RAMBLE: End of Another Season

UH vs. BYU at Aloha Stadium - Dec. 3, 2011

Today was the last game of the 2011 regular season for the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warrior Football team.  This game had a lot riding on it.  First, it was a long overdue replay of an old rivalry match up between UH and the Cougars of Brigham Young University.  And second, a win for the Warriors would mean an automatic bid to the Hawaii Bowl.

As a long time season ticket holder, I was looking forward to this game.  I remember as a kid the famous rivalry between BYU and UH under the old Western Athletic Conference composition in the 80s.  BYU was notorious for coming into town and beating us time and time again until one night in 1989, the Bows FINALLY beat BYU to the a sell out crowd.  I was there with my dad and remember the stands swaying from the record crowd jumping up and down in celebration.

Then, in the early to mid-90s, the composition of the Western Athletic Conference changed.  Many of the teams in the original WAC left the conference to form the Mountain West Conference.  UH was not one of the teams asked to join the new conference and instead the University stayed with the WAC and navigated through numerous changes in team composition.  I remember going to SMU and Tulane games.

Die hard UH football fans remember those good old days when the BYU game was the ticket in town to get and traffic into the stadium bled out of every entrance of the stadium parking lot.  Thus, tonight's game was one of nostalgia and was long overdue.

We knew that the Cougars were favored to win, but with a guaranteed pick to play in the Hawaii Bowl, it may be enough to inspire the team and push them to victory.  Sadly, despite a strong opening first quarter,  we were not able to pull it off.  Final score was BYU 41 - UH 20.

Thus, the football season is over.  Next season UH will be joining the Mountain West Conference just as BYU has left the conference.  It is uncertain when another match up between these two traditional rivals will occur again.  Thus, I am glad I attended to witness this event and take a trip down memory lane.  On to UH Men's Basketball!  Let's Go Bows!