Gear up for gameday: Hawaii
HONOLULU, Hawaii -- The visitors were winless.
It took a herculean effort from Brett Smith to keep it that way, too.
Stuart Williams drilled a 36-yard field goal in the first overtime of the 2013 meeting between Wyoming and Hawaii, lifting the Cowboys to a 59-56 victory in the season finale inside a chilly War Memorial Stadium.
UW's junior signal caller threw for a school record 498 yards and seven touchdowns in the win. Smith also set a Mountain West record, rolling up 640 yards of total offense. He added another score on the ground.
Turns out, that was Smith's last outing in a Wyoming uniform. He would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. His name wasn't called, though he spent a brief time with the Buccaneers as a free agent.
Smith was one of the best quarterbacks to ever line up under center in Laramie. He's the program leader in touchdowns with 76. He's the second-leading passer, chalking up 8,834 yards through the air.
You can read Smith's story right HERE.
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* Wyoming Football: News and notes ahead of Hawaii
That's the second game that comes to mind when I think about the Pokes and 'Bows meeting on the football field.
The first?
Josh Wallwork threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns and Marcus Harris hauled in seven passes for 102 yards and a score in the Cowboys' 66-0 rout of the Rainbow Warriors in Laramie back in 1996.
By the way, those stats above are all from the first half.
That was a perfect, sun-spanked September afternoon on the high plains. I'll never forget the brief rain showers giving a reprieve from the blazing sun beating down on the east stands. Wyoming remained perfect on the season and would go on to win 10 games and play in the inaugural WAC Championship game.
You know the rest of that unfortunate story.
The Paniolo Trophy is on the line tonight. This matchup, no doubt, is a unique one. Honolulu and Laramie couldn't be more opposite. This always seems to be a fun one. Late, but fun.
Here is all you need to know -- and the links -- for tonight's tilt in paradise:
WHO: Wyoming (5-3, 3-1) at Hawaii (2-6, 1-2)
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. MST
WEATHER: High of 83, low of 75, winds at 16 mph
WHERE: Ching Complex, Honolulu, Hawaii (9,300 capacity)
STREAMING: Team1 Sports app
RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network
TICKETS: EticketHawaii
BOX SCORE: ESPN
ROSTERS: Wyoming / Hawaii
BETMGM ODDS: UW -11.5, O/U 50.5 (Subject to change)
HISTORY: Wyoming leads 15-11 (UH won 38-14 in 2021)
HEAD COACHES: Craig Bohl / Timmy Chang
LOOK: Pokes' unis through the years
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