls for 855 yards and nine touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound wideout joins a pair of tight ends, Jake Newell and Conner Cravaack, who combined for nearly 400 receiving yards last season.

Kyan Mason, a 5-foot-9 freshman in the slot, could be another outlet for Finley.

"He's a long guy with really good top-end speed," Bohl said, referring to Adams. "Obviously, dealing with injuries, it's always tough, but I know he's gonna be chomping at the bit to be playing again. He's a long, deep threat, definitely a guy you can take advantage of the quarterback's arm with."

Wyoming safety Jones Thomas said discipline is the name of the game this Thursday night inside InfoCision Stadium.

"They seem like they just run a lot of little RPO's (run-pass option), a lot of little quick stuff, and then they'll try to get you on a double move or a little screen and go," he said. "We have to just do our job."

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Sawvel's defenses did just that in those previous two meetings against Haener and Fresno State. Despite being one of the most efficient passers in the nation, Wyoming held the future Senior Bowl MVP to just 96 yards on 15-of-28 passing in a 17-0 loss back in 2021. He did throw a pair of touchdowns, but the Cowboys kept him corralled all afternoon.

He threw for 183 yards and a score the following year.

Sawvel said allowing quarterbacks to scramble and extend plays was a problem for his defense a season ago. A missed tackle in the backfield on a 4th-and-3 in the dying seconds of the Utah State game, for example, all but cost the Cowboys a home victory in late October.

Wyoming tallied just 15 sacks as a team.

Can the visitors make life miserable for Finley? They better.

"Quarterbacks got out and created issues for us, keeping drives alive," Sawvel said. "That was certainly a weakness for us, so we've got to do a great job of keeping him from being able to do that. He's certainly capable."

The Cowboys and Zips are slated to kickoff Thursday at 5 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will be televised on ESPN-Plus.

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