GAME 10UNLV (3-6, 1-4 MOUNTAIN WEST)vs. SAN DIEGO STATE (3-6, 1-4 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 20, 1999KICKOFF:1:07 pm PSTSITE: Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800/Grass) TV: NoneRADIO: ESPN 920 AM (Tony Cordasco & Hunkie Cooper)
UNLV (3-6) 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 L, 27-6N. 6 OPENN. 13 at Air Force L, 35-16N. 20 SAN DIEGO STATE 1 pm PSTN. 27 COLORADO STATE 1 pm PST
SAN DIEGO STATE (3-6) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/Time S. 4 SOUTH FLORIDA W, 41-12S. 11 at Illinois L, 38-10S. 18 at USC L, 24-21S. 25 at Kansas W, 41-13O. 2 AIR FORCE L, 23-22O. 9 NEW MEXICO L, 24-21O. 16 at Colorado St. W, 17-10O. 23 at Utah L, 38-16N. 6 BYU L, 30-7N. 20 at UNLV 1 pm PSTN. 27 WYOMING 4 pm PST
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: 178-172-4 (32nd season)All-Time vs. MWC Teams: 18-28-1Head Coach: John RobinsonRecord at UNLV: 3-6 (1st year)Record Overall: 107-41-4 (13th season)Offense: MultipleDefense: 4-3
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV (3-6) begins its final homestand of the season by hosting San Diego State (3-6) in a Mountain West Conference matchup ... The teams have identical records and are tied for seventh place in the league at 1-4 ... The Rebels are coming off a 35-16 loss at Air Force that completed their road slate with a 3-3 record while the Aztecs enjoyed a bye after losing their last two ... 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 to snap a school-record 10-game home losing streak that dates back to a 21-19 win over TCU on Oct. 11, 1997 ... Saturday will mark the first day game at Sam Boyd Stadium this season ... UNLV is 2-0 when it scores first ... The Rebels have scored in the first quarter in only one game this season when they put up 14 at Wyoming.
SERIES NOTES
The all-time series is tied at four ... The last meeting resulted in the first overtime game in UNLV history, which the Aztecs won 20-17 ... The Rebels are 0-3 in overtime games ... The series, which began in 1977, was not played for 12 years from 1984 until UNLV joined SDSU in the WAC in 1996 ... The last time the Aztecs played UNLV in Las Vegas, it resulted in the Rebels' first WAC victory and only win of the season. That game also was memorable for its offensive fireworks as the teams combined for seven touchdowns of 35 yards or longer and UNLV signal-caller Jon Denton set five NCAA freshman NCAA records on the day, including a still-school-record 503 yards passing ... UNLV WR/KR Duane "Toy Train" James is a San Diego native and a graduate of Mira Mesa HS.
SERIES RECORD: Tied at 4 LAST MEETING: 1997 (SDSU, 20-17/OT)SDSU at UNLV RECORD: 1-2UNLV at SDSU RECORD: 2-3UNLV's BIGGEST WIN: 18 (28-10 in 1983)SDSU's BIGGEST WIN: 24 (31-7 in 1977)
SERIES SCORES:DATE SITE RESULT10-22-77 San Diego L, 31-710-11-80 San Diego W, 28-1711-14-81 Las Vegas L, 38-209-25-82 San Diego L, 26-2310-27-83 Las Vegas W, 28-1011-3-84 San Diego W, 30-1411-16-96 Las Vegas W, 44-4210-18-97 San Diego L, 20-17 (OT)
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- (Oct. 18, 1997)
SAN DIEGO STATE 20, UNLV 17 (OT)
Playing in its first-ever overtime game, UNLV (3-4) fell to host San Diego State (2-5) to even the Rebels' conference record at 2-2. Before 24,628 at Qualcomm Stadium, the Aztecs broke a five-game losing streak by scoring the game's first 17 points and then holding on to force overtime. The Rebels, who outgained SDSU on offense by 174 yards, were shut out in the first half for the first time in 20 games and trailed 10-0 at the break. The Aztecs took the second half's opening possession in for a score to make the count 17-0 before UNLV came alive. A 68-yard pass play from Jon Denton to RB James Wofford set up a one-yard score and Denton then hit WR Damon Williams for a TD pass. UNLV tied things up with a 22-yard field goal by Tim O'Reilly with just over 10 minutes remaining, which ended the scoring in regulation. In overtime, the Rebels had possession first and drove down to the SDSU five-yard line before Denton was intercepted by LB Andy Osborne. Six plays later, Aztec PK Nate Tandberg booted a 24-yard FG to win the game. Denton finished with 335 yards throwing to eight receivers.
K.T. DUTY
Sophomore defender Kevin Thomas has quickly become one of the top cornerbacks in the Mountain West Conference. The native of Sacramento, Calif., leads the squad with four interceptions and is threatening to shatter the school record for pass breakups in one season. Thomas' career-high five breakups vs. BYU helped him climb to 16 on the year -- just two away from Anthony Blue's school-record 18 set in 1984. Thomas, who is seventh on the team with 39 total tackles (including two for loss), also has two scores this fall. Following his 49-yard interception return for a TD in the season-opener 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. Thomas, who is third in the league and 37th in the nation with an average of .44 interceptions per game, needs two more picks in the final two games to tie the school record of six, held by three players and most recently matched in 1986. The super soph leads the MWC in passes defended (breakups plus interceptions) with 20.
