LARAMIE – Blood is thicker than Bison.
 
In case you were wondering which side of the "Battle of the Basins" Craig Bohl will be on, it will be Brown & Gold.
 
Wyoming faces North Dakota State on Saturday at the Fargodome (1:30 p.m., The CW).
 
Bohl coached the Cowboys for 10 seasons (2014-23) after leading the Bison to three consecutive FCS championships (2011-13).
 
"He's fully supporting us in every way possible," UW defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl said of his father. "He has a lot of great friends on that staff. Just the fact he coached at those spots, I mean, you look across their coaching staff, and there are so many players that he coached. He spends a lot of time with both staffs, and he's really excited to watch a great game."
 
During Craig Bohl's final season wearing a headset in 2023, the Cowboys finished with nine wins, including an upset of Texas Tech to open the campaign and a comeback win over Toledo at the Arizona Bowl to cap his career with a victory.
 
UW head coach Jay Sawvel was the defensive coordinator and NDSU head coach Tim Polasek was the offensive coordinator during Craig Bohl's final season.
 
Holdovers still on the Cowboy staff are Brian Hendricks, Shannon Moore and Joe Tripodi, as well as Aaron Bohl, who was the linebackers coach and promoted to defensive coordinator when Sawvel took over as head coach.
 
Polasek worked for Craig Bohl at NDSU and UW. Bison defensive coordinator Grant Olson was an All-American linebacker on those national title teams from 2011-13 and spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at UW.
 
NDSU special teams coordinator Carlton Littlejohn and running backs coach Sam Ojuri also played on those NDSU title teams. Ojuri and cornerbacks coach Eric Amoako were also graduate assistants at UW under Craig Bohl.
 
Aaron Bohl grew up attending Bison games as his father transitioned the program from Division II to the FCS. He got his start in coaching with the Cowboys as a graduate assistant before ascending to linebackers coach and now defensive coordinator.
 
"My dad's first game (at NDSU), they got in trouble for people talking too loud during the game," Aaron Bohl said. "Then they got to the point where people were sleeping outside waiting to buy tickets. It was fun to see that growth. It's a great football culture."
 
The Bison are 4-0 and 1-0 in the Mountain West during their first season at the FBS level. Fittingly, the Cowboys (2-2, 1-0) will be the first MW team to play at the Fargodome.
 
The winner will remain on top of the standings and will grab the new Battle of the Basins Trophy at the end of what could become a budding "Bohl Bowl" rivalry.
 
Aaron Bohl's defense will have to play its best game of the season to date to give the Pokes a chance to escape with a win over Polasek's balanced team.
 
"Me and Tim go way back even from coaching here (UW) to when he was a GA at NDSU. I was a 9-year-old kid running around and I'd sit in his meetings and stuff like that," Aaron Bohl said. "I've known Tim a long time. He's done a great job, he cares about that place a lot in that area of the country, so it'll be fun to see him on Saturday.
 
"The thing I always appreciated about Tim was he got those guys ready to play and they played with great energy, great passion."
 
UW won the only previous meeting between the two programs on Sept. 13, 2008. Craig Bohl's NDSU team took a 13-0 lead, but Joe Glenn's Cowboys rallied for the 16-13 victory sealed with a field goal by Jake Scott with four seconds left at War Memorial Stadium.

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.
 
Don't just watch the game — change it. The most powerful way to support University of Wyoming student-athletes is by joining the Cowboy Joe Club. Your membership fuels scholarships, provides essential resources, and helps Cowboys and Cowgirls succeed both in the classroom and in competition. Your gift is not just support — it's access. As a member, you'll enjoy exclusive benefits that bring you closer to the action than ever before. Be a champion. Join our team. Visit CowboyJoeClub.com or call 307-766-6242.