LARAMIE – Therman Williams enrolled early to speed up getting playing time for Wyoming.
 
The true freshman cornerback could be on the field for every defensive snap when the Cowboys host Hawai'i in the Mountain West opener Saturday at War Memorial Stadium (1 p.m., The CW).
 
Williams, who has gone by the childhood nickname "Boogie" since he can remember, will be a key component in stopping the Rainbow Warriors' run-and-shoot offense.
 
Two of UW's other front-line cornerbacks, Tyson Shamsid-Deen and Kendall Griffin, are out with hand injuries.
 
"I wouldn't necessarily say there's more pressure. Football is football at the end of the day, so I don't think I'm going to let something like that put more pressure on me now," Williams said. "I do feel like everybody in the room needs to step up, from me to people who didn't have the opportunity, yet who may get the opportunity.
 
"We all are aware of what's going on. We all need to step up. Losing those two is a big hit, a big loss, but I think with the guys we have in the room, we'll be good."
 
UW faced a Central Michigan team last week that has run the ball on 75% of its offensive plays this season. The Cowboys gave up 339 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns in the 24-10 loss.
 
Now defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl's unit must slow down Hawai'i quarterback Micah Alejado, who leads the MW in passing with 794 yards (264.7 per game).
 
"It's a completely different style," UW head coach Jay Sawvel said. "There were a couple of things that we would look at from a schematic standpoint (against CMU) of like, we're not going to allow power read to be a thing for that much period of time. Hawaii doesn't run that. Now you have to go fix what you did against Central Michigan, that's a fix that has to take place, but it's kind of a longer-term fix because now you got to turn your attention to what you see out of these guys, which is going to be completely different."
 
Junior Ian Bell has two pass breakups, Shamsid-Deen has one and Griffin leads the cornerbacks with 10 tackles.
 
Williams has not been targeted a lot during his first three games, but he is looking forward to the opportunities likely to come the secondary's way against Hawai'i.
 
"It's definitely a different mindset going into the game," Williams said. "They're a good team; they have a high-flying offense; they like to throw the ball a lot. That's something that I've been waiting for. Personally, I'm happy for the opportunity. I've been waiting for it to come, and now this is the game we're going to show up."
 
Williams arrived in Laramie in January to begin winter workouts with the Pokes instead of enjoying his final semester of high school in Riverside, Calif. He added 18 pounds of muscle, improved his speed and got a head start on Bohl's defense during spring practice.
 
In the opener at Colorado State, Williams allowed only three receptions for 13 yards when targeted by the Rams.
 
"I definitely saw it pretty early on," cornerbacks coach JB Hall said of Williams' readiness to make an immediate impact. "What he did throughout spring ball was just a ton of learning and growth. Throughout fall camp, he kind of solidified that because he was very consistent.
 
"We're asking those guys to play man coverage, we're asking them to play big zone coverages. Within the defense, holistically it's not a lot that we're asking them to do, but it's a lot about fundamentals and discipline and that's what he's shown."
 
Williams was a three-star prospect who was also recruited by Colorado and CSU. Sawvel and Hall believe he has a bright future in the program.
 
Boogie will be in the spotlight on Homecoming.
 
"I'm ready to make a play on the ball, I'm ready to do something, I'm excited," Williams said. "We just need to be consistent with from the beginning to the end. We need to start fast and strong. That's something that's been being preached around the room, it's just about consistency, staying focused and putting the foot on the other team's neck."
 
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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