Rushing into history: How the run game will decide No. 19 BYU's bout with Wyoming

PROVO — BYU defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki recalls the memory as clear as day, although he doesn't remember the exact year.

He was in grade school, a member of the "knothole gang" in Provo, growing up attending BYU football games by peering through the fence posts to catch a glimpse of the Cougars in the old Western Athletic Conference. Those were days filled with high-flying quarterbacks, bruising defenders and a future College Football Hall of Fame head coach in LaVell Edwards.

Tuiaki's family didn't have the money for regular season tickets. But on this occasion, he and his little friends were invited over the fence and into the stadium, where he saw his first look at BYU's longtime rival.

They happened to be the Wyoming Cowboys.

"Somebody just let me in, with all my boogers coming down my nose; they probably felt sorry for the poor kid," Tuiaki said with a laugh. "We were playing Wyoming, and I remember standing there and watching the players walk by.

"I thought, those guys are humongous. I thought the same with both teams, but there were a bunch of physical linemen, and big, competitive ball carriers."

Fast forward 20 years — or 30 years, maybe close to 40, whatever it's been — and history is repeating itself.

The program built on brute force and strength has returned to its roots under Craig Bohl, a match made in heaven when the former three-time FCS national champion head coach of North Dakota State uprooted for Laramie, Wyoming, to try and build a contender in the Mountain West.

The Cowboys (3-1, 1-0 Mountain West) are on a three-game winning streak since a 38-6 loss to Illinois, and announced themselves as contenders for the Mountain division — if not the conference — with last week's 17-14 win over Air Force.

Wyoming kicks off its fifth game of the season Saturday against No. 19 BYU (8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN2), a longtime rival that goes back to 1922 — the third-most played series in BYU football history at 78 games that dates back to the first year the Cougars count as a Division I program.

A paradigm of consistency — the Cowboys have made four bowl games in eight seasons under Bohl, including the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl against BYU — Wyoming has embraced its roots of smash-mouth football at the line of scrimmage, a power run game and the consistent play of Utah State transfer quarterback Andrew Peasley to compete against for conference titles (and maybe a little bit more).

And of course, it all starts up front, with a mammoth offensive line that powers a rushing offense of 163.5 yards per game.

"They've done a phenomenal job through the years of recruiting big offensive linemen, tight ends that can catch and block, tough running backs that get downhill, and a quarterback that manages the game very well," Tuiaki said. "They do remind me a lot of the old Wyoming, back when we were all children watching them."

Peasley has completed at least 60% of his passes for three-straight games, including last week's win over Air Force that finished with a 78.2 completion percentage for 162 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

He's also got some help in running back Titus Swen, a junior from Fort Worth, Texas, who is averaging 5.1 yards per carry for 316 yards and four touchdowns through four games.

That could be a key element of the game against a BYU defense that averages 161.7 yards-against in the run game, a number that has coaches and players alike concerned a week after giving up 212 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-20 loss to Oregon.

"I think we didn't properly estimate how hard it was to play in Oregon," said BYU's John Nelson, who has started opposite defensive end Tyler Batty (or his replacement at Autzen Stadium, Logan Lutui) in each of the first three games of the season. "We heard all week that it's hard to play in Eugene, but it was even harder to play there. I think we've got to take a look at ourselves, and stay humble.

"At the end of the day, it's 11 games on each side of the field that will determine the outcome of games. We've just got to stay true to our values and keep loving each other."

Nelson, who prepped at nearby Salem Hills, added that the defensive line room held an open-and-honest heart-to-heart conversation following their performance at Oregon, which included giving up 107 total yards (97 net) to Bucky Irving.

"It was just what we needed," said Nelson, adding that Lorenzo Fauatea and Batty were at the head of the meeting. "Coach Kalani (Sitake) was doing what he was as a coach, and he gave us a reality check.

"You hate to lose like that, but you've got to learn from it."

The run game also becomes important for BYU, which has struggled to consistently establish the ground game since a 50-21 blowout victory over South Florida in the season opener.

The Cougars are averaging 152 yards per game, or close to 10 yards fewer per game than what they are giving up, with a particularly anemic run game that totaled just 61 net yards against Oregon.

Starting tailback Chris Brooks is averaging 5.4 yards per carry but has just 194 total yards and two touchdowns in three games. But the issues on the ground aren't solely attributed to him.

There are offensive lin concerns in run blocking, a similar lack of production from Lopini Katoa (93 yards on 24 carries, one touchdown), and falling behind early against Oregon that led to a greater emphasis on quarterback Jaren Hall and the passing game as BYU tried to catch up to the Ducks.

"We've been able to run the ball really well for years, and we'll be able to run it again," offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. "They're a really good run defense; there's always one more person in the box than what you can block. They are very good at what they do. It'll be a challenge.

"But this is the same team and virtually the same offensive line that ran the heck out of the ball last year. I'm not too concerned about it; we'll fix it."

It's too early to make any wholesale changes in the running game, which also includes redshirt freshman Miles Davis, former freshman standout Jackson McChesney and the jet-sweep action directed by Puka Nacua in the first game (and whoever takes his place while the former Orem High standout recovers from an ankle injury).

"It hasn't exactly shaped up how I hoped it would be," Roderick conceded. "But we're only three games in. It's just a weird sample size because the first game, we could do anything we wanted and we rushed for 300 yards. The second game, we really struggled against a Baylor team that was very good, and the third game was a passing game.

"I don't think we have enough of a sample size yet to say we know exactly what our running back rotation is."

Still, every week starts with stopping the run. Against Wyoming, the importance of the matter increases.

"We've got to stop the run. It's a run-first mentality, and that's how defense should be," Nelson said. "If the run gets going, you're on your heels.

"We've just got to over-emphasize it in meetings, in practice, in team. This is a good running team, so we've got to keep pounding it – even when it seems over the top."

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