BYU coach LaVell Edwards was asked about the upcoming game with Hawaii this Saturday in Provo, Utah. Cougars have had
their way with Rainbows"Hawaii, whenever they play us, it's a war. It's always a spirited game," said Edwards, who only looks like a curmudgeon. He's really a decent soul for someone from BYU.
Of course, a UH-BYU game hasn't been much of a war lately.
In 1995, the Cougars blitzed the Rainbows, 45-7. And, who can forget last year's game? The only "war" occurred in the Aloha Stadium stands as the Cougars romped to a 45-14 victory.
You know, UH quarterback Glenn Freitas going into the stands when his family was involved in a melee. And also Stanford transfer Quincy Jacobs, while sitting out a red-shirt year that proved to be a waste, football-wise.
Oh, on the field, the Rainbows battled valiantly, trailing only 24-14 late in the third quarter before the Cougars scored three touchdowns in a span of 83 seconds to break it wide open.
The 'Bows now have lost four in a row to BYU in this spirited series and the prospects don't look bright for them to halt that streak even if the Cougars appear to be beatable this year.
If only the game could have been played here because, historically, the Rainbows are bad in WAC games on the road. And in games at Provo, they've been simply lousy.
They're 0-6 at BYU, 0-5 since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 1979. They came oh so close in 1993, when Carlton Oswalt missed a chip-shot field goal in the final minute and BYU wound up winning, 41-38.
In retrospect, the Rainbow football program hasn't been the same since that loss.
Bob Wagner was fired two years later after his Rainbows went 3-8-1 and 4-8. Fred vonAppen took over last season and UH sank to its all-time low with a 2-10 record. And with that loss to BYU in 1993, the Rainbows have gone 7-29 in conference play.
One thing's for sure. A victory at Provo this Saturday can rescue the Rainbows out of this football purgatory. The team's fifth-year seniors, including Eddie Klaneski, have yet to experience what it's like to beat BYU.
THEIR frustration brings to mind how former UH coach Dick Tomey and the Noga brothers -- Niko, Pete and Al, who all played brilliantly for the Rainbows -- must have felt in not ever having beaten BYU either.
Not beating BYU helped to intensify the rivalry between the two schools. The intensity abated after the Rainbows finally scored breakthrough victories in 1989 and '90, thanks to an angel named Gabriel, Garrett.
But the frustration's starting all over again. The only cure is a victory Saturday. But it doesn't bode well for the 'Bows.
For one thing, the Cougars are coming off an upset loss to Rice, ending an 11-game WAC winning streak. And, you know what happened when Colorado State got stung by Air Force the week before playing Hawaii. The Rams took it out on the 'Bows, 63-0, in a homecoming game. And, this Saturday, it'll be BYU's homecoming game.
Of course, the way the Rainbows are playing these days, every opponent wants to schedule them for homecoming. It's the closest thing to a guaranteed-win night.
AS I said, too bad the game's not going to be played here. No way the Rainbows would be 27-1/2-point underdogs at home.
"This is not an easy road trip by any stretch of the imagination. Provo is a tough town to go into and play," vonAppen said.
But there's nothing mystical about Provo or winning on the road, according to vonAppen.
"As soon as we play well enough, long enough, in a road setting, we'll have a chance to win a football game. Until we do, it won't happen."