The Poinsettia Bowl is a big opportunity for the Wyoming football program to continue making a statement. And since coach Craig Bohl arrived a few years ago, the Cowboys have made a lot of symbolic declarations, like beating Boise State this year.
Bohl changed the culture of Wyoming football, a feat that isn’t easy when a new guy comes to town. You have to rattle cages, challenge the unchallenged, motivate the unmotivated, establish a standard and then hold everyone to it.
"The program that coach Bohl has built here has really just completely changed the culture around here," senior center Chase Roullier said earlier this week. "He came into Wyoming with a completely different mindset about this team and it's truly just shaped the way this team thinks and how we play."
A year ago, Wyoming won just two games. This past season, the 8-5 Cowboys won the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference and hosted the league’s championship game in Laramie, losing a three-pointer to San Diego State.
Right before that title game — the first ever in Laramie — Wyoming rewarded Bohl with a contract extension through 2023. The first year of that contract will give him a reported $1.4 million base salary, plus incentives.
Wyoming, a school that’s been a turnstile of coaches through two decades, has watched coaches come and run away or come and be fired after a short stay. Bohl appears to be the anchor.
“I think this game with BYU is a classic bowl matchup,” Bohl said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “This (game) will garner a lot of national attention. It is a chance for us to play a team we’ve played for a lot of years on a big stage.”
Bohl said Wyoming “securing” his job status, not only gave the program stability but also showed a commitment by the university to him, his staff and his players. “That is important not only for our players, but our recruiting.
“In college football there is a lot of instability," he continued. "Quite frankly, that is one of the big challenges and here we’ve had many coaches move on or get moved out."
Bohl said he respects the challenge of facing BYU’s offense with Tanner Mangum, who will replace the injured season-long starter Taysom Hill. “He’s a guy who can pass the ball and while he isn’t the runner Hill is, he has shown he is mobile.”
Bohl’s team arrives in San Diego on Saturday, one day after the Cougars.
In Bohl, BYU will face a seasoned, well-traveled head coach who is used to delivering victories and has been in big-time programs around the country.
Bohl is a native of Nebraska and played defensive back at the University of Nebraska. He was an assistant coach for legendary Tom Osborne, Bohl's former head coach while he was a Cornhusker.
Bohl later had short coaching jobs at Duke, Wisconsin, Tulsa and Rice. He landed the head coaching job at North Dakota State, where he’d also been employed as a coach during his nomad years working up the ranks.
Bohl arrived at North Dakota State in 2003 and in a decade built that program into a national FCS champion. His Bison teams won the FCS title in 2011, 2012 and 2013. That was the springboard that got him the head coaching job at Wyoming.
Bohl cites Osborne’s bowl prep philosophy for the direction he will take his team leading up to the game with BYU on Dec. 21. He said it is part fundamentals and technique for younger players, as well as a reminder to veterans, adding that it is a chance to raise the program to a higher level and gain recruiting momentum.
“It is a reward, not a penalty," he said. "There has to be some enjoyment and you have to strike a balance.”
Since the MWC title game, Bohl has worked hard recruiting to take advantage of the season’s success. As for Wyoming football since that title game, Bohl said “practices have been robust. Our players have gotten after it.”
“Kalani Sitake has done a great job in his first year at BYU," Bohl said. "His team is big, physical and disciplined, and their defense is very good. They play a lot of players and keep fresh faces on the field and allow just 19 points a game. We are excited for this game.”
Bohl and Sitake met in San Diego for bowl preliminary media interviews and handshakes on Wednesday.
There are 40 bowl games about to kick off, beginning this weekend.
Get your remotes ready.