LARAMIE >> The University of Hawaii football team’s quest for extra play might be getting a little help from Mother Nature.
The mercury will be at 44 degrees — short-sleeve weather for the locals — for today’s early-afternoon kickoff between UH and Wyoming at War Memorial Stadium.
On Friday, I-80 — which separates Cheyenne, where the Warriors stayed the past two nights, and UW’s Laramie campus — was closed to light trucks because of gusts exceeding 40 mph. But the winds will be a gentle 8 mph today.
During Friday’s practice at Cheyenne East High, the Warriors worked on several hand-moistening methods to counter dryness from the 7,200-foot altitude.
“Any weather,” linebacker Darius Muasau said, “is football weather. Just a blessing to play a sport we love. Rain, snow, sleet, whatever it is, we’ll be ready to play.”
The Warriors, at 5-7 overall, believe they have a shot at a postseason bowl if they defeat Wyoming in this regular-season finale between Mountain West teams. The Warriors are not in the pool of bowl-eligible teams because they will not have a .500 or better regular season. But they could gain an exempted invitation, as they did in 2016, if there are not enough eligible teams to fill the 82 bowl slots.
“We gotta go win and get into a bowl game,” coach Todd Graham said after Friday’s practice. “The guys have practiced hard this week. They’ve got a lot invested. I know we’re going to play hard and get after it.”
To acclimate, the Warriors departed Honolulu on Wednesday night on a nonstop flight to Denver. After arriving on Thanksgiving morning, they made the 96-minute bus ride to Cheyenne. That afternoon, they had a walk-through session lasting about 75 minutes. A more detailed practice was on Friday.
“This senior group has been through an awful lot,” said Graham, referencing the pandemic-impacted restrictions. “It’s been a great group. Our guys have been giving everything they’ve got in every way. We’re focused on one thing. Our deal is to figure out how, at the end of this thing, be one point ahead, and then take ’em to a bowl game. Get them a plus-one.”
Because of ailments, the Warriors have restructured the offensive line in practices this week. Maurice Taala, a second-year freshman, is expected to have an expanded role today.
“There’s not been one day this year we haven’t had a good practice,” Graham said. “We’re good. We’re ready to go.”
Wyoming earned a surprising road rout of Utah State last week to clinch a non-losing season. But at 6-5, the Cowboys need an elbow-room victory, linebacker Chad Muma said.
“It’s an important one, especially for us being bowl-eligible now,” Muma said. “We want to still get that next win to really ensure that we make a possible bowl game. … We’ve had our ups and downs, and we definitely relate to Hawaii a little bit in that sense. It will be a good, hard-fought game.”
Xazavian Valladay is No. 2 on Wyoming’s career rushing list (3,153 yards in four seasons). But in recent weeks, Titus Swen has helped share the load. Swen has rushed for 718 yards, including 169 against Utah State. In that game, Swen scored on a 95-yard sprint, the longest run from scrimmage in the football program’s 125-year history. Quarterback Levi Williams, who seized the starting job from Sean Chambers, also is a running threat.
