Wyoming Head Coach Craig Bohl Talks Mariota and Oregon Ducks
The Wyoming Cowboys enter Autzen Stadium tomorrow for an early kickoff at 11 am. Earlier this week Head Coach Craig Bohl talked about his team entering the game this week against the Oregon Ducks. Wyoming started the season 2-0 beating both Montana and Air Force. Through two games the team is healthy entering the game with Oregon, “We were fortunate to work through the game without any significant injuries,” Bohl said. “So we’ll be at full strength getting ready for the University of Oregon this week.”
Much of the talk in Eugene has been about the play of Quarterback Marcus Mariota this season, specifically for his Pac-12 Player of the Week performance against Michigan State. Bohl says he knows the Cowboys will have their hands full, “He’s certainly got a live arm, and he’s a competitive guy,” Bohl said. “Since he’s quarterbacked, they’ve only lost three games. This guy is 6-4, and I saw him make five Michigan State tacklers who are very athletic miss.” Oregon’s Quarterback has yet to throw an interception this season, and went quite a bit further last season before throwing a pick.
More from Oregon Ducks Football
- Oregon football: Ducks and Coach Prime playing it cordial leading up to Saturday
- Oregon football: Ducks find complete game effort in win vs Hawaii
- Oregon Ducks must get run game going against Hawaii
- Oregon football storms back in 4th quarter to win vs. Texas Tech
- Oregon Football: Ducks dismantle Portland State, look ahead to Texas Tech
When it comes to defense, the Oregon Ducks have an advantage according to Bohl, particularly in one area, “You see guys who are 6-7 and 280 who can really run. That’s unique,” Bohl said. “You just don’t see those kinds of defensive linemen very often. They operate out of a 3-4 front, the same way Air Force deploys their guys out of a 3-4 front. However, it’s an upgrade in talent.” Last weekend the Oregon Ducks Defense led by Don Pellum held Michigan State to three points in the second half, and held a shutout in the fourth quarter with a stellar interception from a diving Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.
Going into the matchup there is one place that Wyoming is ahead of the Oregon Ducks and for the game it could be an important factor. The Cowboys are the least penalized team in the nation, ”
“It speaks well of our players. They have bought in,” Bohl said. “We talked about changing how we’re going to play, and part of being Cowboy Tough is mentally tough. We’re well pleased with that. That allows us to play the games how we play them. You’re not going to try to go in and outscore everybody. You have to utilize field position and play defense, and you certainly don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot offensively with penalties.”
Wyoming Coach Craig Bohl comes from the experience of taking his former team North Dakota State to the FCS Championship for three consecutive seasons and some of that has rubbed off on the 2014 Wyoming Cowboys. A competitive game on Saturday may be the best effort his team can give. Oregon enters the game favored by forty-three points. Head Coach Craig Bohl may have the talent to make things interesting.
The Ducks and Cowboys kickoff at 11am Tomorrow on Pac-12 Networks. AutzenZoo and Eugene Daily News will have live coverage from Autzen via our Twitter Stream starting at 10am. You can find us using #EDNSports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.