TACKLE (RECORD) ELIGIBLE
Two Rebel seniors continue to climb the UNLV career tackles chart. Despite missing most of two games this fall because of injuries, linebacker Jerrad Pierucci has moved into seventh place with 247 career tackles. The younger brother of former Rebel offensive lineman Jerald Pierucci (1995-98), Jerrad needs 13 more takedowns to tie Jody Reinoehl in sixth place with 260. After a stunning 22 tackles at Air Force last week, defensive back Quincy Sanders is right behind behind Pierucci. Sanders' 80 total tackles this fall are second on the team and give the Reno native 246 in his five years on the field.
ON THE OFFENSIVE...
Making his second collegiate start this Saturday will be true freshman Matt Ray. The graduate of tiny Quincy HS in northern California was presumably going to redshirt his first year before injuries and ineffectiveness demanded a change under center. Eight-game starter Jason Vaughan has been slowed by a concussion sustained in the BYU game and back up Chris Hayward is battling a stress fracture in his foot. Ray -- whose uncle is coaching legend Bill Walsh -- was the fourth freshman to make a start for UNLV in the last five years, joining Chris Hayward (1998), Jon Denton (1996) and Kevin Crook (1995), all of whom were redshirts. In his debut last week at Air Force, Ray finished 10-18 passing for 187 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions ... As a team, UNLV is plus-four in the turnover department on the season, which ranks 31st nationally, after finishing minus-12 a year ago ... A big part of that positive turnover ratio comes from a lack of interceptions thrown by Rebel signal-callers. UNLV's six interceptions tossed is one less than the school-record-low of seven set in 1990 ... James Wofford's 30 yards at Air Force moved him into the school's top 10 in career rushing. The junior, who has played both fullback and tailback this fall, needs 85 yards to pass Tony Lewis' total of 1,698 in ninth ... Peter Tramontanas, who started the first eight games at tight end, has moved back to the offensive line and will play center and guard this week.
FOR THE DEFENSE...
DB Quincy Sanders totaled a stunning 22 tackles (11 solo) at Air Force. The senior is second on the team and ninth in the MWC in tackles with an average of 8.9 per game ... The Rebels have 10 interceptions as a team -- three more than all of last season and the most since 10 in 1993 ... The Rebels lead the MWC in pass defense, giving up 158.2 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 five of a league-leading 15 fourth-down attempts this season (33 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 91 total tackles and is third in the MWC with an average of 10.1 per game.
SPECIAL (TEAMS) DELIVERY...
UNLV posted its first field goal of the season at Air Force when Tim O'Reilly was true from 37 yards out. It was the first three-pointer in four attempts this fall. The school records for least three-pointers made and attempted both came in 1969 when the Rebels went 0-2 on season attempts. UNLV has made only 29 FGs in almost five seasons after setting the school's single-season record with 21 in 1994 ... Kickoff return man Troy Mason currently ranks 34th in the nation with an average of 23.3 on 12 attempts. Before his injury, Len Ware was near the top of the charts nationally in returns with his 35.1-yard average. 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 ninth in the nation in kickoff return average at 25.0.
PUNTER U.?
Continuing UNLV's long line of nationally decorated punters is junior Ray Cheetany. With the loss of last year's consensus first-team All-American punter in Joe Kristosik, the Rebels turned to true freshman Ryan McDonald to start the season. However, by game three vs. Iowa State, Cheetany -- who had handled the kickoff duties all season -- took over. Now, Cheetany not only has earned the starting job, but he leads the league and is fourth in the nation in punting average with 45.8. 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 at Wyoming. Against BYU, he kicked nine times for a 45-yard average, including a 67-yarder, which is the longest for UNLV since 1995. Last week at Air Force, Cheetany booted eight balls for 47.5. A stunning 23 of his 51 attempts (45 percent) have gone 50 yards or longer while he has placed 24 percent of his punts (12) inside the 20-yard line, including seven inside the 10. Five punts (10 percent) have traveled 60 yards or longer. Cheetany even completed a pass on a fake for 24 yards and a first down in the victory over Wyoming.
1999 NCAA DIV I-A PUNTING LEADERSRK PLAYER SCHOOL ATT AVG1. Andrew Bayes East Carolina 42 48.712. Brain Schmitz North Carolina 71 47.543. Shane Lechler Texas A&M 52 46.884. Ray Cheetany UNLV 51 45.845. Nick Harris California 76 45.29
UNLV ALL-AMERICAN PUNTERS
YR PLAYER (Team & Agencies)1998 Joe Kristosik (First Team: Walter Camp, AP, AFCA, FWAA, Football News) 1993 Brad Faunce (Second Team: Football News/Third Team: AP)1992 Brian Parvin (Second Team: Football News)1984 Randall Cunningham (Second Team: AP)1983 Randall Cunningham (First Team: AFCA/Second Team: AP)
RUDOLPH: THE HARD-NOSED GAIN'S NEAR
Highly touted tailback Jeremi Rudolph has not disappointed in his first 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. On October 9, 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. One week later, Rudolph was injured in the first series vs. BYU and left the game with a strained groin. He also missed the following game at UNM and sat out part of last week's contest at Air Force. He did, however, make the most of his carries by running for 75 yards on only eight attempts vs. the Falcons. His 74.9-yard average currently puts him fifth in the MWC. Also, Rudolph is second on the team in touchdowns with four and his 11 receptions are good for fourth on the squad. Despite the missed time, Rudolph was named as one of the top 10 transfers in college football for 1999 in the Nov. 8 issue of Sports Illustrated.
