GAME 8UNLV (3-4, 1-2 MOUNTAIN WEST)vs. NEW MEXICO (2-4, 1-1 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30, 1999KICKOFF:5:05 pm PDTSITE: University Stadium (31,218/Grass) Albuquerque, NMTV: NoneRADIO: ESPN 920 AM (Tony Cordasco & Hunkie Cooper)
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV (3-4) heads back on the road to take on New Mexico (2-4) in a Mountain West matchup ... The teams will meet for the first time in eight seasons and for the first time ever as a member of the same conference ... Ironically, both teams are coming off a home loss to league-leading BYU ... The Rebels were shut out by the Cougars 29-0 on Saturday while the Lobos fell 31-7 on Oct. 16 before enjoying a bye week ... UNLV looks to earn a fourth victory in a single-season for the first time since 1994 ... A Rebel victory would give the team as many wins as the last three campaigns combined ... UNLV looks for its fourth road victory of 1999, which would be the most for the school since going 5-1 away from Las Vegas in 1984.
SERIES NOTES
UNLV leads the career series 4-2, but this is the only the second meeting of the schools in 17 years ... New Mexico is the only MWC school that UNLV owns a winning record against, though the Rebels are tied all-time vs. three others (UW, SDSU and CSU) ... In this high-flying series, which has seen one of the teams score less than 20 in a game only twice, the Rebels have averaged 32 points and the Lobos 27 ... The schools played five consecutive seasons (1978-82) when UNLV first thought itself headed to the Western Athletic Conference and played a primarily WAC schedule ... The two schools did not meet during the three years that UNLV finally was a member of the WAC (1996-98) ... UNLV's highest-ever scoring output came against the Lobos in 1980 when the Rebels won 72-7 at University Stadium ... UNLV is 15-5 vs. teams from the state of New Mexico (4-2 UNM, 9-3 NMSU and 2-0 NM Highlands), including a 7-3 mark in The Land of Enchantment ... Rebel radio anlayst Hunkie Cooper, who has since posted a spectacular career with the Arena Football League's Arizona Rattlers, was UNLV's starting quarterback the last time these two teams met.
SERIES RECORD: UNLV leads 4-2 LAST MEETING: 1991 (UNLV 23-22)UNLV at UNM RECORD: 2-2UNM at UNLV RECORD: 0-2UNLV's BIGGEST WIN: 65 (72-7 in 1980)UNM's BIGGEST WIN: 28 (49-21 in 1982)SERIES SCORES:DATE SITE RESULT9-23-78 Albuquerque UNM, 24-010-13-79Las Vegas UNLV, 28-2011-1-80 Albuquerque UNLV, 72-79-12-81 Las Vegas UNLV, 49-429-18-82 Albuquerque UNM, 49-219-21-91 Albuquerque UNLV, 23-22
UNLV (3-4) 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) L, 29-0O. 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
NEW MEXICO (2-4) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/Time S. 4 at UTEP L, 13-10S. 11 NEW MEXICO ST. L, 35-28S. 18 NORTHERN ARIZONAW, 45-14S. 25 at Boise State L, 20-9O. 9 at San Diego St.W, 24-21O. 16 BYU L, 31-7O. 30 UNLV (HC) 6 pm MDTN. 6 COLORADO STATE 1 pm MSTN. 13 at Utah 1 pm MSTN. 20 at Wyoming 12 pm MSTN. 27 AIR FORCE 1 pm MST
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: 107-67-3 (28th season)UNLV All-Time Record: 178-170-4 (32nd season)All-Time vs. MWC Teams: 18-26-1Head Coach: John RobinsonRecord at UNLV: 3-4 (1st year)Record Overall: 107-39-4 (13th season)Offense: MultipleDefense: 4-3
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- (Sept. 21, 1991)
UNLV 23, NEW MEXICO 22
Placekicker Nick Garritano booted a 28-yard field goal with four seconds to play as UNLV (2-1) staged a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to beat New Mexico (0-4) in a non-conference game before 16,679 fans at University Stadium. The Rebels trailed by as many as 12 points, 19-7, in the final period and appeared destined to be put away by the Lobos who had the ball on the Rebel four-yard line with 10:21 remaining. However, Rodney Mazion, switched to defensive back from receiver earlier in the week, intercepted a Jeremy Leach pass and raced 96 yards for a UNLV touchdown. A subsequent UNM field goal made it 22-14 with just three minutes left before UNLV drove for a quick touchdown before a two-point conversion failed. Down, 22-20, the Rebels recovered an on-side kick on their own 45. QB Derek Stott drove his team to the Lobo 10 before Garritano, who had missed both of his earlier field-goal attempts, gave UNLV its only lead of the game. The Rebels were also led by Derek Black's 145 yards rushing on 27 carries, John Ma'ae's seven catches for 122 yards and starting QB Hunkie Cooper's 103 yards passing and 82 rushing.
TAKING THE HIGH ROAD
After entering 1999 with a school-record 26-game road losing streak that dated back to mid-1994, UNLV has posted a stunning 3-1 record away from Sam Boyd Stadium. The three road wins included a Mountain West victory (35-32 at Wyoming) that also snapped a school-record 16-game losing streak at conference opponents. The three road wins are the most for UNLV since 1990. Only twice has the program earned more than three road victories in one season: four in 1979 and five in 1984.
K.T. DUTY
Sophomore defender Kevin Thomas has quickly become one of the Mountain West Conference's top cornerbacks. The native of Sacramento, CA, leads the squad with three interceptions, has two defensive scores this fall and is threatening to shatter the school record for pass breakups in one season. Thomas' career-high five breakups vs. BYU gives him 14 on the year -- just four away from Anthony Blue's school-record 18 set in 1984. Thomas, who is seventh on the team with 31 total tackles, also has two scores this fall. Following his 49-yard interception return for a TD at UNT, he 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.
