Rainbow Warriors look forward after loss

DENVER >> While waiting at Gate 32 at the Denver International Airport, Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang shared an optimistic path for his football team.

“You keep building and solving,” Chang said in the aftermath of Saturday’s 42-9 road loss to Wyoming. “You keep going in the right direction. … It starts with me and the coaches — and developing our guys.”

Chang examined video of the devastation of that game in which the Cowboys took four plays to build a 14-0 lead and never looked back.

“There were breakdowns,” Chang said, referencing the average 51.1 yards for the Cowboys’ first four touchdowns. “And that’s usually what happens when there’s an explosive play.”

Wyoming quarterback Andrew Peasley was 10-for-11 for 269 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-0 first half. The Cowboys averaged 13.4 yards on their 27 plays in the first two quarters.

“They got up on us quick, 14 points on four plays,” Chang said. “When you’re on the road against a team like that, that’s really comfortable and good at home, you’ve got to find a way to stop the bleeding quick. We didn’t.”

Wyoming coach Craig Bohl even implemented what amounted to a mercy decision with a 35-3 lead in the third quarter. On fourth-and-5, UH’s Matagi Thompson was ruled to have run into punter Clayton Stewart. Bohl declined the 5-yard penalty that would have given the Cowboys a fresh set of downs.

Later, Bohl opted to punt on fourth-and-1 from the Wyoming 37 although a go-for-blood crowd of 18,233 felt otherwise.

The Cowboys completed their home schedule at 7-0. The Warriors, who have won one of 12 road games during Chang’s tenure as head coach, fell to 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the Mountain West. There had been a slight hope UH would have qualified for a bowl with a 6-7 regular season. That faint hope is extinguished entering this Saturday’s season-finale against Colorado State at the Ching Complex.

“The way you look at this season, you hoped it would be a winning season, and you’re playing for a conference championship,” Chang said. “But you get excited about the growth of the team and who they are. The next game is everything for us, especially for our seniors.”

Co-captains Logan Taylor and Tylan Hines will return next season. Taylor, a weakside linebacker, suffered a season-ending knee injury. Hines, a running back, is seeking a medical redshirt after being limited to four games because of an ankle injury. Leading receiver Steven McBride said he will return as a fifth-year senior. Kicker Matthew Shipley and kickoff specialists/holder Ben Falck also will return.