In less than 24 hours, the Texas Tech football season will finally arrive amid much fanfare and it is fair to say that this year’s opener is one of the more anticipated week-one matchups that Red Raider fans have experienced in some time.
While Wyoming is no blue-blood program, it is one with a respectable history and some tradition. What’s more, this will be one of the most charged atmospheres the people in Laramie have experienced in some time.
"“We’re facing a really good, quality opponent at home,” Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl said this week. “So it’s going to be an exciting test for us….Really encourage our fans to show up. It’ll be a prime time…big, big stage.”"
Bohl is an interesting head coach. Reserved and somewhat stoic, he is quite the contrast to Texas Tech’s emotional and effervescent Joey McGuire. However, he has some nice skins on the wall.
A former defensive back at Nebraska in the late 1970s, he’s been a head coach for 20 years. From 2003-2013, he led North Dakota State to a 104-32 record while winning three straight FCS National Championships (2011-13).
He parlayed that success into the job at Wyoming, which he has held since the 2014 season. Since then, he’s reached five bowl games, winning three.
However, Bohl does have a losing record of 52-56 in Laramie. That is largely because of the games when his team punches up in weight class.
Against Power 5 teams, Bohl is just 1-9 with the only win coming in the 2019 opener at home against Missouri. Last year, his team went to Illinois and took a 38-6 loss on the chin to begin the season with a thud.
Naturally, the Cowboys will be looking for a better start on Saturday. They believe that their home field atmosphere, which includes the highest altitude of any FBS city, will give them a shot at stunning the Red Raiders.
Bohl also believes that his veteran roster will be ready for the task of taking on a Big 12 team. With 16 of the 22 starters listed on the Wyoming depth chart being juniors or seniors, the expectation is that the Cowboys will not be intimidated by Texas Tech.
So let’s take a moment to look at that depth chart and find the players that Red Raider fans will want to know. Of course, we begin by focusing on the Wyoming signal caller.