Laramie, Wyo. (Nov. 18, 2023) -- An explosive first half by Wyoming’s offense and a smothering Cowboy defense fueled a 42-9 victory for the Wyoming Cowboys over Hawai’i in the final home game of the 2023 season. Wyoming scored five touchdowns on its first six possessions of the first half, while the Poke defense shutout the Rainbow Warriors in the first half to build a 35-0 halftime lead.
Wyoming’s five first-half scoring drives included numerous big plays as the Cowboys’ scoring drives consisted of 3 plays for 75 yards, 1 play for 89 yards, 6 plays for 69 yards, 4 plays for 66 yards and 3 plays for 39 yards.
The Pokes improved their record to 7-4 on the season and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference. Hawai’i’s record now stands at 4-8 overall and 2-5 in the Mountain West.
Quotes From Head Coach Craig Bohl
Head coach Craig Bohl was asked after the game how special this day was for his team and for the seniors, who were playing in their final home game.
“It was really special and we’re really pleased with how we came out,” said Bohl. “It was going to be important for us to start fast, and we certainly did that. Our passing game was explosive, and we came up with some big plays on defense.
“Hawai’i is a prideful football team. We knew that they would fight, but the first half I think really secured this victory.”
Bohl was asked how excited he was for the play of quarterback Andrew Peasley in Saturday’s win. Bohl responded, “I certainly am (excited). He played gutty last week (at UNLV), but he was displeased with his performance in that game. He’s a winner, and I thought he played great today.”
Both the Cowboy offensive and defensive lines played key roles in Wyoming capturing Saturday’s victory, as well as the Pokes winning the turnover battle.
“It was going to be critical for us to win in those areas,” said Bohl. “The way that Hawai’i’s offense is structured, it was going to be important for us to establish our defensive line to make them one dimensional, and we were able to do that. We got some good push in the running game on offense today.”
Finally, Bohl was asked what it meant to his team to go undefeated at home and to see Wyoming fans set a new home attendance record.
“It means a lot -- credit our fans,” said Bohl. “I think we have a phenomenal home-game atmosphere, and particularly the students. That’s one of the things that is great about college football and one of the things that is great about the state of Wyoming.”
Cowboy Notes From Saturday
•Wyoming completed a perfect 7-0 home record with Saturday’s win over Hawai’i. It is the first time in War Memorial Stadium history that the Cowboys won seven home games in a single season. It is the 15th undefeated regular-season home record in War Memorial history and the third in the Bohl era. The 2019 and 2016 Cowboy teams posted perfect 6-0 home records in the regular season.
•Wyoming fans set a new War Memorial Stadium single-season attendance record this season. With a crowd of 18,233, the 2023 season attendance total finished at 162,144, breaking the previous record of 149, 625 set in a seven-game home season in 1990.
Top Home Attendance Seasons in War Memorial Stadium History
1. 162.144 in 2023 (7 home games)
2. 149,625 in 1990 (7 home games)
3. 148,860 in 2016 (7 home games)
4. 144,299 in 2017 (7 home games)
5. 142,516 in 1988 (6 home games)
6. 138,042 in 2019 (6 home games)
•The 42 points scored by Wyoming were the most this season and the most that UW has scored since the 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl when the Cowboys scored 52 points in a 52-38 win over Kent State. The Pokes previous high this season was 35 in a 35-33 double overtime win over then #24 Texas Tech and a 35-26 home win over New Mexico.
•The Cowboy defense held Hawai’i to only 9 points, which is a season low allowed to an opponent. The previous season low for a UW opponent was 15 points by Colorado State in a 24-15 Wyoming win. The last time Wyoming held an opponent to under 10 points was the 2020 season, when UW held Hawai’i to 7 points in a 31-7 Wyoming home win.
•The 33-point margin of victory (42-9) for Wyoming was its largest since Sept. 18, 2021, when the Pokes defeated Ball State by 33 points (45-12) in War Memorial Stadium.
•Wyoming’s 472 yards of total offense was a season high. The previous high this season for the Cowboys was 433 total yards vs. New Mexico.
•UW’s 319 passing yards were also the most for the Pokes this season. Wyoming had 212 passing yards at Air Force earlier this season for their previous best.
•Cowboy quarterback Peasley played a near flawless game against Hawai’i, completing 14 of 17 passes (82.4 percent) for 319 yards and three touchdown passes. Both his 82.4 completion percentage and his 319 passing yards were career highs for Peasley during his Wyoming playing career. His previous career bests were an 78.3 completion percentage (18 of 23) against Air Force in 2022 and 256 passing yards vs. Tulsa in 2022.
•Linebacker Easton Gibbs recorded another double-figure tackle game on Saturday, recording 11 tackles. It was Gibbs fifth double-digit tackle game this season and the 18th of his career. He has 101 tackles for the 2023 season. Gibbs now has 354 career tackles as a Cowboy. With his 11 tackles vs. Hawai’i, Gibbs moved into eighth place on the Wyoming career tackle list, passing former Cowboy linebacker greats Lucas Wacha (344 career tackles) and Ken Fantetti (352 career tackles).
•Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg had a career day in terms of receiving yards on Saturday, catching three passes for 128 yards and one touchdown. His previous career best was 40 receiving yards vs. Air Force earlier this season. His 89-yard touchdown reception from Peasley was the longest for a Cowboy duo since quarterback Cam Coffman threw a 92-yard TD pass to wide receiver Tanner Gentry vs. North Dakota in the 2015 season.
Reader Comments(0)