TACKLE (RECORD) ELIGIBLE
Senior linebacker Jerrad Pierucci continues to move up the UNLV career tackles chart. His five total takedowns vs. BYU moved him to within one of eighth place with 227 career tackles. The younger brother of former Rebel offensive lineman Jerald Pierucci (1995-98), Jerrad, who missed the Wyoming game, needs 49 more to tie Jason Davis in fifth place with 276.
UNLV CAREER TACKLE LEADERSPL 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 227
ON THE OFFENSIVE...
When Chris Hayward attempted one pass vs. BYU, it marked the first time any quarterback other than Jason Vaughan had thrown a ball for the Rebels this season (six players attempted at least one pass for the 1998 squad, including three QBs ... Redshirt freshman Joe Haro picked up a career-high 59 yards rushing vs. BYU, including a 38-yard run ... As a team, UNLV is plus-four in the turnover department on the season, which ranks 24th nationally, after finishing minus-12 a year ago.
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 nine interceptions as a team -- two more than all of last season ... As a team, the Rebels have recorded 37 pass breakups in seven 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 ... Against BYU, fifth-year senior end Alonzo Jones started his first game since Sept. 9, 1995, vs. Arkansas State ... The Rebels lead the MWC in pass defense, giving up 160.1 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, including a 100-yard fumble return ... 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 64 total tackles and is fourth in the MWC with an average of 9.1 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 third in the nation in punting average with 46.9. 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. Last week, he kicked nine times for a 45-yard average, including a 67-yarder, which is the longest for UNLV since 1995. Cheetany even completed a pass on a fake for 24 yards and a first down in the victory over Wyoming ... Kickoff return man Len Ware, who missed the last three 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 sixth in the nation in kickoff return average at 26.5 ... 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 season attempts. UNLV has made only 28 FGs in almost five seasons after setting the school's single-season record with 21 in 1994.
CROWDED CROWDS
UNLV's debut season in the newly expanded and renovated Sam Boyd Stadium has been a great 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 and then the homecoming game on Oct. 23 was the fourth-largest UNLV home contest in history, drawing 30,599. The three-game totals marked the first time that the Rebels hosted back-to-back-to-back crowds of 23,000 or more since Sept. 19-Oct. 10, 1987. With two dates remaining, the season average of 26,766 means that the Rebels need to average only 21,860 the final two games to break the school record of 24,799 per game set in 1981.
UNLV's LARGEST SINGLE-SEASON AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCEYEAR AVG HOME GAMES1999 26,766 THROUGH 31981 24,799 61980 23,422 61979 22,806 6
RED-ZONE REDUX
UNLV is 10 for 13 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 at atll until game five at UNR. Two of the Rebels' three missteps inside the red zone this season were missed field goals. Meanwhile, Rebel opponents are getting into the end zone only 51% 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 0BYU 1 0 0at UNMat AFASDSUCSUTOTAL 13 10 0PCT. SCORING TD IN RED ZONE: 77%
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 3BYU 6 2 4at UNMat AFASDSUCSUTOTAL 35 18 11PCT. SCORING TD IN RED ZONE: 51%
THE NIGHT THE SCORING WOULDN'T STOP
Not before and not since has UNLV had an offensive explosion like the one seen in Albuquerque on Nov. 1, 1980. The Rebels, who were 5-2 heading into the game, journeyed to University Stadium with a travel squad of 54 and left with nearly as many school records and a 72-7 victory over New Mexico. After the teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, UNLV scored 65 straight points as part of 595 yards of offense, most of which came on the ground. In fact, the Rebels had three backs break the century mark in rushing -- Michael Morton (9-146), Keyvan Jenkins (5-107) and Artis Carhee (7-102) -- without a single one hitting double digits in carries. Under then-coach Tony Knap, UNLV managed a school-record 10 touchdowns -- all on offense -- despite rolling up 151 yards on 13 penalties and actually having less first downs than the Lobos (23-22). The 72 points remains the high mark for the program and the 65-point win is still second-best in school history.
GAME SEVEN REVIEW: BYU 29, UNLV 0
NO. 19 BYU SHUTS DOWN REBEL HOMECOMING
LAS VEGAS -- (Oct. 23, 1999)
Playing in front of the fourth-largest home crowd in history (30,599), UNLV (3-4) was blanked by 19th-ranked BYU (6-1) 29-0 to drop its record in Sam Boyd Stadium this fall to 0-3. The Rebels fell to 19-13 all-time in homecoming games (3-7 during the 1990s) by suffering their fourth-ever shut out at home and second this year. The first ranked team to play UNLV in Las Vegas since 1994, the Cougars improved to 6-1 vs. the Rebels behind a stadium-record five field goals by kicker Owen Pochman. The UNLV defense, which earned nine pass breakups and eight tackles for loss, held BYU QB Kevin Feterik to 257 yards passing and picked off two balls. However, the Rebel offense was non-existent after the loss of star tailback Jeremi Rudolph to injury in the first quarter. UNLV was held to just 24 yards rushing and 94 passing as QB Jason Vaughan was sacked five times. After BYU opened with a touchdown, three consecutive Pochman three-pointers made the score 16-0 at halftime but the hosts could not get on the board. In the first-ever meeting between legendary coaches John Robinson and LaVell Edwards, the Cougars dropped the Rebels' career record vs. ranked teams to 1-11.
