Elevate Your Mind

The Hi State will take its talents to the high state as the Rainbow Warriors travel to Laramie to take on the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday.  War Memorial Stadium, which sits 7,215 feet above sea level, is the highest Division I FBS college football stadium in the nation.

Due to the decreasing amount of oxygen at high altitudes, some may experience symptoms such as a throbbing headache, lack of appetite, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea.  Similar to reliving your worst hangover.  In the last five games At War Memorial Stadium, the Rainbow Warriors have left as Laramie losers.  The team will obviously have to be physically prepared and mentally focused in order to become Wyoming winners and will need that winning Warrior attitude in the altitude if they also want to defend the coveted Paniolo Trophy, which some call one of the top rivalry trophies in all of college football.  The trophy is given to the winning team since its inception in 1978.

The Paniolo Trophy sat in the Cowboys’ stable since 1993, but Hawaii was able to lasso it in when they beat the Cowboys 38-28 at Aloha Stadium on October 11, 2014.

Oh gosh…another Josh?

After getting torched by UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen a couple of weeks ago at the Rose Bowl, the Warriors will now face another Josh, who is also a top NFL prospect and potential number one draft pick.  Wyoming’s Josh Allen is the prototype quarterback that NFL franchises drool over.  He has the size (6’5″, 230 lbs.), an elite arm, great athleticism, and experience in a pro-style system.  Although he struggled last week, completing only 9 of 24 passes for 64 yards and 1 interception in Wyoming’s 49-13 loss to Oregon, many predict Allen to bounce back against the Warriors, another reason why Vegas has Hawaii as 6-point underdogs.

It is no doubt that both Josh’s, Rosen and Allen, are very good quarterbacks, but just how good remains to be seen.  They definitely have the potential to be stars on the next level, but the Rainbow Warriors have surely faced their fair share of some of the best signal callers in the game who have gone on to great NFL careers.

• Jim McMahon, BYU – 1980, 1981

McMahon, a two-time All-American at BYU beat the Rainbows twice at Aloha Stadium.  He led the Cougars to a 34-7 win in 1980.  In 1981 he made a memorable play ironically with his leg, not his arm.  The Cougars had the ball in Warrior territory on fourth down, and the snap to McMahon sailed high.  McMahon, who started his career with BYU as a punter, improvised and pulled off a desperation left-footed punt that helped the Cougars beat previously unbeaten Hawaii 13-3, and knocked them out of the national rankings.  Ralph Zobell, who worked in the BYU sports information office since 1977 told the Deseret News, “He reached up with his bad shoulder, snagged that high snap, avoided the Hawaii rush, and punted it with his left foot instead of his right foot and pinned (Hawaii) at the 1-yard line,” Zobell said. “That may have been his greatest play, athletically. With all the record-breaking that he did, and pulling out key games, that’s the play that really stands out for me.”  Jim McMahon went on to a successful 15-year NFL career winning two Super Bowl titles.

• Steve Young, BYU – 1982

The following year in 1982, BYU continued its winning ways over the Warriors with another great quarterback.  At Provo, Steve Young completed 22 of 32 passes for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Hawaii, however, was able to come up with three interceptions and kept the game close, but fell short, losing 39-25. Young also played fifteen years in the NFL, but is best known for his thirteen seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.  He was a two time NFL MVP (1992, 1994), was named MVP of Super Bowl XXIX, and is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame.  As of the end of the 2016 season, he is ranked fifth all-time in passer rating, and is ranked second highest amongst retired players, behind only Tony Romo.

• Tony Romo, Eastern Illinois – 2002

The former Dallas Cowboy great completed 30-53 passes for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Warriors’ season opener at Aloha Stadium in 2002, but couldn’t pull off any heroics.  Hawaii’s defense made it a long night for Romo, intercepting him twice and sacking him four times, as the Warriors dominated the Division II Panthers, 61-36.  Romo spent 14 seasons in the NFL and guided the Cowboys to four postseason appearances and was named to the Pro Bowl four times.  He holds several Cowboys team records, including passing touchdowns, passing yards, most games with at least 300 passing yards, and games with three or more touchdown passes. He also held a higher passer rating in the fourth quarter than any other NFL quarterback from 2006 to 2013.

