LARAMIE, WYO. >> An afternoon of elation dissolved into an evening of deflation for the University of Hawaii football team.

Saving their best for last, the Rainbow Warriors overwhelmed Wyoming 38-14 in the regular-season finale at War Memorial Stadium.

Hawaii, which improved to 6-7 overall and 3-5 in the Mountain West, did not meet the bowl-eligibility requirement of a .500 or better regular-season record. But the Warriors had hoped to receive a berth if there were not enough qualifying FBS teams to fill the 82 bowl slots. There were seven openings entering the day, but eight qualified by the evening. The Warriors’ only hope is if at least two qualifying teams decline invitations.

For now, the Warriors come away with the Paniolo Trophy as a consolation prize and their most complete game as a farewell present for the 17 departing seniors.

“We went out with a bang for the seniors with a win,” said Khoury Bethley, a linebacker-safety hybrid.

Todd Graham, who completed his second season as UH head coach, described this as a “brutal trip” in terms of travel logistics.

“To come on the road at probably one of the hardest places to play in our league, and to win like that in dominating fashion, I’m very, very proud of our guys.” Graham said.

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Laramie is 7,220 feet above sea level, with the thin air drying players’ grip and decreasing stamina. “This is one of the hardest places I’ve ever played in,” linebacker Darius Muasau said. “Just the elevation, the weather, everything is against us. Just coming out with a ‘W’ today, it means a lot to us.”

It was quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, fully healthy after missing three midseason starts because of an arm ailment, leading the way. Cordeiro channeled his old, free-flowing self, throwing for 323 yards and three touchdowns, and darting for 97 non-sack yards on 13 keepers and scrambles.

“I felt good,” Cordeiro said. “My shoulder’s good. Our offense is rolling. There was something else today. Our offense balled. Our defense balled. Our special teams balled. We came to play today.”

Offensive coordinator Bo Graham, calling plays from the coaches’ booth for the second week in a row, expanded the menu. There was receiver Calvin Turner Jr. launching an option pass. Left tackle Ilm Manning lined up as a wideout for a play. And tight end Steven Fiso, who was moved from defense this year, secured his first two catches — both for touchdowns — of his three-season UH career.

Fiso’s 19-yard reception extended the Warriors’ lead to 21-0 in the second quarter. His 32-yard touchdown— caught while he was standing by his lonesome at the 10 — was the pau-hana moment.

“I’m so happy,” Fiso said. “But it wasn’t me. Chev threw some deep balls to me. The O-linemen were good today.”

The Warriors, who scored on four of their first five drives, were prepared to rest on their 24-7 lead when they got the ball with 1:31 left in the first half. But on third-and-15, Dae Dae Hunter rushed for 16 yards, stepping across the sideline at the 50 with four seconds left. Bo Graham called for the Hail Mary.

Cordeiro took the shotgun snap, dropped back some more and launched the football from near the UH 40. “We were in my range to throw it into the end zone,” Cordeiro said. “I always could throw 60 yards. That wasn’t one of my farthest.”

In the end zone’s mosh pit, Jared Smart soared to make the two-handed grab, then fell backward with the football in his grip. “Ball in the air, go grab it,” Smart said.

Cordeiro said: “Jared made a terrific catch. We all know he has hops.”

Todd Graham said he has seen a few of those Hail Mary passes answered during his 30-plus-year coaching career. “The key is how you throw the ball,” Graham said. “The trajectory of the ball was perfectly thrown. And, man, just a great player going up and making a great play.”

Cordeiro also lasered a pass that a leaping Jonah Panoke caught in triple coverage. “To be honest, I only saw the linebacker in front of me,” said Panoke, who has been Cordeiro’s teammate since second grade. “I didn’t know the other guys were around. We practice those hard-to-make catches every day.”

Cordeiro said: “I believe in him, and he believes in me to make that throw.”

In the fourth quarter, UH faced a third-and-17 situation. Cordeiro fired a pass that Turner caught between two defenders for 22 yards. “I have confidence our receivers can make any catch,” Cordeiro said. “He knew it was going to be a bang-bang play. He knew he was going to get hit, but he still made the play.”

The Warriors were able to contain the Cowboys to 4.6 yards per play. Of the Cowboys’ 11 possessions, five ended with punts, two with fourth-down stops, and one with the final whistle. The Cowboys’ longest drive — 13 plays, 5:59 elapsed time — resulted in 47 yards and a missed field goal from 53 yards. The 1-2 rushing combo — Xazavian Valladay and Titus Swen — amassed 61 yards on 23 carries, or 2.7 yards per run.

“Whenever our defense got a stop, it gave the offense confidence,” Cordeiro said. “Now it’s our turn to score. Then it’s their turn to get a stop.”

Cordeiro added: “We knew it was going to be cold. We knew there would be altitude. We didn’t care about that. Our mindset was to get a win, get back the (Paniolo) Trophy.”