College football is often full of emotions. One minute you jump high, the next fact is harsh. I traveled Hawaii to Laramie, Wyoming in a good heart after beating Fresno comfortably on the road last week. Split the road trip was the realistic goal, and with that, Hawaii dreamed of a surprise 2-0 start. Wyoming had other ideas.
Like last week’s game, Hawaii started off badly. Wyoming opened the game with a 5-game, 62-yard scoring move that immediately displayed the 50-pound advantage Cowboy’s offensive streak was on the warrior’s defensive line. Wyoming pushed back Xazavian Valladay 162 yards on 32 holders for two hills on Friday evening as Pokes got back to basics and showed their strength in the trenches.
In the next round, Hawaiian midfielder Chivan Cordero floundered in a strange play as the ball slipped out of his hands as he tried to throw the ball. Wyoming would take advantage of its turnover with a field goal to make the score 10-0.
From the remainder of the first half, a penalty could have erupted until a lost Wyoming field goal gave Hawaii the opportunity to strike back before the halftime break. Cordeiro will find a Zion Bowens wide receiver for a longhole preparing a landing to run Dae Dae Hunter. Bowens had only one catch, but the 47-yard connection was enough to be UH’s flagship receiver at night.
Although largely dominated in the first half, Hawaii only trailed 10-7 in the first half.
Hawaii carried that momentum into the early third quarter, but a promising start ended with a loss of field by freshman Matthew Shipley, who has struggled to this point in the season.
That was, sadly, the end of anything positive in Hawaii in the evening. Despite the massive size defect up front, the Hawaiian Seven Defensive Front fought valiantly all evening, but eventually, the weight of being on the field throughout the night began to be too much. The 72-yard landing trip with 11 games will give Wyoming a 17-7 lead in the third quarter, and Hawaii’s chances of winning will fade after a strange sequence that led to an objection from Cordero.
From there onwards, traffic was one-way as Wyoming was hitting Hawaii 31-7 en route to bring the Paniolo Cup back to Laramie.
Statistics don’t always tell the whole story. Nobody would confuse holding a team at 31 points and 393 gross yards as a defensive gem, but Hawaii’s defense prevented this competition from being a complete carnage on Halloween Eve. As mentioned earlier, the defense performed admirably despite repeatedly being overpowered. They have provided crime one opportunity after another to rally from behind.
Crime cannot save them. The vast Hawaiian receivers dropped many impressive quarterback passes from Chavan Cordero’s opening, which could have changed Hawaii’s fortunes, but that doesn’t mean Cordero is flawless. Finishing the match 11/26, 110 yards, and one interception, while managing just one dash yard on 9 wagons was a far cry from Cordero’s performance in Fresno. Some bags were up front, and others Cordero held the ball for a long time. Wherever the blame was blamed, this was a humble evening of downtown Hawaiian and crime as a whole. Take control of it from beginning to end.
Enough from the mainland, Hawaii will return to Oahu next week to face the New Mexico Lobos in a possible match for the Rainbow Warriors, who moved to 1-1 in the season Friday night at Laramie.
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