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Wednesday, November 29, 2000
UNLV face a If Nevada-Las Vegas had it to do all over again, the Rebels never would have accepted the University of Hawaii's offer to spend a December weekend in Waikiki.
must-win situation
A victory Saturday over
the Warriors and the Rebels
might get a bid to the
Las Vegas BowlBy Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinAt the time, second-year head coach John Robinson was only too happy to give his young Rebels a chance to close out the season in a bowl-like setting. As he put it, "I see it as a chance for two up-and-coming programs to meet. It really benefits both schools because it is at a time of year that will garner more national attention."
But after last weekend's stunning come-from-behind win over San Diego State, suddenly UNLV is 6-5 and in line to play in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Had it ended there in San Diego, the invitation would already be in the mail. But because UNLV graciously filled in Hawaii's dance card after the Longhorns did the Texas two-step last spring, the Rebels have to win in order to make their first postseason appearance since beating Central Michigan, 52-24, in the Las Vegas Bowl in 1994.
Not even Robinson could have known the Rebels would make a U-turn similar to what the Warriors did last season. In 1998, UNLV finished 0-11 and was in a race with Hawaii for the nation's longest losing streak.
Robinson snapped it in the 1999 opener at North Texas. UNLV came back to beat Baylor the following weekend, but would manage only one more victory the rest of the way to finish a mediocre 3-8 in Robinson's rookie campaign.
The second season for Robinson has been much more kind. Not only has UNLV managed respectable showings at Colorado State and Mississippi, losing those two games by a total of four points, the Rebels rallied to win their last two matchups over New Mexico and San Diego State to finish 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference.
"There's no quit in our football team," Robinson said. "You had better come to play for four quarters because our guys are going hard until the final gun."
Robinson knew in late September that the potential for a winning season was there after his team lost at Brigham Young by only three, then came back the next weekend to run the Air Force Academy right out of Sam Boyd Stadium, 34-13.
Unlike Hawaii, UNLV makes its living on the ground. No, Robinson doesn't employ student body right and student body left as he did back in the day at Southern California.
Instead, he runs a multiple offense that brings out the best in running backs Jeremi Rudolph and Kevin Brown. Rudolph leads the Rebels in rushing with 846 yards and eight touchdowns. Brown counters with 659 yards and three scores.
Throw in quarterback Jason Thomas, who completed 19 of 31 passes last week for 277 yards and two touchdowns, and it's easy to see why Robinson likes to do a little bit of everything offensively.
Thomas, who transferred from Southern California last year after Robinson became head coach, could be the best young gun ever to suit up for UNLV, including Randall Cunningham.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Thomas can tuck the football and run. He has 473 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground to go with his 1,584 yards and 13 scores through the air.
"He is a complete football player, who makes good decisions in the pocket," Robinson said. "We're very fortunate to have him."
Thomas' quarterback rating is 145.4, good enough for 12th nationally. As a team, the Rebels are ranked 16th in the country on the ground, averaging 209.4 yards a game.
Where they falter somewhat is on defense, particularly against the pass, where the Rebels are rated No. 64 nationally.
"This is going to be a real test for us because of Hawaii's offense," Robinson said. "We have a chance to do what Hawaii did last year and that's play in a bowl game at home.
"But for that to happen, we have to take this game seriously and forget about any thoughts of being on vacation.
"There will be time for that if we can get a win and put ourselves into a bowl game for the first time in six seasons."
2000 UH Football Special
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