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LARAMIE – It's been said about the game of football for a long time, but in 13 years as a head coach, University of Wyoming coach Craig Bohl hasn't experienced it.

They say teams make the most improvement between their first and second games. But in Bohl's experience, he said, "that hasn't been the case, because our teams have performed well in opening games."

Bohl hopes there's a first time for everything.

UW (0-1) struggled mightily in its season-opening 24-13 loss at home to North Dakota last Saturday. Today, the focus is on Eastern Michigan (0-1), with the game kicking off at 2 p.m. at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium.

The Cowboys' shortcomings have been discussed at great length this week. The offense mustered just 29 rushing yards, didn't score until the fourth quarter and was 3 of 13 on third down. The defense allowed 276 rushing yards, including scoring runs of 44 and 52 yards, and allowed North Dakota to run and pass at will most of the game.

Eight penalties for 96 yards didn't help, either.

But the biggest question for UW today is who will play quarterback?

Redshirt senior starter Cameron Coffman suffered a slight MCL strain to his right knee late in the North Dakota loss. He didn't practice most of the week, and his status today is a game-time decision. If he can't play, sophomore and junior-college transfer Josh Allen will start. Allen was 1 of 2 for 19 yards in place of Coffman last week, and took most of the snaps with the No. 1 offense this week in practice.

Even if Coffman doesn't play, he said something after the North Dakota game he hopes has resonated through the entire team this week: "Don't let the same team beat you twice."

"I'm sure people feel pretty down about that loss, and we could feel that way and just get through the practices," he said. "Or we can learn from our mistakes and move on. Instead of hanging onto that loss, we can get rid of it and get better from here on out. That's what we're going to do."

The Cowboys will be without one of their defensive starters as junior outside linebacker D.J. May was suspended for this game due to a violation of team rules. May was arrested by the Laramie Police Department for interference last Sunday.

Redshirt freshman walk-on Adam Pilapil makes his UW debut at free safety. He missed last week's game because of a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules.

UW's defense faces some challenges from Eastern Michigan. Sophomore Reginald Bell Jr. is a dual-threat quarterback. Bell left last week's game in the fourth quarter with an injury, and had a sore jaw this week. But he practiced Wednesday.

Senior Darius Jackson is a 6-foot, 220-pound running back that ran for 117 yards in the Eagles' 38-34 loss last week to Old Dominion, and caught five passes for 67 yards.

The Cowboys played 18 true or redshirt freshmen last week, while the Eagles played 12. Both have a combined 19 seniors on their rosters.

Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton may have summed it up best when asked which team has the best chance to win today.

"Who can respond from last Saturday throughout the week and get their younger players seasoned the quickest," he said.