SALT LAKE CITY -- Nine weeks ago, Robert Benjamin was chosen as the starting quarterback trying to lead the Wyoming Cowboys back to the postseason.

With four weeks to go in the season, he may once again hold the key to the Pokes' bowl hopes.

Benjamin lost his starting gig after three weeks, but has transitioned to wide receiver and showed in Saturday's 22-10 loss at Utah that he may be the weapon UW's offense needs if it hopes to win two of its final four games.

"Never played wide receiver until I've been here," Benjamin said. "It's a new experience."

Since losing his starting job after a 1-2 start, the junior college transfer had mostly been involved in the Pokes' offense only in trick-play capacity.

He'll still fulfill that role, but with three catches for 17 yards and a spot in the Pokes' wide receiver rotation during some of Saturday's key moments, Benjamin's role appears to be increasing.

"He made some plays," coach Dave Christensen said. "And we got him in there at quarterback a little bit with some run stuff. We'll keep fighting."

At this point, the Cowboys' offense needs all the help it can get.

The unit, which endured a stretch of nearly three game's worth of time without a touchdown earlier this season and failed to find the end zone against Air Force, only put six points on the board at Rice-Eccles Stadium thanks to a trick play.

The Pokes have less than 400 yards of total offense in their last two games combined.

"It kills us," quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels said, blaming critical penalties for UW's offensive woes. "We need to make adjustments and get fixed. I don't know what that's going to entail ... but something needs to happen."

That something could be the increased use of Benjamin.

The junior showed that he can still play the quarterback position, putting together a couple of nice runs late in the game as well as finding Carta-Samuels on the trick play, throwing across the field on a 30-yard catch-and-run for the Pokes' touchdown.

And that play was set up by a couple of short receptions earlier in the game.

"Robert's a great kid and he works really hard," Carta-Samuels said. "He has a lot of athleticism whether he's in the quarterback position or the wide receiver position.

"He's an athlete and we're going to use all the athletes we have, just like every other team does. He presents a different element for our team."

Now it may be a matter of simply getting him some quick experience.

He showed sure hands for the most part against the Utes, but said his receiving debut will be marred by his one drop.

With the Pokes trying to mount a drive after falling behind for the first time all game, Benjamin tipped a fourth-quarter pass right to a Utah defender for an easy interception that helped the Utes put the game away.

"It was fun today, but I dropped a critical catch for us," Benjamin said. "I think if I would've caught that pass, we would have drove the rest of the 60 yards for the touchdown.

"I need to make plays and that's what was asked of me on that play, which I didn't do. I feel like we lost the game because of that."

Whether that's true is impossible to know.

But, considering Benjamin's success against the Utes, his role seems a bit more predictable.

And he'd love to be back in the position of being a key element in UW's offense.

"Any way I can help us play and win, I'll do anything that they ask me," Benjamin said. "We're still one play ... we just need to take that one step further.

"I would love to be the catalyst. I would love to be the guy they come to and tell me I need to make a play."

Contact sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at eric.schmoldt@trib.com. Check out his blog at tribtown.trib.com/ESchmoldt/blog