Wyoming took the trophy last season; now UH wants it back

After 377 days, the University of Hawaii football team has a chance to fill the void in its trophy case.

In today’s Mountain West game at Aloha Stadium, UH and Wyoming will play for the rights to the Paniolo Trophy.

With the league’s rotating schedule, the winner gets to hold the trophy until at least 2021, when the teams are scheduled to meet again — unless the sculpture goes missing again, as it did for 16 years following the 1997 season. The Paniolo Preservation Society donated the new trophy.

“There’s a big hole,” UH coach Nick Rolovich said of the empty spot in the trophy case. “It’s a beautiful trophy, a great trophy. Great lines. The angle. The sculpture. It would be wonderful to have it back home.”

The Rainbow Warriors surrendered the trophy when the Cowboys won last year in Laramie, Wyo.

“When we lost in overtime last year, they came and took it,” UH slotback John Ursua said. “It’s definitely missed. We like seeing that horse and that bull. That trophy is a cool one. It’s definitely something we want back.”

The Cowboys enter 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West. Tyler Vander Waal, a second-year freshman quarterback, is the successor to Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills’ first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Allen was the face of last year’s Cowboys. One report estimated that Allen generated $160 million in publicity for the school. But that hype overshadowed the Cowboys’ grind-it-out offense and opportunistic defense.

“They are a physical bunch,” UH defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said of the Cowboys, who often employ two tight ends to create running lanes and more pocket time for Vander Waal. “They will come downhill and try to hit you in the mouth. It’s kind of old-school football, the way we used to know it. And they are a tough, hard-nosed brand of football. We have to come in and show up and meet their physicality.”

UH coach Nick Rolovich praised his Wyoming counterpart, Craig Bohl, who won three FCS national championships with North Dakota State before joining Wyoming in 2014. The past two seasons, the Cowboys appeared in postseason bowls. In 2016, they won a share of the league’s Mountain Division title.

“He’s done stuff in the game that, if you’re a coach in this game, you’d better respect him,” Rolovich said of Bohl. “It’s not an accident he knows how to win championship games. … He’s a wonderful leader in our conference, a spokesman for our conference, a spokesman for the game of football. I think football is lucky to have Craig Bohl.”

Safety Andrew Wingard and defensive end Carl Granderson lead an aggressive Wyoming defense.

“They’re a well-coached team with a wonderful defense,” Rolovich said.

The Warriors, who are 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West, counter with one of the top passing offenses in the nation. They average 42.0 points, 351.3 passing yards, and 495.8 total yards per game. Cole McDonald has 24 scoring passes, including 12 to Ursua. Ursua is the national leader in receiving yards (771), touchdowns (13), receiving touchdowns (12) and points (78).

“It’s an honor to be up top and recognized like that,” Ursua said. “It’s my goal to be the best and help the team as much as possible, but I wasn’t really shooting to be No. 1 in the country.”