Wyoming Cowboys RB Trey Woods (6) celebrates a touchdown against Hawaii. Photo Credit: Troy Babbitt-UW Media-Athletics
A late kick-off in Laramie made for an even later night for Wyoming fans as the Wyoming Cowboys and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors were deadlocked at 21 points apiece at the end of regulation. Overtime would end quickly though as Wyoming (2-2, 1-0) would emerge victorious over Hawaii (2-2, 0-1) with a final score of 28 to 21 in the Mountain West Conference opener for both schools. With the win, Wyoming brought home the Paniolo Trophy which had been in Hawaii’s possession since their 38-28 victory over Wyoming in Honolulu in 2014.
The heroes of the night ended up being wide receiver James Price and Linebacker Cassh Maluia. Price playing in his first game of the season coming off a collarbone injury caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen on the first play of overtime. This was Price’s only catch of the game giving Wyoming a 28 to 21 lead. From there the defense did their part when LB Cash Maluia ensured a Wyoming victory intercepting a Hawaii pass that was tipped by Cowboys DE Garret Call on a first and ten play for Hawaii from the Wyoming fifteen yard line.
The Wyoming offense struggled for the second week in a row with Josh Allen not on the same page as his receivers completing less than 50% of his passes for just 92 yards. As a team, Wyoming only gained 11 first downs and 269 yards of total offense while Hawaii racked up 24 first downs with 450 yards of total offense. This will be disappointing to the coaching staff considering Hawaii allowed over 400 yards of offense to each of their first three opponents this season.
The only bright spot for Wyoming was the performance of the offensive line in the run game allowing freshman RB Trey Woods to run for 135 yards on fifteen carries which included a powerful 34-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Woods looks to be a strong and dynamic runner for a Wyoming offense that is looking to replace the school’s all-time leading rusher Brian Hill who is now playing for the Atlanta Falcons. Trey Woods should receive the bulk of the running back touches for the rest of the season after this performance.
Next Up
The Cowboys will finish up their four-game homestand hosting Texas State next Saturday. Kick-off is set for 2:00pm MT and the game can be streamed on Facebook.