Oct. 19, 1999
GAME 7UNLV (3-3, 1-1 MOUNTAIN WEST)vs. No.19 BYU (5-1, 2-0 MOUNTAIN WEST)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 23, 1999KICKOFF:7:37 pm PDTSITE: Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800/Grass) Las VegasTV: KLAS TV-8/CBS (Dave McCann & Blaine Fowler) RADIO: ESPN 920 AM (Tony Cordasco & Terry Cottle)
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV (3-3) takes on its first ranked opponent of the year by hosting No. 19 Brigham Young (5-1) in a key Mountain West Conference clash that was originally scheduled for 4 pm ... The Rebels are coming off their first bye week of the season while the Cougars come to Las Vegas after defeating New Mexico 31-7 ... Although BYU played in Sam Boyd Stadium as recently as last Dec. 5 in the WAC Championship, the Cougars have not faced UNLV in the Silver State since Sept. 2, 1982 ... The game will be the fourth Rebel contest televised in Las Vegas this fall -- the most in school history ... UNLV looks to earn a winning record this late in the season for the first time since the end of 1994 ... The Rebels are 19-12 (.613) all-time in homecoming games but only 3-6 during the 1990s ... BYU is the first ranked team to play UNLV in Las Vegas since then-No. 8 Kansas State downed the Rebels 42-3 on Nov. 26, 1994 ... Five of the eight MWC teams received votes in this week's USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Poll: No. 19 BYU, No. 30 Utah, No. 34 Air Force, No. 36 Colorado State and No. 38 Wyoming.
SERIES NOTES
BYU leads the series between the schools 5-1 ... This marks the second meeting in as many years but only the fifth in 17 seasons ... In the early 1980s, BYU was a regular on the Rebel schedule during an era in which UNLV first thought itself headed to the WAC ... The schools met for the first time in the Nikkan Yokohama Bowl on Dec. 2, 1978. The Cougars prevailed 28-24 in Japan in what was billed as the "Unofficial WAC Championship" ... All-time, UNLV has played 10 games vs. ranked opponents -- four of which were BYU ... This Saturday marks the third time that BYU faces UNLV while being ranked 19th nationally ... The Cougars are the only ranked team the Rebels have ever defeated, 45-41, in 1981, when BYU was No. 8 ... UNLV does not list a player from the state of Utah while BYU lists one Nevadan on its roster -- freshman LB Brent Carlson from Durango HS in Las Vegas.
SERIES RECORD: BYU leads 5-1 LAST MEETING: 1998 (BYU 38-14)BYU at UNLV RECORD: 2-0UNLV at BYU RECORD: 1-2UNLV at NEUTRAL SITE: 0-1UNLV's BIGGEST WIN: 4 (45-41 in 1981)BYU's BIGGEST WIN: 40 (54-14 in 1980)SERIES SCORES:DATE SITE RESULT12-2-78 Japan BYU, 28-2411-29-80 Las Vegas BYU, 54-1410-10-81 Provo UNLV, 45-419-2-82 Las Vegas BYU, 27-010-12-96 Provo BYU, 63-2810-10-98 Provo BYU, 38-14
UNLV (3-3) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/Time S. 2 at North Texas W, 26-3S. 11 at Baylor W, 27-24S. 18 IOWA STATE L, 24-0S. 25 UTAH L, 52-14O. 2 at Nevada, Reno L, 26-12O. 9 at Wyoming W, 35-32O. 16 OPENO. 23 BYU (HOMECOMING)7:30 pm PDTO. 30 at New Mexico 5 pm PDTN. 6 OPENN. 13 at Air Force 10 am PSTN. 20 SAN DIEGO STATE 1 pm PSTN. 27 COLORADO STATE 1 pm PST
BYU (5-1) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/Time S. 9 WASHINGTON W, 35-28S. 16 COLORADO STATE W, 34-13S. 25 VIRGINIA L, 45-40O. 1 at Utah State W, 34-31O. 9 CALIFORNIA W, 38-28O. 16 at New Mexico W, 31-7O. 23 at UNLV 7:30 pm PDTO. 30 AIR FORCE 12 pm MDTN. 6 at San Diego St.6 pm PSTN. 13 at Wyoming 12 pm MSTN. 20 UTAH TBA
UNLV QUICK FACTSLocation: Las Vegas, NV 89154Founded: 1957Enrollment: 21,000Nickname: Rebels (Not Runnin')Colors: Scarlet & GrayPresident: Dr. Carol C. HarterDir. of Athletics: Charles CavagnaroConference: Mountain WestStadium: Sam Boyd StadiumCapacity/Surface: 36,800/Natural GrassRecord in Stadium: 107-66-3 (28th season)UNLV All-Time Record: 178-169-4 (32nd season)All-Time vs. MWC Teams: 18-25-1Head Coach: John RobinsonRecord at UNLV: 3-3 (1st year)Record Overall: 107-38-4 (13th season)Offense: MultipleDefense: 4-3
