Warriors try to shrug off obstacles at Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyo. >>

This one’s going to sting for a while for the University of Hawaii football team and its fans.

This was a road game where the Rainbow Warriors seemed to be at a disadvantage for many reasons. But for much of the 28-21 loss at Wyoming they shrugged all of that off and played the Cowboys even or better most of the way.

Cold weather? Who cares?

That huge “7222” on the jumbo screen, referencing the elevation here in feet and meant to remind the team from sea level they were in the Rocky Mountains and wouldn’t be able to function? Well, Hawaii made as many breathtaking plays as the hosts did.

Three suspended UH defensive players, including two starting linemen? For the most part that didn’t matter, as Hawaii’s offense controlled time of possession and kept its defense well-rested. Also, the rest of the defensive line rotation stepped up admirably.

Taking on an ultra-hyped quarterback, in Wyoming’s Josh Allen? UH’s Dru Brown completed 20 more passes for nearly 188 more yards.

But the problem for Hawaii was that when things mattered most, the Cowboys prevailed most often and the Warriors made mistakes.

Brown threw two interceptions in the red zone — one when the ’Bows had the ball at the Wyoming 7, and the other in overtime off of a tipped pass to end the game.

Meanwhile, the Warriors’ depleted defense kept Allen under wraps until the very end, when he found James Price wide open for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime.

“There were a lot of times during that game where we could’ve won,” UH coach Nick Rolovich said.

Some misguided folks will criticize Rolovich for leaving those starters home and claim that’s why UH lost. Not only are they wrong about what cost Hawaii the win, they’re short-sighted about what is important for the program.

“What do you want me to do?” Rolovich asked. “Not make the best decision for this team?”

Maybe Trey Woods doesn’t rush for 135 yards if UH’s defense is at full strength. But the couple of times Woods gashed the Warriors is not where this game was won and lost, especially when you consider Hawaii’s Diocemy Saint Juste was just as good with 120 yards on the ground and 34 more on three catches.

With rare exceptions, a football team is nothing without discipline, and that is especially true for a college football team that represents an entire state, like the Warriors do Hawaii, and the Cowboys do Wyoming. That’s what Rolovich bases his decisions on, and that’s why it bothers him so much that UH still hurts itself with too many penalties. It had 10 for 96 yards this time.

Rolovich was at his ramblin’, gamblin’ best again, and his calculated risks that paid off helped the Warriors, big-time. On Hawaii’s first touchdown drive, UH converted two fourth downs, one at midfield and the second one resulting in Ryan Tuiasoa’s dive into the end zone.

Then he went against old-school convention by accepting a roughing penalty on a made field goal and going for a touchdown instead. Supposedly, you shouldn’t split 10s in blackjack or take points off the board in football. But sometimes it’s right to throw away the book. In this case, it showed confidence in the offense after the earlier interception when they were on the verge of scoring.

At this point, UH is right where most of us expected it to be before the season started, with a 2-2 record heading into Saturday’s home conference opener against Colorado State. But this one would’ve been very sweet, and it was in Hawaii’s grasp.

Despite the odds being against them, the Rainbow Warriors dominated — between the 20s. Unfortunately for UH, it’s the end zones where football games are won and lost.

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.