Wyoming to Face Big Task — Literally — in Toledo’s Peny Boone
LARAMIE -- Peny Boone is showing why once upon a time he was the 18th-best running back prospect in the nation.
Toledo's 6-foot-1, 242-pound running back rushed for 1,400 yards this fall and in the process ran away with MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The Detroit product averaged an eye-popping 7.2 yards per carry and found the end zone on the ground 15 times while leading the Rockets to a conference championship.
He can catch, too.
Boone snagged 15 passes out of the backfield for 219 yards. He added another score in Toledo's only regular-season loss, a 30-28 setback at Illinois.
"He's a big back and does a good job," Wyoming's defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel said. "He's got good vision and finds seams pretty well. He has the size to break tackles and does that."
Wyett Ekeler is heeding that warning.
"What is he, like 240 pounds? He's a good back," the Cowboys' junior safety added. "He's not the quickest guy, but he'll run through you. There will definitely be an emphasis on their running game."
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Eight times Boone eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground this season, including a 211-yard, two touchdown performance in a 49-31 come-from-behind victory over Western Michigan. On five more occasions he scored at least twice in a single game. In wins over Texas Southern and Eastern Michigan, Boone crossed the white stripe three times.
During a five-game stretch, Boone rushed for 724 yards on 92 attempts.
Boone, a Maryland transfer, ranks 18th in the FBS in all-purpose yards. That equates to nearly 125 yards per outing. He's the seventh-leading rusher in the nation, averaging nearly 108 yards a game.
Has Wyoming seen a runner like Boone this season?
Sawvel said the only comparison that can be made is with Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks.
The Pokes can only hope the production is similar, too. In that game, anyway. Brooks capped his night in Laramie with just 39 yards on 11 carries. The 5-foot-10, 230-pound senior did find the end zone once in that 35-33 double-overtime loss.
After that outing, Brooks went on to rush for 1,502 yards and nine more touchdowns.
"He's thick and strong," Sawvel said of Boone. "This guy is good."
Wyoming (8-4, 5-3) and Toledo (11-2, 8-0) will meet Saturday inside Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time and the game will be televised on The CW and streamed at barstoolsports.com.
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players