November 16, 2023 |
Photo – Wyoming Cowboys playing Hawaii Rainbow Warriors – Courtesy gowyo.com
When Las Vegas oddsmakers opened the betting line last week on the Hawaii – Air Force game, the Falcons were a 16-point favorite on the road against head coach Tommy Chang’s Warriors.
The spread widened from there, reaching 19.5 points before kickoff.
The Warriors stunned the Falcons and the oddsmakers. The Warriors put on a defensive performance that stunned the Falcons and anyone who put money on them. In an improbable performance, the Warriors defeated Air Force 27-13.
No one saw it coming. Two weeks earlier, Hawaii lost at home to San Jose State 35-0. The Warriors had only won two games in September and October.
The Warriors come into Laramie this week with four wins on the season, but no one, especially the Cowboys are taking this opponent lightly.
After the win over Air Force Saturday, Head Coach Timmy Chang said the credit goes to players, and ultimately, God.
The stunning win over Air Force was the result of heads up play on both sides of the ball. It’s unclear what happened to Air Force quarterback Zac Larrier, but at some point during the first half he exited with an injury and never returned. The Hawaii defense forced four turnovers, three interceptions and a Peter Manuma fumble recovery that resulted in a touchdown.
Hawaii held the Air Force triple option offense to 315 yards.
On offense, Hawaii scored it’s the first opening touchdown drive of the season on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ate up more than seven minutes of clock.
Chang and his warriors pulled off the biggest win in Hawaii football in years against a team that came into the game as the likely conference contender. After the win, the head coach said he sensed a change in his team.
Headed into Saturday’s matchup, Hawaii is riding an emotional high. Wyoming, meanwhile, hit a new low after the out-of-synch performance at UNLV last Friday that led to a 34-14 loss, the second loss in a row for the Cowboys at a critical time. Coach Craig Bohl said on Monday that the loss in Las Vegas is in the books, the team is refocused, and players are looking to take on the challenge of Hawaii.
Coach Bohl said the focus is going 1-and-0 this week, setting a home attendance record as Wyoming says goodbye to its senior players and going 7-and-0 this season at the War. Kickoff is set for noon.