• Matthew Stafford, Georgia – 2008

Stafford went 14-23 for 175 yards and a touchdown with 1 interception against the Warriors in the 2008 Allstate Sugar Bowl.  Although his performance was far from spectacular, the Bulldogs were, defeating Hawaii 41-10, crushing their cinderella season.  Stafford, who was drafted first overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft, recently signed a $135 million contract extension with the Lions, making him the highest paid player in NFL history.  Maybe he can buy a Warrior helmet for himself now.

• Carson Palmer, USC – 1999

Going into his sophomore season at USC, Palmer was named the starting quarterback for the Trojans.  Palmer played in a little more than two quarters against the Warriors in the 1999 season opener, finishing with 14-16 completions (87.5%), 167 passing yards and 1 touchdown.  He also added a 9-yard rushing touchdown, as USC destroyed UH 62-7 at Aloha Stadium.  Palmer, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner, was the first overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he spent 8 seasons.  He then spent a couple seasons with the Oakland Raiders and is currently the Arizona Cardinals’ starting quarterback.

• Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (Ohio) – 2001

In this 2001 matchup at Aloha Stadium, Roethlisberger, only a freshman, completed 40 of 53 passes for 452 yards and 3 touchdowns and also ran for a 9-yard score, but it was Hawaii’s own Nick Rolovich that stole the show.  Rolovich threw for a then career-high 500 yards and 7 touchdowns, leading the Warriors to a thrilling 52-51 victory  over the RedHawks.  Big Ben was drafted in the first round (11th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is still slinging it.  This future hall of famer has been one of the most efficient passers in NFL history. He currently ranks 9th all-time in NFL passer rating (94.0), tied for 6th in yards per attempt (7.93), and tied for 10th in completion percentage (63.85%) among quarterbacks with a minimum of 1,500 career attempts. He has the fourth highest career winning percentage (.710) as a starter in the regular season among quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 starts. He is also one of six quarterbacks in NFL history to have beaten at least 31 of the current NFL teams.

Other notables include:

Trent Dilfer (Fresno State -1992, 1993) – 14-year NFL career, Super Bowl XXXV Champion

Jim Harbaugh (Michigan – 1986) – 15-year NFL career, 1995 AFC Player of the Year

Randall Cunningham (UNLV – 1983, 1984) – 16-year NFL career, 4-time Pro Bowler, member of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame

Jeff Garcia (San Jose State – 1991) – 18-year NFL career, 4-time Pro Bowler

So will Wyoming’s Josh Allen follow in the footsteps of these great quarterbacks and prove that he belongs in this elite class of former Warrior foes?  In the high altitude of War Memorial Stadium, where even catching your breath can be quite challenging, I know Hawaii’s defense will not “choke.”  The Paniolo Trophy will be back in the saddle of UH Manoa where it belongs.

Who: Hawai’i (2-1, 0-0 MW) vs. Wyoming (1-2, 0-0 MW)
When: Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017
Time: 8:15 p.m. MT / 4:15 p.m. HT
Where: Laramie, Wyo.
Stadium: War Memorial Stadium (29.181)
Television: ESPN2 with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Tom Ramsey (analyst).
Radio: ESPN 1420 AM will carry the game live with Bobby Curran (play-by-play) and John Veneri (analyst). Chris Hart and Gary Dickman host the “Countdown To Kickoff” beginning at 2:15 p.m. HT, and also the halftime show. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KPUA on the Big Island, KTOH on Kaua’i, and KNWJ in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Video Streaming: WatchESPN.com/WatchESPN app
Audio Streaming: ESPN1420am.com/Sideline Hawaii app
Live Stats: gowyo.com
Series Information: Wyoming leads, 13-9.