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
PROVO, Utah -- (Oct. 10, 1998)
BRIGHAM YOUNG 38, UNLV 14
UNLV (0-6) was shut out in the second half en route to its 11th-consecutive loss over two seasons in front of a homecoming throng of 61,774 at BYU (3-3) -- the seventh-biggest crowd to ever see the Rebels play football. UNLV, which fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, stiffened on defense and would go on to earn its smallest halftime deficit of the season at that point. UNLV scored two second-quarter touchdowns in less than a minute to pull even. First, a Mark Hays punt block (the first for UNLV since 1995) set up a six-yard rushing touchdown by James Wofford. Then UNLV tied the game on perhaps the most bizarre scoring play in Rebel history. On second and five, BYU QB Drew Miller was sacked by Rebel defenders and fumbled into the hands of Couger offensive lineman Matt Johnson, who thought the play was dead as an incompletion. As players from both sides stood watching while Miller writhed on the ground, UNLV defensive lineman Justin Conway noticed that no whistle had stopped play. He stripped the ball from Johnson and rumbled into the end zone untouched before a stunned stadium. BYU quickly regrouped to drive for a go-ahead field goal just before the break. Cougar QB Kevin Feterick led his team to three second-half touchdowns to put the game away as UNLV's offense posted records in futility. The Rebels earned a total of five first downs, including only one in the first half, and threw for just 21 yards passing, which broke the school record-low of 39 vs. Baylor in 1988. UNLV's five passing completions by first-time starter Chad Reed were just one more than the school record-low single-game total while senior WR Damon Williams saw his school-record streak of catching at least one pass snapped at 39 games -- seven short of the NCAA record. UNLV's Joe Kristosik, who would go on to earn consensus First-Team All-America honors, shined by punting a school- and stadium-record 13 times for an average of 52.5.
RUDOLPH: THE HARD-NOSED GAIN'S NEAR
Highly touted tailback Jeremi Rudolph has not disappointed in his first half-season as a Rebel. The former Florida State signee and minor league baseball player was John Robinson's first recruit at UNLV after two impressive seasons at Southwest Mississippi Community College. The consensus preseason newcomer of the year for the Mountain West Conference, Rudolph led UNLV to victory in week one with 97 yards on 20 carries. The native of Apopka, Fla., scored two touchdowns (nine and three yards), including the team's first points of the year. Then, at Baylor, he rushed for 91 yards on 18 carries. Rudolph's breakout game, however, came at UNR as he totaled 120 yards rushing on 20 attempts, which marked the first 100-yard mark for a Rebel runner this fall. He also led the team in receptions with six and receiving yardage with 56, which included a stunning 40-yard catch and run for a touchdown. Last time out, Rudolph rolled up 149 yards on 32 carries en route to helping his team to a 35-32 upset at Wyoming and MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors. His 85.2-yard average currently puts him third in the MWC and 47th in the nation in rushing while his average of 95.7 all-purpose yards is seventh in the league. Also, Rudolph is tied for the team lead in touchdowns with four and his nine receptions are good for third on the squad.
ON THE OFFENSIVE...
Jason Vaughan has lined up under center for all but two plays this year and attempted every pass for the Rebels other than one fake punt (six players attempted at least one pass for the 1998 squad, including three QBs) ... James Wofford, who finished 10th in the WAC with 74.2 YPG a year ago, has been moved primarily to fullback this fall and rotates with BJ Edwards in starting at his new position.
