Wyoming and Hawai'i may not have as much of a longstanding history as some of the Cowboys' other conference foes, but that doesn't mean that there is a shortage of memorable matchups in the series history between both teams.
The 1996 football season is one chalk full of iconic games in the history of UW football, and UW and the program's 19th overall meeting with the Rainbow Warriors certainly isn't an exception to that—for the Cowboys, at least.
Sept. 14, 1996
The largest victory in the series history between these two came on a sunny September afternoon—and naturally is a part of one of the most historic seasons in program history.
The Cowboys held a 2-0 record leading into the contest, after having just scraped by Idaho by a final of 40-38 in their home opener and defeating Iowa State by a score of 41-38 in overtime the game prior.
Hawai'i, on the other hand, was 0-2 after narrowly being defeated by Boston College and Ohio at home for its opening two games of the season.
Despite all signs pointing towards these two teams playing a close one in Laramie to open WAC play, it turned out to be anything but. UW raced out to a 35-0 by halftime, a lead they excelled to 66-0 by the time the contest came to a close.
"We got the nail kicked out of us by a good Wyoming football team," Hawai'i head coach Fred von Appen said after the game. "We made every mistake conceivable to man. It looked like we didn't even practice, but believe me we did.
"Mercifully, (UW head coach) Joe (Tiller) ran the ball late in the game and we played everybody we brought in hopes that we would get something redeeming out of the experience."
The Cowboys had completely dominated in every facet of the game that day, outgaining the Rainbow Warriors 509-154 in total offense. UW's defense was stout that day, as it also forced five turnovers.
"We were able to move the ball, but I was more impressed with our defense than I was our offense. I thought we got after them pretty good, and stayed after them. When you shut somebody out, I don't care what level or what team, you've done a pretty good job," Tiller said.
Senior wide receiver Marcus Harris, who won the Biletnikoff Trophy at the end of his All-American season, grabbed two touchdown passes and ended with 107 receiving yards for his third consecutive game with over 100 receiving yards. Senior quarterback Josh Wallwork, who led the NCAA in passing in 1996, completed 19-of-31 passes for 288 and a pair of touchdowns.
Freshman wide receiver Kofi Shuck also had a major impact on the game, as he proved to be a menace on special teams, returning both a fumble and a blocked punt for a touchdown.
That 1996 win was also a part of the largest winning streak in the series history between UW and Hawai'i, as the Pokes won six straight games spanning from 1993 to 2013.
Nov. 27, 2021
That is the last time the Cowboys lost to Hawai'i in Laramie.
Hawai'i, making use of a rule aptly named the "Hawai'i exemption" (a rule that allows teams that play at Hawai'i to schedule a 13th game to offset travel costs), was playing in its 13th regular season game of the season. The hosting Cowboys were 6-5 on the season and looking to finish above .500 after a rather turbulent Mountain West campaign. The Cowboys had started that season 4-0 in nonconference play, but were 2-5 in league games heading into the final matchup of the season against Hawai'i.
The Rainbow Warriors roared out to a 24-0 start before the Cowboys could answer with a score of their own, but Hawai'i would use a swift 6-play, 75-yard drive in the final minute and half of the first half to pull ahead by a score of 31-7 at halftime.
A comeback would never come to fruition in the second half as Hawai'i rolled on to win the contest 38-14. Then head coach Craig Bohl noted that the Rainbow Warriors had "beat us in all three phases."
That win marked the first time Hawai'i had found a victory in Laramie since the 1991 season, when the Rainbow Warriors defeated the Cowboys 32-17.
