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Wyoming's Gavin Rush moves to center

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Gavin Rush last touched a football in a game when he intercepted a pass as a defensive lineman his junior year of high school. Before that, it was as a quarterback in flag football.

This year, every offensive play for Wyoming could begin with the ball in Rush's hands.

The sophomore offensive lineman is taking the first-string snaps at center this spring after making the move from left guard.

"It's something totally different," Rush said. "I think it's fun that it all starts with me. I've got to know the snap count every play and get that right. Yeah, it's pretty fun."

Rush's play in fall camp last year resulted in a different left guard moving one spot to the right. Wyoming's staff decided that its best option was playing Rush as a true freshman at guard and playing senior Chase Roullier at center.

"What a lot of NFL programs will do, they'll have guys that will swing back and forth," head coach Craig Bohl said. "We have not had that as much through the years. I think it gives me, as a head coach, a little bit more comfort (doing it a second time)."

Roullier, however, was an experienced, fifth-year lineman, who went on to earn all-conference honors and participate in the NFL Combine. Rush, though he started every game last season, is still just two years removed from high school.

"Apples and oranges there," offensive line coach Scott Fuchs said of moving Rush versus moving Roullier. "But I think what's really nice about it is Gavin having the ability to play guard and now center proficiently. That's a big deal."

Rush said he was "super-excited" about the move at first, because he was just getting comfortable at guard.

"But the more I thought about it and practiced playing center, it's exciting for me," he said. "It's totally new, so I'm just going to try to do the best I can."

He took snaps with quarterback Josh Allen during winter conditioning and began spring camp as a center for the first time in his football career.

"I thought there were some good parts and bad parts," Rush told the Casper Star-Tribune (http://bit.ly/2ofbIv7). "Snapping is still hard for me. It's not natural yet. I just think I need to improve on my snapping, and it will get better."

Through four spring practices, Fuchs said Rush has "done a really nice job." Bohl has said the ball has been "on the ground a little bit too much for my liking."

"Everything's wide open," Fuchs said. "Yeah, (there is) competition. Whatever is going to be best for the team is what's going to happen, no doubt."

Redshirt freshman Jace Webb is taking the majority of the snaps at Rush's old spot, and it looks as if it will be a competition between Webb and junior Cole Turner for the starting spot.

"He's done a great job," Webb said of Rush. "I'm right beside him, and he's learning it quicker than I am, a new position. He's a real smart kid, and he's going to pick it up and do a real great job."

Said Turner: "Gavin, he's a really smart kid, so the move to center has been pretty seamless for him, I think. He definitely still struggles with some things, but we're all there to help him out, too. We've got a lot of veteran guys on the O-line, who, if we're confused about anything, can always just converse about it and talk it through."

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Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com

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