FOR THE DEFENSE...
The Rebels intercepted four passes at Wyoming -- the most for UNLV since picking off four Louisiana Tech throws on Nov. 6, 1993. The school record is five (three times) ... The Rebels now have seven interceptions as a team -- as many as all of last season ... Sophomore Kevin Thomas leads the squad with two picks and is first in the Mountain West with nine pass breakups (the school record is 18 by Anthony Blue in 1984) ... As a team, the Rebels have recorded 28 pass breakups in six games after having only 32 all of last year ... After unveiling a bevy of defensive lineup changes at UNR, including moving SS Randy Black to LB, and putting LBs Dusty Pearce and Steve Newton at rush end, UNLV earned five QB sacks vs. the Pack after having just one the previous four games ... The Rebels lead the MWC in pass defense, giving up 144.2 yards per game. UNLV is currently ranked 13th in the nation in pass-efficiency defense after finishing 97th in that category a year ago ... Rebel opponents have converted only four of a league-leading 13 fourth-down attempts this season (31 percent) after converting seven of 14 in 1999 (50 percent) ... The Rebel D has three scores -- two by Kevin Thomas. Following his 49-yard interception return at UNT, the sophomore waited until the final play for an encore in game two. His 100-yard fumble return was only the third in NCAA history and the first to win a game. The school record for most defensive touchdowns in a career is three by Patt Medchill (1970-72) ... Since 1996, UNLV has returned four fumbles 65 yards or longer ... MLB James Sunia led the team in tackles last year as a rookie with 115, helping the Hawaiian earn first-team Freshman All-America honors from Football News. He currently leads the squad with 60 total tackles and is third in the MWC with an average of 10.0 per game.
SPECIAL (TEAMS) DELIVERY...
Kicker/punter Ray Cheetany, who has handled all kickoff duties for UNLV this season, made his Div. I-A punting debut vs. Iowa State when he replaced freshman Ryan McDonald. Cheetany not only has earned the starting job, but he now leads the league and is fifth in the nation in punting average with 47.6. The transfer from Iowa Central CC punted eight times for an average of 48.8 vs. Utah. He then averaged 48 yards on seven kicks at both UNR and again at Wyoming. He has a long of 62 and even completed a pass on a fake for 24 yards and a first down in the victory over the Cowboys ... Kickoff return man Len Ware, who missed the last two games with an injury, would rank second in the nation with a 35.1-yard average if he had enough attempts. His 97-yard return for a score vs. Utah was the second-longest kickoff return in school history and the first returned for a touchdown since 1992 ... As a team, the Rebels are second in the nation in kickoff return average at 29.4 ... UNLV has attempted only three field goals this season -- all unsuccessful. The school record for least three-pointers made and attempted both came in 1969 when the Rebels went 0-2 on field goal attempts. UNLV has made only 28 field goals in almost five seasons after setting the school's single-season record with 21 in 1994.
DANDY DEBUTS
John Robinson's first game coaching the Rebels produced a long list of notable achievements as the school's all-time record for head coaching debuts improved to 5-3. The victory not only broke two school-record losing streaks (26 road games and 16 overall), but also marked the first win on the road to start a season since 1981. The 23-point margin of victory was the largest road win since a 45-20 game at Oregon State in 1991. It was also the school's second-biggest win in a coaching debut behind Ron Meyer's 38-6 victory over the State College of Arkansas in 1973. Defensively, North Texas' 3 points marked the least allowed since Jeff Horton's coaching debut in the 1994 season opener versus Eastern Michigan. In fact, only twice before in 32 years of Rebel football had UNLV held an opponent to three points or less on the road (25-3 at CS Fullerton in 1991 and 13-0 over CSUF in 1983). Ironically, it was the first time Robinson won his first game at a university. He lost his debut game in both of his stints at Southern California. Also making his debut in that game was quarterback Jason Vaughan. Playing for his fourth school in four years, the Georgia native had a record-breaking premiere. The junior-college transfer was nothing if not efficient in leading his team to victory. Finishing without an interception, his 16-of-19 passing included hitting his final nine attempts. Vaughan's percentage of .840 shattered the school record for single-game completion percentage, besting Randall Cunningham's 21-of-26 (.804) performance vs. Idaho State in 1984.
