2021 A New Beginning for the Cowboy Offense,
Return of Key Performers Creates Optimism for the Year Ahead
New Offensive Coordinator Tim Polasek Excited About Opportunity to Coach at Wyoming
Return of Key Performers Creates Optimism for the Year Ahead
New Offensive Coordinator Tim Polasek Excited About Opportunity to Coach at Wyoming
Laramie, Wyo. (April , 2021) -- When the Wyoming Cowboys concluded the 2019 season with an 8-5 record and a convincing 38-17 win over Georgia State in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl, expectations for the 2020 season were high. Those high expectations came from the fact that the Cowboys would be returning virtually all of their offensive weapons from that 2019 team.
Among the returning players were First Team All-Mountain West running back Xazavian Valladay, a talented and deep group of offensive linemen and two quarterbacks with starting experience in sophomore Sean Chambers, who started the first eight games of the season and led Wyoming to a 6-2 start, and redshirt freshman Levi Williams, who would start the 2019 Arizona Bowl and lead the Pokes to the win over Georgia State.
But the COVID-shortened season of 2020 wouldn’t unfold the way the Cowboys hoped. A combination of key injuries before the season to players like senior offensive tackle Alonzo Velazquez followed by injuries to Chambers, Valladay and Williams during the season resulted in a frustrating season. But that is then and preparation for the 2021 season is now.
The 2021 Cowboy Football team is filled with optimism and excitement to get back on track for a program that had earned bowl eligibility in four consecutive seasons from 2016-19, played in three bowl games, won two bowl championships and posted three eight-win seasons.
New Offensive Coordinator Tim Polasek
Wyoming’s 2021 offense has a new offensive coordinator to guide them in Tim Polasek, who coached the offensive line at the University of Iowa the past four seasons (2017-20). Prior to Iowa, Polasek (pronounced PAWL-uh-seck) was the offensive coordinator and running backs coach at North Dakota State for three years from 2014-16. He was a record-setting quarterback himself at Concordia University in Wisconsin. Polasek takes over for former Cowboy offensive coordinator Brent Vigen, who was hired as the new head coach at Montana State this offseason.
Polasek brings his own high-energy approach to coaching -- an approach that has been evident during spring practice. When asked how excited he was for the opportunity to be Wyoming’s new offensive coordinator and what attracted him to the position, Polasek replied, “I feel like it is a good fit for me and my wife, Jill. It was the right move for me at this point of my career and it is with the right people. I am super excited about this job. Everyday I wake up excited about the challenge and excited about the guys I get to work with -- Coach (Craig) Bohl, the offensive staff of Gordie (Haug), Mike (Grant), Derek (Frazier), Shannon (Moore) and our young guys Jordan (Walsh) and Mason (Keeler) and the defensive guys -- really good people here.
“I’ve been so fortunate with the opportunities I’ve had in my career. A big part of that is making your own opportunities. This world isn’t going to give you anything. Every step of the way I’ve had good opportunities. After my original time at North Dakota State, I had the chance to go to Northern Illinois. I didn’t really want to leave Coach Bohl’s staff, but I felt like I needed to continue to grow and learn and that was a good opportunity to do that.
“Then when Coach Bohl came to Wyoming, it provided me an opportunity to go back to NDSU as the offensive coordinator. After that came a chance to go to the University of Iowa as the offensive line coach. Being around that kind of professionalism with Coach (Kirk) Ferentz and his staff at Iowa and the learning experience that provided me was awesome.
“That experience fueled my desire to want to be back in a leadership role as a coordinator or a head coach. For me, I didn’t want to move just anywhere to do it or with just any program. It is very important to me to work in a tough program, with tough kids, with tough-minded prideful individuals. Coach Bohl called me when Brent (Vigen) was about to get his opportunity to be the head coach at Montana State, and once again this opportunity was right for me and excited me.”
