Wyoming’s Chris Durr Jr Was a Bright Spot on a Dark Desert Night

LARAMIE -- Pancakes.

There were lots and lots of those. The fluffy kind, too.

Throw in a few eggs, some strips of bacon and even a side of oatmeal. Don't forget the protein shake. Muscle Milk is the go-to. Add some potato chips for a snack and before you know it, lunch time has arrived.

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That typically consisted of alfredo pasta. Some days add the chicken. Others, shrimp. Another bag of chips and a protein shake soon followed. So did supplements.

Hope you're not full. It's dinner time.

Steak, potatoes and veggies are usually on that menu. Snacks, vitamins, and, yes, more powdery drinks did, too.

If you're ever wondering how to go from 144 pounds to 171 in a matter of a few months, this was Chris Durr Jr's road map.

All credit goes to his mom, a "great cook," he added.

This summer-long feeding frenzy started as a request from Wyoming's coaching staff. It was gospel to the true freshman receiver, who was overlooked by a number of college programs despite snagging 68 passes for 1,130 yards and hauling in 13 touchdowns at Morgan Park High School in south Chicago.

Guess why?

"It affected me a lot," said Durr, who was offered by one ACC School, Louisville, and a number of Group-of-Five programs like New Mexico State, Eastern Michigan and Army. "I feel like a bunch of schools fell off me just because of my size. I'm not short, but they wanted me to be able to take hits. A bunch of schools didn't want to take a chance on me because I was little. I'm glad Wyoming did."

Durr was the highlight of the annual spring game in Laramie, catching a game-high 12 balls for 121 yards. He made the easy plays and the hard ones, including grabbing a one-handed pass behind his body while in mid-flight. Three defenders got a first-hand look at the 18-year-old who was supposed to still be in high school.

Jay Sawvel was impressed. He said as much throughout the offseason. But like all of those other teams that moved on from Durr in recruiting, Wyoming's rookie head coach said weight gain would determine desire.

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"He's going to tell me how ready he is to play when he goes home next weekend and comes back three weeks later, based on what his weight is at," Sawvel said back in April. "He'll tell me whether he's ready to play or not ... We need to get another eight to 10 pounds on him in the summer."

No problem.

"I put on 10 more pounds and I got up to 170 like he wanted me to," Durr said. "I wanted to play real bad, so I was like, whatever it takes. I'm willing to do it.

"... There were some days where it was like, man, I'm not even hungry, but I have to play."

His teammates are sure glad he did.

Junior signal caller Evan Svoboda used the word "special" when describing his newest outside weapon. Justin Stevenson, a fellow wide receiver, said he learns from Durr on the field and in the film room, despite being a year older.

Kaden Anderson is thrilled, too. He didn't say it, he showed it.

With just a handful of seconds remaining on the clock in the Cowboys' season opener last Saturday at Arizona State, the redshirt freshman quarterback tossed a simple pass out into the flat from the 3-yard line. Durr secured it with two hands before sprinting toward the pylon, outracing a pair of defenders in the process.

He tumbled into the sideline before quickly rising to his feet to celebrate with his teammates.

While the game itself was a forgettable one -- a 48-7 rout courtesy of the Sun Devils -- Durr said scoring a touchdown in his first college game was one of the "best feelings I've ever had in my life." He also added two more catches and finished with 16 total yards receiving in his debut.

Nerves? Yeah, those were admittedly rattled a bit.

Durr said he took it all in last Saturday, from the minute the bus arrived outside the gates of Mountain America Stadium. Is he surprised, though, how quickly he's turned heads during his first few months in Laramie?

Not really, he said with a shrug and a grin.

"Just running out there and hearing the boo's and the chants, it was like, wow, I'm really here," he added. "I had goosebumps going into it, but I was ready. I had to seize my opportunity.

"... I mean, I think I was born for this."

-PRESS PASS: Roaming The War