TACKLE (RECORD) ELIGIBLE
Senior linebacker Jerrad Pierucci continues to move up the UNLV career tackles chart. His six total takedowns at UNR moved him up one spot to 10th with 222 career tackles. The younger brother of former Rebel offensive lineman Jerald Pierucci (1995-98), Jerrad would need to average more than 13 tackles a game to reach Darnell Pickens' record of 289 from 1984-87. Pierucci, who missed the Wyoming game, needs seven more to move past Scott Patton and Anthony Blue into eighth place with 229.
PL PLAYER (POS) YEARS TOT1. Darnell Pickens (LB) 1984-87 2892. Doc Wise (DL) 1986-89 280 Harvey Allen (DB) 1982-85 2804. Greg Gales (LB) 1996-98 2775. Jason Davis (DB) 1991-94 2766. Jody Reinoehl (LB) 1987-90 2607. Rodney Mazion (DB) 1991-94 2358. Scott Patton (LB) 1996-97 228 Anthony Blue (DB) 1983-86 22810.Jerrad Pierucci (LB) 1996-PR 222
CROWDED CROWDS
UNLV's debut season in the newly expanded and renovated Sam Boyd Stadium has been a success at the gate. The lid-lifter vs. Iowa State on September 18 drew 26,167 fans, which was 961 short of the school's record for a home opener, but still represented the 10th largest home crowd in UNLV history. The Utah game on Sept. 25 drew 23,532 fans, which marked the first time that the Rebels hosted back-to-back crowds of 23,000 or more since Oct. 3-10, 1987.
UNLV's LARGEST HOME-OPENERSTEAM YEAR RESULT ATTEND.Baylor 1987 L, 21-14 27,128Hawaii 1997 W, 25-15 27,117Iowa St.1999 L, 24-0 26,167
RED-ZONE REDUX
UNLV is 10 for 12 in the red zone this fall, and even more impressive is that all 10 conversions were touchdowns. UNLV did not fail in the red zone until game five at UNR. The Rebels' only two missteps inside the red zone this season were missed field goals. Meanwhile, Rebel opponents are getting into the end zone only 55% of the time after reaching the red zone.
UNLV ATT TD FGat UNT 3 3 0at Baylor 3 3 0IOWA STATE 0 0 0UTAH 1 1 0at UNR 2 1 0at Wyo 3 2 0BYUat UNMat AFASDSUCSUTOTAL 12 10 0PCT. SCORING TD IN RED ZONE: 83%
OPPONENTS ATT TD FGat UNT 1 0 1 at Baylor 6 3 1 IOWA ST. 6 3 1UTAH 7 6 1at UNR 4 3 0at Wyo 5 1 3BYUat UNMat AFASDSUCSUTOTAL 29 16 7PCT. SCORING TD IN RED ZONE: 55%
THE UPSET UP NORTH
Even though BYU and UNLV have only played each other five times, the 1981 clash at Provo still stands as the biggest upset, one of the biggest comebacks and perhaps the biggest win in Rebel history. Unranked UNLV (3-2 going in) traveled to BYU for the first time and outdueled the 8th-ranked Cougars (5-0 going in), 45-41, in front of 39,852. The homecoming upset broke the nation's longest winning streak at 17 and BYU's string of home-game victories at 16. After BYU exploded for 27 points in the second quarter, UNLV trailed 41-24 with only 5:46 left in the third. That's when senior signal-caller Sam King went to work and led UNLV to 21 straight points. The dramatic finish saw King march the Rebels 79 yards in 11 plays and was capped by a Jim Sandusky 20-TD reception with only 19 seconds left. BYU, which started a young QB named Steve Young because Jim McMahon was out with an injury, went on to post an 11-2 record, which included a Holiday Bowl victory. The Rebels finished 6-6 in Tony Knap's final season as coach.
