October 24, 2023 |
Photo – John Hoyland in the game against Air Force – Courtesy gowyo.com
Wyoming Head Football Coach Craig Bohl said Monday that he has had the Boise State game this week circled on his calendar since the beginning of the season.
The 5-and-2 Cowboys have a lot to play for in Boise this week. The Pokes are still in the fray to win their way to a Mountain West Bowl game in December. Like Wyoming, 3-and-4 Boise State had a lot of questions heading into last week’s bye. The Cowboys and Broncos come into Saturday’s showdown in Boise with identical conference records—2-and-1.
Coach Bohl said yesterday that his players had to reboot and get healthy after the tough opening stretch to the season.
Coach Bohl was obviously talking about place kicker John Hoyland, who until the Air Force game was as dependable as Old Faithful. Hoyland missed a pair of field goals during Wyoming’s 34-27 loss at Falcon Stadium. A week earlier in the Fresno State game, Hoyland missed a 47-yard field goal attempt. The Cowboys held on for the 24-19 win.
Hoyland’s three missed attempts were all wide right. He also had a point after attempt blocked in the bad stretch. Hoyland said this week he’s been working to get back on track. Coach Bohl expressed his confidence this week in Hoyland, saying he’s an “extraordinary, talented kicker.”
As they say, it may all be in his head.
For other Cowboys, different parts of their bodies were hurting this week.
Boise State was licking its own wounds last week after losing to CSU 31-30 as time ran out two Saturdays ago in Fort Collins.
It’s do-or die-time for the Broncos. Boise State must win at least one of its games against Mountain West front runners Wyoming, Fresno State or Air Force if it wants to play in the postseason.
Coach Bohl said this week that Boise State plays particularly well at home in a game that will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sport 2.
It is a big one. Kickoff is set for 3:30. The pregame show with Keith Kelley and Kevin McKinney is set for 2 p.m. here on Bigfoot 99. Vegas has Wyoming pegged as a 5-point underdog. We’ll see. The over/under is pegged at 49.
