Three Keys To a Wyoming Cowboys Victory vs. Air Force

LARAMIE -- The old cliché is applicable when it comes to this game -- throw the records completely out the window.

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Remember in 2002 when Vic Koenning's one-win squad found a way to knock off No. 22 Air Force inside War Memorial Stadium? That 34-26 victory led to an impromptu parade down Grand Avenue, field-goal post in hand.

In Craig Bohl's second game on the sideline in Laramie back in 2014, his Cowboys outlasted the visiting Falcons, 17-13. That Air Force team went on to win 10 games that fall. Wyoming, four.

That team has also ripped the heart right out of the Cowboys' collective chest.

Fisher DeBerry's cadets marched onto the high plains and escaped with a 10-3 victory over Jay Stoner and Co., in 1998, snapping Wyoming's seven-game win streak and claiming a WAC Mountain Division crown. Air Force, who capped the year ranked No. 13 in the nation, beat BYU in the conference title game and rolled to a 43-25 win over Washington in the Oahu Bowl.

The Cowboys spent the holidays at home.

Over the last 10 meetings, Wyoming holds a slim 6-4 lead in the series. Those games have been decided by an average of 9.5 points. The largest margin of victory in that time span for either team is 14.

So, don't let the Falcons' 1-5 record fool you. Their last two defeats have come by a combined six points.

Here are a few things the visitors need to do Saturday in Colorado Springs to come away with a win:

1. BRING THE EXPLOSIVES

Maybe not the most ideal subhead when you are heading to a U.S. Military installation, but this is exactly what Wyoming's offense needs to do Saturday afternoon in Colorado Springs.

Just how bad has Air Force's defense been?

Not only is that unit ranked dead last in all of college football, allowing 40 points and nearly 500 yards per outing, it has given up an eye-popping 76 explosive plays through six games.

That means runs of more than 10 yards and throws that eclipse 15.

Boise State rolled up 20 of those, nine through the air and 11 on the ground. In last Saturday's 51-48 loss at UNLV, the Falcons allowed 15 more, including nine more in the throw game. The Rebels finished their afternoon with 597 yards of total offense.

That's no surprise. The Academy also features the worst pass defense in the country at 323.1 yards per game.

Safety Roger Jones Jr. may be the second-leading tackler on the team with 38 stops, but he has allowed 15 catches on 21 opportunities. Max Mustell lands in third. He's given up nine grabs on 14 targets. Air Force cornerbacks are getting cooked, too. Korey Johnson's opposition has 16 catches on 24 attempts. Mikhail Seiken's are 11-for-16.

The linebackers haven't fared a whole lot better: Blake Fletcher (13-of-15), Luke Fisher (7-of-8) and Brady Bujnoch (8-of-8).

Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson, over the previous two outings, has been distributing the ball all over the yard. Thirteen finished with at least one catch against UNLV. Eleven more got in on the action in last Saturday's improbable 35-28 victory over San Jose State.

Who is going to cover all of those guys?

Wyoming has 57 explosives this fall, including just 25 from the passing game. Ten of those have come over the previous two weeks.

A trend? Anderson and Co. better hope so.

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2. SAME OL' SAME OL'

Per usual, anytime this Air Force team gets into a third-and-short situation, it's all but automatic.

The Falcons sit atop the Mountain West stat sheet, converting 36-of-70 attempts. No surprise here, Troy Calhoun isn't afraid to push his luck on fourth down, either. This group is 12-of-16 in that situation.

UNLV last Saturday allowed three fourth-down conversions on four attempts.

In that same game, the visitors averaged 6.7 yards on first down. That's typically a recipe for disaster against the Falcons.

Wyoming has been porous on third and fourth down, allowing its opponents to pick up 33-of-86 and 6-of-8, respectively.

That has to change this week.

Yes, the cadets now feature an efficient passing game -- we'll get to that in a minute -- but that doesn't mean they ripped the pages out of their extensive playbook that has been in use since 1982. Air Force is still very much an option team, one that ranks No. 4 in the nation, averaging 276 yards a game on the ground.

They've just added to the arsenal.

And it's all sparked by quarterback Liam Szarka.

"He is a really good quarterback," Jay Sawvel said. "Look, they still have all their traditional pages of the encyclopedia that they always have, and it's a really difficult offense to prepare for and to play, but now there's a substantially larger investment into shotgun offense and all the run game that comes off of that, and the play action passes that come off of that, too.

"So, I mean, you have just a volume of offense that you have to prepare for within a week. It makes it very challenging."

The offensive line is still going low to take you out. The fullback will still be the feature. Outside pitches and misdirection is still the name of the game.

Now, the Falcons just add 214-plus passing yards per game on top of that.

Scary.

3. KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED

Wyoming defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl has been preaching all week -- heck, all year -- to trust your eyes.

The Falcons, like always, will feature plenty of pre-snap movement. Guys will get lost in the pile. A steady dose of fullback dives has been known to lull a secondary to sleep.

Wyoming has fallen victim to this many, many times.

Since 2019, Air Force quarterbacks have completed just 33 passes against the Cowboys' secondary. A few of those hookups have been the back-breaking kind, too.

You know the ones.

Cade Harris slipped behind the safeties in the 2022 meeting, hauling in his first-career touchdown pass. Despite completing only six balls in last year's matchup in Laramie, the now senior was on the receiving end of four of those, finishing with gainers of 33, 23, 24 and 21.

Bohl and Co. are paying extra-special attention to Harris this time around. He currently ranks fourth in the conference with 492 receiving yards. He's small, shifty, quick and dynamic with the ball in his hands. Szarka will give it to him out of the backfield or find him deep downfield.

"Their coaches do such a good job of getting guys in the right spots, and they understand what coverage you're in," Bohl said. "One thing, when you play these guys, you can't have a lot of coverages, because then you can't fit up all the run plays. Therefore, early in the game, they know what coverage you're in. They can do some stuff to play off it, and they have a really good receiver. They give him good spots, and they rely on defensive backs having really bad eyes.

"We have to emphasize that all this week."

Harris went for 177 against Boise State. The following week, he toasted Hawaii for 116 more, 73 of which came on a score in that home loss to the Rainbow Warriors. Navy limited Harris to just seven yards on three completions. UNLV, last Saturday, also kept the Utah native in check. He finished with 46 yards on four grabs.

Typically you want to make a team one dimensional, like the Cowboys did to San Jose State six days ago. That's not the case with Air Force.

Limit the damage and put points on the board.