Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Game 13: BYU (3-9) at Hawaii (3-8) Kickoff: 7 p.m. MST (4 p.m. HST), Saturday, Nov. 25
Broadcast: CBS Sports Network / KSL Newsradio
All-time series: BYU 21-8
PROVO — To understand the deep roots in the old Western Athletic Conference rivalry between BYU and Hawaii, allow Cougar defensive tackle Handsome Tanielu — a native of Waianae, Hawaii — to explain.
Tanielu recalled a football camp on the campus of the University of Hawaii when he was a freshman in high school. One of the junior campers wore a BYU shirt to practice, and one of the Hawaii assistant coaches took note.
The camper was berated, instructed to remove the shirt, and practiced during the camp without a T-shirt.
“Oh, they hate BYU,” said Tanielu, who estimates he will have about 100 people in the stands among his close friends and family. “It’s going to be a fun game. There will be more BYU fans there, for sure.”
Like the Cougars, the Rainbow Warriors (3-8) finish the season Saturday. Like BYU, they won’t be playing for a bowl berth, or anything beyond pride and the opportunity to send their seniors out on a high note.
Like the Cougars, the Warriors want to win this game. A win in the season finale means a little more after the types of season both teams have had.
“If you end on a loss, it sits with you,” BYU offensive coordinator Ty Detmer said. “If you are able to end on a win, you have a little better taste in your mouth and it helps through the first week.
“We know where we are at, and the things we need to improve. We really want to win this one for the seniors, and to go into a long flight home feeling better about things.”
But BYU (3-9) has the historic edge in this rivalry series, which last took place in the islands in 2011 as BYU quarterback Riley Nelson threw for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-20 win.
“For the university, this is a huge game for us,” said Hawaii receiver Dylan Collie, whose father Scott and older brothers Zac and Austin all played for the Cougars. “The BYU-Hawaii rivalry is something that leaves a bitter taste in a lot of people’s mouths. It’s an exciting one.
“We’re excited to play BYU — not so much Dylan’s old team, but just to play Hawaii football and chalk one more up for the seniors and leap into the 2018 season.”
Collie, a redshirt junior, was a true-blue Cougar lifer in high school in California. He initially signed with BYU, and redshirted the season before serving a two-year mission for the LDS Church in Richmond, Virginia.
While in the mid-Atlantic, however, BYU made several coaching changes — including releasing then-offensive coordinator Brandon Doman, who recruited Collie to Provo.
Collie reconsidered his commitment to Provo, and on Thanksgiving Day in 2014 — shortly before returning home from his mission, he recalled — then-Hawaii coach Norm Chow offered the 5-foot-10, 175-pound pass catcher a scholarship.
Collie accepted the offer, went on to marry his wife Savannah the next year, and has worked his way to become one of the top pass catchers to quarterback Dru Brown, amassing 1,197 yards and nine touchdowns in his three seasons of eligibility.
While he understands the personal connection of both schools, Collie is quick to try to treat the Cougars as “any other team.” But he also recognizes that for his family — many of whom are Warrior fans — this game means a little bit more. His parents will be among the BYU fans in Aloha Stadium, while Austin and Zac will be watching closely from their homes in Utah and California, respectively.
Dylan Collie, however, has managed to turn a few relatives to his new team’s shade of green. He has a sister who lives in the islands, after all.
“I know that they support me and love me, and all I am looking forward to is to put on a show for them,” Collie said of his family. “My nephew and niece are big-time BYU fans, and my other nephew out here is a bleeding green Warrior. It’ll be fun to see how they go back and forth, and where they stand.”
