Rib fracture sidelines Hawaii's Jamih Otis early in 27-10 loss at Wyoming

The senior co-captain logged four tackles on the opening drive before a fractured rib ended his day, and Hawaii also lost key rulings in Laramie.

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Hawaii dime linebacker Jamih Otis opened Saturday's game at War Memorial Stadium with four tackles during Wyoming's 11-play first possession. That was the extent of his afternoon. A fractured rib kept the senior co-captain out for the final three quarters of a 27-10 Warriors defeat.

Chris Brown, Hawaii's associate head coach and the coach responsible for the linebackers, noticed the problem. He said Otis attempted to keep playing but was unable to fill his lungs completely, and that Otis told him he was fine and wanted to continue. Out of concern for the player's safety, the training staff recommended an examination, which revealed the break.

The timing was harsh for someone who had only recently completed a long recovery. Otis suffered ACL and meniscus damage against UNLV on Nov. 21, 2025, and after undergoing surgery in December he needed six months of rehabilitation before doctors cleared him for football. That original injury also forced him to miss the 2025 season finale against Wyoming, which gave Saturday's matchup extra personal significance.

Brown said he ached for a player who had invested so much time and effort only to be hurt on the game's first series, describing it as a fluke occurrence. Even though Otis could not return, he and middle linebacker Wynden Ho'ohuli spent the rest of the day tutoring Hawaii's younger dime linebackers.

Otis's absence also contributed to an unusual penalty. After the Warriors forced the Cowboys to punt from their own 10-yard line, Hawaii kept its defensive players on the field for the return, which is its normal practice, but nobody caught that replacement linebacker Matteus Ioane was wearing the same number as punt returner Tama Uiliata. Officials enforced a five-yard penalty retroactive to the punt, and given a fresh set of downs, Wyoming went on to finish a 99-yard touchdown drive.

It was the third time in four games this season that a consequential ruling broke against Hawaii. In the opener, a Stanford pass catcher was awarded a reception despite appearing to land out of bounds, and the Cardinal soon scored a touchdown that put them ahead. The following week against UNLV, officials determined slotback Audric Harris never fully secured an end-zone pass — the ball was dislodged while he lay on his back — and that no illegal targeted hit had occurred.

Against Wyoming, safety Kona Moore jarred the ball loose from Cowboys tight end Jake Wilson after what looked like a completion, and Jeremiah Hughes scooped it up and went 50 yards to the end zone. The score came off the board because officials judged that Wilson had never established possession, meaning no fumble existed. Head coach Timmy Chang said each of the team's three defeats has included pivotal moments that went against the Warriors and are hard to account for.

A bright spot for Hawaii was the return of running back Cam Barfield, a co-captain who had been sidelined for 11 quarters by a high-ankle sprain suffered in the first quarter of the Aug. 29 Stanford game. Medically cleared during the week, Barfield carried four times for 17 yards. He said it felt good simply to be on the field again after three weeks away, acknowledged the ankle may continue to nag but that he felt fine, and added that with a long season still ahead, the Warriors' only option is to get back to work.