Last season Wyoming gave Air Force a taste of its own medicine in the annual Mountain West Conference showdown, outrushing the Falcons 291-231 with something of a spontaneous “triple-option” attack.
Quarterback Corey Bramlet rushed for 67 yards and running backs Joseph Harris and Ivan Harrison dashed for 128 and 75 yards in a 43-26 Cowboys romp in Laramie.
Saturday, when the teams meet at the academy, the Cowboys plan to give the Falcons a taste of Wynel Seldon.
With Harris (knee) and Harrison (knee, shoulder) recovering from offseason surgeries, Seldon – a redshirt freshman from San Diego – has established himself as the Cowboys’ primary rushing threat. He ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries last week against Louisiana-Monroe, a week after a disappointing 56-yard effort at Florida.
“Against Florida, he was all right,” coach Joe Glenn said. “He got in a little bit of a hurry and tried to run without the ball a couple of times, but he showed some toughness.
“Against Monroe, he put his pads down and he showed me a ton. I think his speed, as we get down the road, people will see the kind of speed he has, too.”
One of the fastest players on the team, along with star cornerback Derrick Martin, the 6-foot, 204-pound Seldon won the starting assignment by slowing down, according to offensive coordinator Bill Cockhill.
“‘He’s a big, physical kid that can run and block and catch,” Cockhill said. “‘He’s really become patient, looking for the holes. It’s just been a matter of time for him, getting to understand our blocking schemes and how to read the holes and how to be patient.
“Before it was like, ‘Hey, I got the rock, I’m going to run as fast as I can,’ and he was missing holes and running into the back of guys, and that’s typical of a young back. But he’s worked that out over the spring and fall, and he’s become much more comfortable with himself, who he is and what he’s trying to do.”
After last week’s victory, Seldon could feel his game coming together.
“It felt great,” he said. “We moved the ball, and I think we established the running game. I had a 100-yard game, so I’m pretty excited. I’m eager to get out there again and continue the offensive showing like we had against Monroe.”
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
