HONOLULU — Giddy up, Cowboy… er, Paniolo. 

The Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (4-7, 2-4 MWC) hit the road Saturday, looking to steal back the “Paniolo Trophy” from the Wyoming Cowboys (6-4, 3-3 MWC) and keep their long-shot bowl chances alive another week.  

The ‘Bows, coming off of a 27-13 home upset over conference-leading Air Force, cannot clinch an automatic bid into a bowl but would potentially be among the first selected if there are not enough FBS auto-qualifying programs at the end of the season, should Hawai’i win out. After looking dead in the water three weeks ago, Hawai’i has caught a second wind in the back half of the schedule to help cause chaos among the top of the Mountain West after last week’s win. 

Can UH enter a new player into the ‘Bowl Game’ rodeo against a Wyoming squad yet to lose a game at home? 

Tale of the Tape — Paniolo Trophy Showdown 

The last of the rivalry trophy games on Hawai’i’s 2023 slate, the ‘Bows and Pokes first duked it out for an actual trophy in 1979 and met annually until 1997 as both programs enjoyed membership in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) before reigniting the rivalry in 2013 within the Mountain West. 

Since the teams joined the MWC, Wyoming holds a slim 4-3 advantage in seven meetings. Neither program has been able to string together consecutive wins in the series since the move of conferences, trading possession of the hardware each contest. The Cowboys took last year’s meeting in Honolulu, 27-20, avenging a loss in Laramie the year before to the ‘Bows. 

The meeting in Laramie is the third time since 2020 that Hawai’i has had to travel to visit Wyoming, splitting the previous two games with a 31-7 loss in 2020 before getting revenge in a big way with a 38-14 win in 2021 to help secure a miracle bowl game berth at 6-7. 

It has been a trying season for both programs in separate ways as the Cowboys of Wyoming opened the year hot, looking like a true contender in the Mountain West before cooling off and fading into the middle of the pack. Hawai’i sits just one game back of UW in conference play after picking up consecutive wins in the past two weeks to vault themselves out of the basement of the Mountain West. Faced with a similar scene as ’21, the Rainbow Warriors go to higher elevation looking to avenge last year’s loss to the Cowboys while keeping potential bowl chances alive. 

Should Hawai’i continue trending in the same direction of the rest of this November, the holiday season could get even more fun to tie the series in MWC-play at four wins apiece between the programs and set up an exciting regular season-finale against Colorado State. 

Players to Watch, Extra Storylines — Hawai’i @ Wyoming 

“Home, sweet home” holds a true meaning for Wyoming, standing with an unblemished 6-0 record in Laramie this year. Much like the ‘Bows, the road has been a place of struggles for the Pokes. Wyoming fell last week at UNLV, 34-14, continuing the winless ways on the road for the Cowboys. Returning home, Wyoming stands much tougher against opponents but provides another opportunity at a “first” for a team consistently racking up new experiences in Hawai’i. 

CB Cam Stone, who transferred into UH’s program this offseason after previously playing at Wyoming. An all-conference selection in the preseason, Stone has dealt with a variety of injuries throughout the year but was able to snag his first pick as a ‘Bow last week to cap off Hawai’i’s victory over Air Force. As part of a new defense that has seen a bevy of injuries force creativity from the staff, Stone and the rest of the Rainbow Warriors’ defense has looked like an improved unit over the eleventh month of the year. Should that trend continue against the nation’s 122nd-ranked offense from Wyoming, Stone may get an opportunity to make another impact play late for an upset against his old team.  

QB Brayden Schager sits less than 100 passing yards away from 6,000 career passing yards, which would make him just the seventh Hawai’i QB in program history to eclipse the 6,000-yard threshold. With just 53 yards in the air, Schager will move past 3,000 passing yards for the season and become the 13th entry of a 3,000-yard season from a UH QB as he continues his ascent into the Rainbow Warriors’ record books. Despite the team’s struggles, Schager leads the Mountain West in passing yards and passing touchdowns. 

Part of Schager’s development has been the emergence of WR Pofele Ashlock, who has racked up consecutive weeks with two TD receptions and has three multi-score games on the year as a redshirt freshman. In fact, he leads all FBS freshmen receivers with 726 receiving yards, 72 receptions and nine touchdowns. Week in and week out, the 6-foot-1 wideout finds space to break free and spark UH’s offense and will only improve as time goes on. The ‘Bows will need him to continue his elite play against a strong Wyoming secondary that ranks top 50 among FBS defenses in passing yards allowed per game. 

As the young Rainbow Warriors continue growing and learning how to win together, another tough test in Wyoming awaits. In a “Jekyll and Hyde” year for the UH football program, who will show up in Laramie? Have the ‘Bows finally turned the corner by “pushing the sled?” 

The game will be broadcast on Spectrum Sports PPV with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 a.m. HT on Saturday, November 18.