Gina Beach / rb165405@ohiou.edu

Terrence McCrae runs through drills Monday during practice in preparation for Ohio’s game Saturday against Wyoming. Ohio will look to avenge last season’s loss to the Cowboys.

Practice has ended but Mark Parson does not stop running.

The cornerback who already spends much of practice moving at a frenetic pace covering Ohio’s wide receivers figures he would rather be tired now than at the end of the Bobcats’ game versus Wyoming in the high altitude.

“At every practice you are already tired, but I feel like in the fourth quarter when everybody is tired I’ll have that extra edge on them,” Parson said. “And there is always overtime so I’m just trying to get ready.”

Rather than spending a week in Laramie to adapt to the high altitude, Parson and his teammates will spend less than 24 hours at Wyoming, arriving Friday afternoon and leaving after Saturday’s game.

Ohio will spend this limited amount of time in Wyoming to avoid any prolonged effects of altitude sickness.

“I’ve never actually been up that high, but I heard it’s pretty rough and with the style of play they play at, no huddle non-stop, it’s going to be a challenge,” Parsons said. “I feel like we have been conditioned pretty well trying to get ready for it.”

Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium is located 7,220 feet above sea level. By comparison, Athens is around 620 feet above sea level.

Ohio’s strength and conditioning coach Sonny Sano has stressed the importance of hydration and the consumption of carbohydrates in anticipation of the game, but he added that he is not worried because of the player’s high level of conditioning.

“It’s nothing really we can prepare for other than getting in the best possible shape,” Sano said. “The whole team won’t react the same way; you have to experience it.”

Ohio defense tackle Jameson Hartke has not placed focus on the altitude factor, instead hoping to avenge last season’s defeat where his unit was unable to stop the Cowboys’ ground attack.

After building a 20-6 lead over Wyoming at Peden Stadium last season, the Ohio defense allowed 207 of the Cowboys’ 267 rushing yards in the second half, eventually falling 34-33.

“That was a game last year that we should have won,” Hartke said. “If we got the win we might have been in a bowl game last year, with a better record.”

Ohio quarterback Theo Scott downplays the impact of last year’s game as a motivational factor.

“It’s a new year,” Scott said.  “It doesn’t matter. We’re on a mission right now.”

An added incentive for the Bobcats could be what Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said of Ohio’s chances of going into Laramie and adapting to the struggles of traveling across multiple time zones.

“Frank is a great guy,” Glenn said at his team’s media day. “He’ll bring a good football team in here. But there is no way that they will board a plane, travel two time zones, bus, then (be able) to play a (good) game. It will be a tough challenge for Ohio to come to 7,220 (feet above sea level) and win a football game. If they do, I’ll take my hat off to them.”

Scott chose not to directly respond to Glenn’s comments, but did say it would help spur the Bobcats a little more.

“I can’t say what I really want to say, but when their coach is coming at us like that that just gives us more motivation to go out there and really give it to them,” Scott said. “Now we’re really going to give it to them because their head coach is calling us out.”