UH gears up for inclement weather

LARAMIE, WYO. >> The forecast calls for cool temperatures and heavy rain for tonight’s Mountain West football game between Hawaii and Wyoming.

The Rainbow Warriors’ disposition is bright.

“I don’t mind any weather as long as we’re playing football,” UH coach Nick Rolovich said following Friday’s two-hour session at East High in Cheyenne.

“It should be a fun one,” said UH offensive lineman Chris Posa, who was raised in Detroit. “Cold-weather football? I haven’t had that one for a while. … You know the other guy is just as miserable as you. It’s football weather.”

This is the league opener for both teams. The Cowboys won the Mountain Division last year, but finished with three consecutive losses. They are 1-2 this season, with a victory over FCS member Gardner-Webb and one-sided losses to Iowa and Oregon. The Warriors won their first two games this season before suffering a loss to UCLA on Sept. 9, their first defeat in 301 days. They had a bye last weekend.

“All the games before counted toward our overall record,” UH quarterback Dru Brown said, “but (a conference title) is our goal. And this will help us reach our goal. We have to get through this team in order to win the conference.”

Rolovich said: “That’s what we’re here for. I’m not Archimedes, but if we win the Mountain West, we’ll go to a bowl game.”

Despite the extra week of practice, Rolovich is concerned about the Cowboys. Quarterback Josh Allen, despite an uneven start, is widely regarded as one of the nation’s top pro prospects. Rolovich is familiar with defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton, who was hired as Wyoming’s defensive coordinator in January. Rolovich and Hazelton were on the Nevada staff in 2013.

“They’re coming off a loss (to Oregon) where they thought they could have played better,” Rolovich said, adding Wyoming coach Craig Bohl “will have them ready.”

The Warriors are averaging 490.3 yards and 34.0 points per game, but also have been assessed 272 penalty yards in three games.

“We have to take care of the football, we have to play sound football, and be mentally stronger than the other team,” Rolovich said. “You can never play a perfect game. You have to get past the mistake and flush it and play one-snap-and-clear football.”

The Warriors had a walk-through session on Thursday and a more extensive practice on Friday. They worked on everything from situational plays to the reserves standing behind the white line near the team bench. The quarterbacks, kickers, punters and long-snapper tried to adjust to the strong winds and the thin air. The Warriors brought two pairs of cleats for each player, and rented oxygen tanks. They also brought along the Paniolo Trophy, which goes to tonight’s winner.

“I don’t want to over-hype it,” middle linebacker Jahlani Tavai said. “They’re just another team in our way to make our goal a reality, which is the conference title. It should be everyone’s goal. Right now, we have to understand they’re the biggest team right now. They were there (in the MWC title game) last year. We have to perfect our craft and know what we have to do.”