‘Small-School’ Linebacker Steals Spotlight in Shutout

LARAMIE -- Joe Moorhead likely wasn't trying to dish out any bulletin-board material before last Thursday's opener.

A seemingly innocent line during his weekly press conference, though, didn't sit well with one Wyoming newcomer.

"They've added probably five or six transfers from smaller, lower-level schools, and a kid from Wisconsin, as well," Akron's fourth-year head coach said, referring to the Cowboys' new-look defense. "So we're not quite sure, defensively, what the mix is going to be, but we do know with who they are returning and who they brought in, it's going to be a pretty talented group."

Now he knows.

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Brayden Johnson, who spent the previous three seasons at Oklahoma Baptist, a Division-II program in Shawnee, was the ringleader of that 10-0 shutout inside a rain-soaked InfoCision Stadium.

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He led the Cowboys with eight tackles during his FBS debut. He also flipped all the momentum for the visitors, picking off a Ben Finley pass two yards deep in the end zone late in the third quarter, thwarting the Zips' lone legit scoring opportunity of the night.

"I feel like I had a lot to prove, coming into this game," the 6-foot-3, 248-pound senior linebacker said. "Coach (Aaron) Bohl was telling us that their coach said something about we just got a lot of small-school kids that came out of the portal. So, I feel like I had a lot to prove and I feel like we did that."

A stretch? Maybe. Whatever works.

Wyoming, featuring nine new starters on that side of the ball, allowed Akron to pass its 50-yard line just four times in this one, including that one fruitless trip to the red zone. Finley and Co. managed just 228 yards of total offense, 89 of which came on the ground.

Johnson landed the highest grade of any defender, 90.3, according to Pro Football Focus. He was tops in pass and run defense. He also never left the field. This revamped unit to 22 "pressures" on 38 drop backs. Finley was sacked four times, planted six more.

Johnson was credited with one of those and a pair of hurries.

Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel was once a "small-school" linebacker, tallying 118 tackles and winning a national championship at Division-III power Mount Union, 37 miles southeast of Akron's campus.

Bohl, the Cowboys' second-year defensive coordinator, also played the position at DII Minnesota State-Moorhead, where he registered 273 career stops and started every game from 2013-16.

They have to take extra pleasure in watching one of their own do what he did Thursday night, right?

You bet.

"I take a lot of pride in the fact that he's worked so hard to improve himself. It was fun to see him have that night," Bohl said, adding players in his day, at that level, weren't built like Johnson. "He is as old school as they come, in the sense of, you know, hey, coaches say do this, he says 'Alright, I'm going to do that to the best of my ability. I don't care.'

"You know, we have an old joke around here: The wall is purple. Coach shows you the wall is purple, then guess what? It's purple. He really buys into that mantra."

Sawvel said he was looking for two things when it came to landing a linebacker in free agency: Does he have the physical capability to play very well in the Mountain West? Does he have an underdog mentality?

Check and Check.

"He just wore that as a chip -- and he will continue to wear that as a chip," Sawvel said, referring to Moorhead's pregame comments. "I love that part about him. He's got more than enough athletic ability. He should have been here the last three years and so.

"We're glad he's here now."

So is he.

Overlooked out of tiny Ringling, Okla., (pop. 869) Johnson inked with OBU where he recorded 145 career tackles, 71 alone last fall, along with 14 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. He picked off a pass. He forced three fumbles and even blocked a punt.

Tulsa eventually came calling, but it was too late. The ink was already dry on his letter of intent. That in-state school again kicked the tires this offseason. Johnson again had his mind made up.

"My phone was blowing up," Johnson said with a soft, southern accent. "It was good to hear from some people back home that I haven't heard from in a while. It means a lot."

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Tyce Westland, or "Wheatland" as Moorhead accidentally called him during his press conference, once upon a time played 8-man football in Pleasanton, Neb., population 341. He also knows all about being omitted and forgotten.

Count him as another member of this program who is singing Johnson's praises after that outing.

"That was awesome," Westland said. "We're just two small-town kids, playing FBS football. It's a great feeling seeing somebody else doing it out there, especially on your team. He's a great friend and a great teammate."

Every Wyoming player wears a GPS tracking device inside their pads during practice. Johnson, by far, led the way for the amount of steps, miles he ran during spring and fall camp.

It's that work ethic that still brings a smile to Bohl's face.

"Everyone thinks they have one, but he definitely does," he said, referring to fleeting "chips" on the shoulder. "He's one of my favorite guys I've ever coached, for sure."

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