CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Air Force coach Troy Calhoun doesn't paint an imposing picture of Falcons running back Cody Getz, currently the NCAA's leading rusher.
``He's 5 feet, 6 inches, he weighs 161 pounds and he runs a 4.65,'' Calhoun said. ``...If he weighed 30 more pounds and was an inch or a couple of inches taller, now you'd have a little girth to it, too. Or if he was a 4.55- or a 4.5-type kid, you'd have some top-end speed.''
But what Getz lacks in stature and speed, he makes up for with quickness and character, Calhoun said.
Getz is leading FBS schools with an average of 177.4 yards a game. He is tied for 25th in scoring at 9.6 points per game. He has rushed for at least 200 yards three time this season - the first Air Force player to post three 200-yard games in one season.
``Pound for pound, he's a pretty good player,'' Calhoun said.
Air Force opponents express awe when they see Getz. And the Cowboys will get a close up look Saturday when Wyoming (1-4, 0-1 Mountain West) hosts Air Force (2-3, 1-1) in Laramie.
``He's a pretty darn good running back,'' Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said. ``I mean he can cut; he'll run you over; he's got good speed. They get him out on the perimeter and he does some really nice things.''
Other Mountain West coaches note Getz's toughness.
Calhoun said Getz has ``really good acceleration'' and ``good forward lean.''
``And because of it, he is able to finish some runs, and he does anticipate whenever he does make a cut really, really well,'' he said. ``He can go one direction and head in a little bit different direction in a hurry.''
Air Force and Wyoming are both coming off overtime losses last week - the Falcons 28-21 to Navy and the Cowboys 35-28 to Nevada - after each held the lead in the fourth quarter.
For the second week in a row, Wyoming is facing the nation's current leading rusher. Last week, the Cowboys held Stefphon Jefferson to 78 yards rushing but gave up 438 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
Air Force's offense relies heavily on the run, averaging 389.6 yards a game, ranking it No. 2 in the nation. The Falcons have run with the ball 325 times, compared to only 57 passes.
Christensen said he was encouraged by his defense's ability to hold Nevada's run game in check, but he noted Air Force's run game is different because the Falcons use more option and run the ball on the perimeter.
``You got to be sound and everybody's got to be in the right place,'' he said.
Wyoming's pass-oriented offense is led by quarterback Brett Smith, who leads the conference in total offense, averaging 336 yards a game.
But Smith's emotions cost UW against Nevada when he was ejected in the fourth quarter after picking up two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Wyoming led 28-21 at the time and didn't score a point with either of Smith's two backups.
