UNLV’s Tony Sanchez admires how Craig Bohl has transformed Wyoming

There are several parallels between the football programs at UNLV under coach Tony Sanchez and Wyoming under coach Craig Bohl.

Both men built national powers at lower levels — Sanchez at Bishop Gorman High School and Bohl at North Dakota State of the Football Championship Subdivision — before ascending to the Football Bowl Subdivision stage.

Both Mountain West teams, which square off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium, also feature strong ground games — with the Rebels (3-6, 2-3) ranked 19th in the nation in rushing (236.2 yards per game, 20 touchdowns) and the Cowboys (7-2, 5-0) ranked 26th (228.7 ypg, 20 TDs).

But the most appealing parallel for the Rebels — who are 6-15 in two seasons under Sanchez — is the fact that Mountain Division-leading Wyoming went 6-18 in Bohl’s first two seasons at the school before breaking through for seven wins and counting this year.

“They just kept pounding away at the little things and following the plan. It’s the same thing here,” Sanchez said. “It’s pulling up your pants every single day and doing things the right way over and over and over. With that comes success.”

Sanchez also attributes the Cowboys’ breakthrough season to a hard-nosed mindset that “takes a minute” to develop. Bohl credits Wyoming’s physical play for forcing 19 turnovers (13 interceptions, six fumble recoveries), the 17th-highest total in the country.

“The offense is not just going to give it away. You need to have the attitude to take it away,” Bohl said. “That’s had a huge impact and is one of the reasons we are where we’re at, because of that (turnover) margin.”

Perhaps the single biggest factor in the Cowboys’ turnaround from 2-10 last season to 7-2 this year — including a 30-28 upset of then-No. 13 Boise State on Oct. 29 — has been the emergence of sophomore quarterback Josh Allen. Bohl compared Allen to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz — who played for him on the Bison — and, gulp, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.

“Josh may have a little bit stronger arm than Carson had, and their playmaking ability is probably comparable,” Bohl said. “He’s got exceptional ability, and I think before his career is done, he’s going to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

“I’ve coached against Peyton Manning. (Allen’s) a different type of guy, but he’s got great ability, and his future’s bright.”

The 6-foot-5-inch Allen has thrown for 1,884 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 397 yards and six scores this season. He’s coming off his two best outings, accounting for 654 yards and eight touchdowns in wins over Boise State and Utah State. He has had a hand in 15 touchdowns in Wyoming’s five-game winning streak and thrown only three interceptions in the past seven games.

The Cowboys also feature the nation’s third-leading rusher in Brian Hill (1,298 yards, 13 TDs), who ran for 232 yards and a 72-yard touchdown in last season’s 35-28 season-ending win over the Rebels.

Forced to pick his poison, Sanchez said UNLV’s focus will be on stopping the run. “You’ve got to make them more one-dimensional,” he said.

That’s fine with Hill.

“If everyone wants to focus on stopping me, we’ll just air it out,” he said.

The Rebels, 7½-point-underdogs, have lost three in a row and eight of 10 to the Cowboys. UNLV will start its third quarterback this season in junior Kurt Palandech.

“We are getting better,” Sanchez said. “We’ve got to get better in the win column, but we’re getting better statistically on both sides of the ball.

“We’re in the wheelhouse. We’re not far away.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.