LARAMIE – Air Force's triple option offense gives opposing linebackers a lot to think about.
 
Reading the guards, reading the fullback, containing the quarterback on keepers and the pitch.
 
The Falcons have also implemented an extremely efficient passing game this season, which is why they rank 10^th in the FBS in total yards (490.3 per game) and 18^th in scoring (38.3 ppg).
 
Wyoming has a pair of linebackers preparing to meet the challenge against Air Force on Saturday at Falcon Stadium (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
 
Brayden Johnson is the highest graded linebacker in the Mountain West and fourth nationally by Pro Football Focus. Evan Eller ranks sixth among MW linebackers.
 
The tandem turned last week's game against San Jose State around when Eller tipped a pass attempt on a fourth-and-2 that bounced off a helmet to Johnson, whose 65-yard interception return for a touchdown sparked the Pokes' 21-0 run in the fourth quarter of the 35-28 win.
 
"Shout out to Evan. We were both getting to the quarterback pretty quick and I heard his hand hit the ball," Johnson said. "After that I was just looking around for the ball and then I turned around and it was a little bit of luck on my side because it just fell right into my lap.
 
"It was pretty exciting. I heard the crowd going wild and everything."
 
UW's recent tradition of producing all-MW first team linebackers should continue when the conference's postseason awards are handed out.
 
But unlike former Cowboy standouts Logan Wilson, Cassh Maluia, Chad Muma and Easton Gibbs, who were developed after signing as high school recruits, Eller and Johnson both transferred into the program from lower levels
 
After playing a hybrid safety position at VMI in the FCS, Eller asked to be redshirted last season to prepare himself to be the starting middle linebacker at UW. The 6-foot, 230-pound senior leads the team with 27 solo tackles and has an interception, a forced fumble, 1.0 sack and 2.0 tackles for loss.
 
"It was super validating. We needed a win like this," Eller said after finishing with seven tackles and the key deflection against SJSU. "One where the defense continued to battle and the offense believed and put together plays. If we would have won this game another way, it wouldn't have been as impactful as how we won the game."
 
Johnson, who is tied with Eller for the team lead with 36 total tackles this season, had 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack against the Spartans in addition to the pick-six.
 
UW head coach Jay Sawvel's only regret about Johnson is not discovering the Division II transfer from Oklahoma Baptist four years ago.
 
"He fit the bill to a tee of what we were hoping for in the transfer portal," Sawvel said. "A guy who was a productive player where he was, a guy with the physical capabilities to be productive for us and a guy who had a chip on his shoulder to do it at this level.
 
"There's a lot of things to this transfer portal. That was an absolute home run."
 
This will be Johnson's first game against Air Force, but the 6-3, 248-pound senior has experience playing against the triple option when Oklahoma Baptist faced off against Harding University, the 2023 Division II national champions.
 
"They were really good and run the same kind of offense," Johnson said. "This will be a fun game, very physical."
 
The last time the road team win a game in the Air Force-UW series was in 2017 when the Cowboys won 28-14 at Falcon Stadium. Wilson led the way defensively with 12 tackles and a forced fumble. 
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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