You can see it in their eyes.

You can hear it in their voices. 

Wyoming natives who receive the opportunity to wear the colors try just a little harder, have just a little more bounce in their step.

Then you have the Wyomingites who walk-on, and earn a scholarship. That takes everything up a notch.

It happens throughout UW's athletic programs, but it happens quite frequently in Craig Bohl's football program.

Take Skyler Miller for instance, Wyoming's starting fullback, who walked onto the Cowboy program from a farm near Torrington.  

He was all kinds of honored as a Trailblazer, playing both ways.  He was the Offensive Player of the Year in his conference, and a two-time All-State performer on both sides of the ball for the 'Blazers.  In his final two seasons he produced 174 tackles as a linebacker and rushed for 3,152 yards as a running back!

Miller could have earned a scholarship and played on a lesser level than Division I.  He didn't want to do that.

"I wanted to play Division I football, and I wanted to play for the Cowboys," he says.  "That was my dream."

Not much of a decision in his mind, but to wear the brown and gold he had to walk on.  Being a walk-on ain't easy.  It's a tough road to hoe. You have to do a little more than the scholarship guys.  But Miller is one tough Cowboy, literally.  Farm kids are that way.  

After a redshirt year, he thought that any future he had in this program would probably be at linebacker.

Bohl and his staff saw something special about him, however, and felt he could help the team.  But not at linebacker.  So they moved the junior to fullback.  That is where he has blossomed.  Not only did he earn a scholarship, he did one better than that.  He earned a role.  And, Saturday night against UNLV in War Memorial Stadium, he will be Wyoming's fullback.  What a feeling it must be for him!

If you were going to build a fullback from scratch, he would probably look just like Skyler.  He's 5-11 and 226 pounds.  He benches 450 pounds, and he squats 500 pounds! I would imagine all that farm work has something to do with those crazy numbers.

He is the feel-good story that I love about college athletics.  

Did I tell you he is a great human being too?  But, then, most farm kids are.  

His major is animal and veterinary science which opens a vast array of career choices.  His grade-point average is just south of a 4.0, like 3.8-something.  He's a special guy indeed.

When you watch him talk about football, about playing Cowboy football, you can feel the pride, and the passion.

He gets it.  He knows where he's come from, and how hard he's had to work to become a starter.  Putting on the brown and gold, and taping the bucking horse and rider as he takes Jonah Field is just a little more special to him, and guys like Logan Wilson and Josh Harshman, and Brett Brenton, and Frank Crum and Dontae Crow and Ben Wisdorf and the other 12 members of the team who come from the Equality State.

Bohl has proven during his time here that Wyoming kids are extra special.  And, Wyoming kids who walk on, and earn a scholarship, are even a little more so. 

How about this for a statistic.  Bohl is in the midst of his sixth season at Wyoming.  During that time a total of 33 Cowboy walk-ons have earned scholarships at some point or another during their careers here.  Of that number, 12 were Wyoming natives who were awarded scholarships!

Skyler Miller is one of those extra special guys for sure.  While you are watching the Cowboys Saturday night,  you might take a look at number 35.  Stop and think a second what it means to him when the Cowboy offense lines up for a play.

I wish I could have done what he's doing.