HOME COOKIN'
UNLV made its 33rd home debut on Sept. 18 but the games have never looked like this in the Valley. Thanks to an $18 million renovation and expansion of 28-year-old Sam Boyd Stadium, the team played in front of more people in a drastically upgraded facility. The current capacity of 36,800 features more than 35,000 permanent seats (all painted red for the first time), which is a 4,000 raise over last year. Temporary seating is also available if needed, which would raise the capacity to 40,000. Included in those numbers are the contents of the new Airway Tower, which is the jewel in the desert-set stadium's crown. The three-level structure features a club seat level, a press level and is topped by new luxury suites. The most striking change may be the new grass playing surface. The so-called "Magic Carpet" artificial turf is now gone and Sam Boyd Stadium now sports grass for the first time in its history. The move to grass ensured that the new Mountain West Conference is all-natural. The Rebels have already played their only game on artificial turf this season -- at North Texas in game one.
GAME SIX REVIEW: UNLV 35, WYOMING 32
REBELS EARN FIRST WIN AT WYOMING IN 20 YEARS
LARAMIE, Wyo. -- (Oct. 9, 1999)
Despite traveling as a 24-point underdog in its first-ever Mountain West Conference road game, UNLV (3-3) rolled up a big lead and held on to down Wyoming (3-2) 35-32 in a wild game played before 19,048 at War Memorial Stadium. The victory, which broke a four-game losing streak to the Cowboys and spoiled UW Head Coach Dana Dimel's 37th birthday, was the first for the Rebels in Laramie since 1979. It also broke a three-game losing streak and a school-record 16-game conference road losing streak that dated back to 1994 when UNLV was a member of the Big West. Appearing on an ESPN network (ESPN+Plus) for the first time since the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl, the Rebels came out firing. After not scoring any first-quarter points all year, UNLV stormed to a 14-0 lead on a Duane "Toy Train" James 13-yard touchdown catch from Jason Vaughan and a 47-yard scoring run by Coury Hankins. A Nate Turner touchdown catch made it 21-3 and the Pokes' Aaron Elling kicked two more field goals to make it 21-9 at halftime. UW closed to 21-16 with its only offensive touchdown of the day before James returned a punt 43 yards for a touchdown. Less than 20 seconds later, the Rebels' Quincy Sanders intercepted a Matt Swanson pass and returned it 34 yards for a score and a 35-16 lead near the end of the third. The Rebels allowed the Pokes back in the game, however, when Vaughan had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in less than four minutes. But UNLV's defense rallied to hold the hosts scoreless for the final 10:37 of the game. A Tyler Brickell interception, which was one of four UNLV picks on the day (the most by the school since 1993), sealed things with a minute to play. The Rebels won their third road game of the season after not having won at a conference opponent since downing New Mexico State on Oct. 1, 1994. UNLV was led on the ground by tailback Jeremi Rudolph, who turned in a career-high 149 yards on 32 carries and also caught two balls. Rudolph won MWC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts while the "Toy Train" earned league honors for special teams. In the air, Turner led the Rebels with five catches for 94 yards.
THE PLAY
UNLV's last-second, 100-yard fumble return for a shocking victory over Baylor on Sept. 11 was named the Compaq College Football Play of the Week. Baylor was leading 24-21 with eight seconds left when it ran a running play to attempt to score again instead of downing the ball to end the game. After running back Darrell Bush ran to the one-yard-line, Rebel linebacker Tyler Brickell forced a fumble. Rebel defensive back Kevin Thomas picked up the fumble in the Bears' end zone and, with no time on the clock, raced more than the length of the field for his team's winning points as UNLV prevailed 27-24. The Play of the Week program is sponsored by the Compaq Computer Corporation and is judged by a panel of sportswriters and sportscasters. For his efforts, Thomas earned Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors. Thomas, a graduate of Foothill High School in Sacramento, Calif., also had six unassisted tackles and two pass breakups in the game. It was the second defensive score this year for the sophomore after he opened the year on Sept. 2 with a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown. The award marked the first time in five years that a UNLV player earned defensive player of the week honors. In 1994, linebacker Rossie Johnson was honored by the Big West Conference following the Rebels' victory over UNR. The last UNLV defensive back to win the award was Rodney Mazion in 1993.
