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The cannon was polished and manned, the ammunition piled and ready.
“Could be a big night,” a Wolf Pack Battalion ROTC student said noting that it was the University of Nevada’s homecoming game against Hawaii on national television.
But nary a sound was heard from the victory cannon in the north end zone on that cold Reno night in 2019 as the Rainbow Warriors mauled the Wolf Pack, 54-3, at Mackay Stadium in UH’s third-most lopsided road win in history.
It was Nevada’s worst loss in 69 years, its biggest home defeat since World War I and the loudest explosion would be from Wolf Pack head coach Jay Norvell who said, “It is beyond disappointing and embarrassing to have that kind of a performance.”
Fourteen months later anybody who saw that mismatch has to stare in surprise at the Mountain West Conference standings that show Nevada, of all people, atop the heap at 5-0 and on the verge of a Top 25-ranking as it comes to Aloha Stadium Saturday night.
This year, UH coach Todd Graham says, “They are 5-0 and probably playing the best football in the league.”
“This is a team that we did not play well against a year ago, we were embarrassed by our performance to say the least, so we have been looking forward to this game for quite some time,” Norvell said Monday.
Not as revenge so much, perhaps, but as an opportunity to redeem itself by demonstrating what it might be capable of by adding to its best start in a decade.
Or, as Norvell put it, “Hawaii came in expecting us to put up a fight and we didn’t do that. We did not give them any fight.”
Nevada’s appearance marks what could be the second of three consecutive weeks in which the Rainbow Warriors will face teams unbeaten in MWC play, following Boise State and preceding San Jose State (4-0), provided the Spartans get past Boise State (4-0, 4-1 overall).
For the Warriors, who are 2-3, it is an opportunity to keep alive the hope of a winning season. UH must prevail in its three remaining games to accomplish that in this abbreviated eight-game season.
Nevada eventually recovered from the pasting it took from UH, won four of its next six games and finished 7-6 with a bowl appearance.
In 2019, “We were in the middle of the season and trying to find ourselves,” Norvell said. “There was obviously a disconnect in our preparation and you give Hawaii credit, they played awfully well a year ago.”
Afterward three coaches were fired and two left for other jobs.
Carson Strong, who was a freshman in 2019, has matured into one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. So much so that Norvell gives him the latitude to change calls and routes.
Norvell cites, “The emergence of our offensive line is such a big part of our success. We’re playing more physical and we’re doing it playing as a unit.”
But with the turnaround comes heightened aspirations. “There is a different expectation when people expect you to win,” Norvell said. “And I think our kids are starting to understand that there is an expectation of preparation and consistency and that’s what we want from our players and coaches.”
After 2019, just about anything would be an improvement.
ROAD KILL
Largest UH road win margins
Margin Score Opponent Year
55 55-0 Redlands 1948
53 63-10 Utah St. 2006
51 54-3 Nevada 2019
38 45-7 Utah St. 2010
35 59-24 New Mexico St. 2010
35 49-14 Nevada-Las Vegas 2007
Source: UH.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.lcom or 529-4820.
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