Bohl talks coaching future, passing game and expectations at MW Media Days

Jul 20, 2023
LAS VEGAS — University of Wyoming coach Craig Bohl didn’t shy away from any questions during this week’s Mountain West Media Days.
Bohl, who’s going into his 10th season in Laramie, was asked about UW’s 125th-ranked passing offense from last year. He fielded questions about his future with the Cowboys; the landscape of name, image and likeness for players; and what he expects to see from his team this fall.
Bohl even cracked a smile when he was asked if he or offensive coordinator Tim Polasek have made any adjustments on offense after being called the Group of Five equivalent of Iowa by a random user on Reddit.
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For context, the Hawkeyes were just two spots ahead of UW in passing offense a season ago, averaging 156.7 yards per game.
“There’s no doubt we need to improve,” Bohl said about the passing offense. “There’s many things that go into that. The quarterback, how does he get the ball to certain receivers, certainly the protection game. To say that we’re going to go in and radically change and all of a sudden you’re going to see us play with four wide receivers and an empty backfield, that’s not going to be accurate. But the needle needs to move.
“… I’m confident that we’re going to improve in that area, but we’re going to be balanced between running and passing. Sometimes, people will just look and say go out and throw the ball 50 times a game. That’s not going to work in Wyoming.”
The Cowboys were picked sixth in the MW preseason polls, despite leading the conference with five All-MW selections. Easton Gibbs, who led UW with 121 total tackles last season, was named the MW preseason defensive player of the year Wednesday morning.
“He’s really bright, he’s intelligent and athletic,” Bohl said. “All those linebackers that we’ve had go on to play in the NFL and start have actually played other positions in high school. Easton fits that bill.
“He’s wickedly smart, he’s aggressive, and he’s had a lot of opportunity to play. He’s certainly going to have an impact on our football team this year.”
Gibbs was also all All-MW selection, alongside defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole, defensive end DeVonne Harris, offensive tackle Frank Crum and kicker John Hoyland.
UW’s pick in the middle of the pack in the preseason polls wasn’t enough to deter Bohl’s mood during his short stay in Vegas.
“I think there’s so many variables,” Bohl said. “I think we can be a good team. … I’ve been in this league long enough, it’s pretty much up and down. We’re going to need to stay healthy and not turn the ball over. I’d rather be sixth and finish first than be first and finish sixth.”
Still going strong
Bohl’s contract is reaching the tail end, with an expiration date coming after the 2024 season. Soon to be 65 years old, Bohl has no plans to retire as his UW tenure nears the decade mark.
“(UW athletic director Tom Burman) and I have had continual talks,” Bohl said. “I’m in a different position than when I maybe was several years ago. I think the biggest compass is for our administration to feel comfortable with my leadership, people in the state — you’re always going to have clamoring of certain people — and moreover, too, from me to have the energy to be on a sideline Friday night up in who-knows-where, then fly back, do a game.
“… Work and drinking coffee at six in the morning and going until nine o’clock at night, it’s all I’ve known. If that would ever dissipate, and I start to lose that edge ... I think there’s coaches that have tried to hang on too long, and that’s kind of a sad place.”
Bohl knows as well as anyone how much energy it takes to run a Division I football program. It’s a year-round commitment, with the offseason being arguably just as busy as the actual season.
While he knows somewhere down the road he’ll reach a point where the energy isn’t there, Bohl said that isn’t now.
“What I think is important is for me to evolve on the changing landscape of college athletics, particularly football,” Bohl said. “The term ‘old school’ would probably fit pretty well with my DNA. As a result, some of the things that I traditionally believed in, good or bad, those things have changed some.
“What cannot happen is for our program to get outside what I call the goal posts. For me, there’s gotta be some things that I need to be comfortable with as we migrate through NIL and the transfer portal. … I also know there’s not a lot of 65-year-old coaches out there. There’s some that are doing pretty good. I think coach (Nick) Saban’s still rockin’. I start looking at the guys who are my age and doing it, and some of them have been removed, and some of them have removed themselves. That’s not where I want to be.”
Good foundation
Bohl’s excitement for the season is obvious. The Cowboys return 17 starters, including five on offense and 10 on defense.
Bohl isn’t keeping his goal for this season a secret, either. With what could end up being the best defense in the conference, Bohl is striving to bring home UW’s first MW conference title.
“We have more depth, and certainly more experience (compared to last year),” Bohl said. “What has happened, too, one of the benefits of when we had some mass exodus (after the 2021 season), the guys who stayed were saying, ‘Those who stay will be champions.’ So the work ethic, attention to detail and the focus has really been outstanding.
“I’m personally really excited about our football team. I know we’re kind of picked in the middle of the pack, and that’s OK. I think we have the makeup to make a run at this.”
UW had one of the youngest teams in the entire country going into last season. That won’t be the case this fall. The Cowboys will have the majority of their starting lineup worked out before fall camp even starts on both sides of the ball.
Andrew Peasley, who transferred to UW from Utah State last season, will maintain his role as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback for the second straight year.
“Certainly, experience comes into play,” Bohl said. “It’s been my experience that when you have really special years, what occurs is your biggest guys are the ones that have the best years. Andrew Peasley needs to have his best year. Easton Gibbs needs to have his best year.
“Our attitude as far as going into fall camp, we’re not trying to find as many players. We’re trying to get the horns sharp for our season. That gives me a real sense of excitement. We’ve got some bullets in our gun.”
Key to the season
The margins for both wins and losses were incredibly low during the last two months last season. After a 7-3 start, the Cowboys lost their last two conference games to Boise State and Fresno State to miss out on a spot in the MW title game.
The season ended with a third straight loss, a 30-27 overtime loss to Ohio in the Arizona Bowl in Tucson, Arizona.
For Bohl, trimming those margins will revolve around making winning plays, which typically happens in the turnover department on both sides of the ball.
“We’ve gotta improve our turnover margin; that’s sometimes not talked about a lot, but I think that’s a really key component,” Bohl said. “We certainly have to improve our explosiveness on offense, whether it be big plays or just confidence when you’re throwing touchdowns. Now, we don’t need urban renewal, but we can improve there.”
Those margins will also come down to quarterback play, with Peasley completing just 52.4% of his passes a year ago. He threw just 10 touchdowns to nine interceptions in his first season playing in UW’s pro-style system.
“We put the quarterbacks under a lot of pressure,” Bohl said. “He’s going to need to perform. I think our football team can be staged where he’s not going to have to be making all the plays on third down and long.”
UW hasn’t had much luck in both football and basketball when it’s near the top of the conference’s preseason polls. Coming in right in the middle this year is good spot for a team looking to once again utilize the underdog mentality to fight for the conference trophy in December.