Post by efg72 on Aug 24, 2023 16:18:12 GMT -5
LARAMIE -- Ayir Asante hears you loud and clear.
And he's here to help.
"It's no secret, Wyoming football -- we can run the football," the team's newest wide receiver said after Day 1 of fall camp. "We have great offensive linemen and we have a great running back room right now.
"I mean, we know it, fans know it, the other team knows it. But, I feel like it gets hard when you're trying to win a championship and it's just all run because what can they do? Pack the box, right?"
While this may sound like blasphemy in the Church of Craig Bohl, the message surrounding this offense in the offseason has been one of consistency. The head coach himself even said he wants the passing game to compliment his vaunted running game.
That hasn't been the case since 2016.
Josh Allen threw for more than 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns that year. Wyoming ball carriers, including the program's all-time leading rusher, Brian Hill, amassed 2,865 more on the ground to go along with 31 scores.
That also happens to be the last time these Cowboys played for a conference title.
While Wyoming once again boasted one of the best rushing attacks in the nation in 2022 -- 181.4 yards per game, landing 44th overall in the FBS -- the passing game, at times, was almost nonexistent. Andrew Peasley and Co. ranked 125th in the country out of 131 teams. They averaged just 132.2 yards an outing through the air.
Asante finds himself in a unique position. This is his first go round on the high plains after transferring from Holy Cross where he snagged 117 balls for 1,722 yards and 16 touchdowns over four seasons. His best year was his first. He hauled in 48 receptions for 701 yards and six scores.
Five. That's the number of passes Asante caught over the first five games. He added 41 more for nearly 600 yards in his final eight outings of 2019.
This Wyoming team needs immediate help on the outside. Asante needs immediate results.
This is his last chance.
"It's been fun because there's a lot of times where I feel like a freshman where I'm out here and like, I don't know what is going on," the New Jersey product said with a smile. "We were brought in to help the team. I mean, you don't get that luxury of, you know, having a learning curve, having a year of just seeing how things go."
Asante hit the ground running when he arrived in Laramie in early June. He, along with Vanderbilt transfer Devin Boddie Jr., missed spring camp. Both stuck around to graduate from their respective schools. Bohl was fine with that. In fact, he encouraged it. However, that was 15 valuable chances, including a game-type atmosphere, that can't be mimicked.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:
And he's here to help.
"It's no secret, Wyoming football -- we can run the football," the team's newest wide receiver said after Day 1 of fall camp. "We have great offensive linemen and we have a great running back room right now.
"I mean, we know it, fans know it, the other team knows it. But, I feel like it gets hard when you're trying to win a championship and it's just all run because what can they do? Pack the box, right?"
While this may sound like blasphemy in the Church of Craig Bohl, the message surrounding this offense in the offseason has been one of consistency. The head coach himself even said he wants the passing game to compliment his vaunted running game.
That hasn't been the case since 2016.
Josh Allen threw for more than 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns that year. Wyoming ball carriers, including the program's all-time leading rusher, Brian Hill, amassed 2,865 more on the ground to go along with 31 scores.
That also happens to be the last time these Cowboys played for a conference title.
While Wyoming once again boasted one of the best rushing attacks in the nation in 2022 -- 181.4 yards per game, landing 44th overall in the FBS -- the passing game, at times, was almost nonexistent. Andrew Peasley and Co. ranked 125th in the country out of 131 teams. They averaged just 132.2 yards an outing through the air.
Asante finds himself in a unique position. This is his first go round on the high plains after transferring from Holy Cross where he snagged 117 balls for 1,722 yards and 16 touchdowns over four seasons. His best year was his first. He hauled in 48 receptions for 701 yards and six scores.
Five. That's the number of passes Asante caught over the first five games. He added 41 more for nearly 600 yards in his final eight outings of 2019.
This Wyoming team needs immediate help on the outside. Asante needs immediate results.
This is his last chance.
"It's been fun because there's a lot of times where I feel like a freshman where I'm out here and like, I don't know what is going on," the New Jersey product said with a smile. "We were brought in to help the team. I mean, you don't get that luxury of, you know, having a learning curve, having a year of just seeing how things go."
Asante hit the ground running when he arrived in Laramie in early June. He, along with Vanderbilt transfer Devin Boddie Jr., missed spring camp. Both stuck around to graduate from their respective schools. Bohl was fine with that. In fact, he encouraged it. However, that was 15 valuable chances, including a game-type atmosphere, that can't be mimicked.
MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS: