GAME 11
UNLV (3-7, 1-5 MOUNTAIN WEST)
vs.
COLORADO STATE (7-3, 4-2 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 27, 1999KICKOFF: 1:07 pm PSTSITE: Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800/Grass) Las VegasTV: NoneRADIO: ESPN 920 AM (Tony Cordasco & Hunkie Cooper)
UNLV (3-7) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/TimeS. 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 L, 37-7N. 27 COLORADO STATE 1 pm PST
COLORADO STATE (7-3) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/TimeS. 4 vs. Colorado W, 41-14S. 11 NEVADA, RENO W, 38-33S. 16 at BYU L, 34-14O. 2 NEW MEXICO ST. W, 48-7O. 9 at Fresno State L, 44-13O. 16 SAN DIEGO STATE L, 17-10O. 23 at Wyoming W, 24-13O. 28 UTAH W, 31-24N. 6 at New Mexico W, 36-22N. 18 AIR FORCE W, 41-21N. 27 at UNLV 1 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: 107-68-3 (28th season)UNLV All-Time Record: 178-173-4 (32nd season)All-Time vs. MWC Teams: 18-29-1Head Coach: John RobinsonRecord at UNLV: 3-7 (1st year)Record Overall: 107-42-4 (13th season)Offense: MultipleDefense: 4-3
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV (3-7) concludes its 32nd season of football by hosting Colorado State (7-3) in a Mountain West Conference matchup ... The Rebels are coming off a 37-7 defeat at the hands of San Diego State while the Rams have had extra time to prepare following a key, 41-21, victory over Air Force on ESPN's Thursday broadcast ... CSU, which has won four consecutive games, must win this week to earn a share of the inaugural league title ... 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 four-game losing skid and a school-record 11-game home losing streak that dates back to a 21-19 win over TCU on Oct. 11, 1997 ... The Rebels are 11-18-2 in regular-season finales and have not won their last regular-season game since 1992's 33-16 victory over Cal State Fullerton ... UNLV is 2-0 when it scores first in '99 ... The Rebels have scored in the first quarter in only two games this season (at Wyoming and Air Force).
SERIES NOTES
The all-time series between the schools is tied at 3-3-1 ... CSU has won the last three meetings (1996-98) after a 14-year layoff in the series ... This week will mark the Rams' second trip to Las Vegas to play the Rebels in the last 20 years ... The teams tied 21-21 in 1979 for one of the Rebels' four all-time ties ... UNLV has averaged 41 points a game in its three wins over the Rams ... Enjoying its first season at the Div. I-A level, UNLV defeated CSU 33-6 on Oct. 21, 1978, in Fort Collins, marking the program's first road win over a major college opponent ... Ram senior RB McDougal has had an outstanding career vs. UNLV. Aside from rushing for 229 yards on only 28 carries in the last two years, McDougal forced a potential game-saving fumble while playing defense vs. the Rebels in 1996.
SERIES RECORD: Tied 3-3-1 LAST MEETING: 1998 (CSU, 38-16)CSU at UNLV RECORD: 1-0-1UNLV at CSU RECORD: 3-2UNLV's LARGEST WIN: 41 (56-15 in 1980)CSU's LARGEST WIN: 26 (45-19 in 1997)
SERIES SCORES:DATE SITE RESULT10-21-78 Fort Collins UNLV, 33-611-17-79 Las Vegas Tie 21-219-27-80 Fort Collins UNLV, 56-1511-6-82 Fort Collins UNLV, 36-319-21-96 Fort Collins CSU, 35-1611-1-97 Las Vegas CSU, 45-1910-26-98 Fort Collins CSU, 38-16
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- (Sept. 26, 1998)
COLORADO STATE 38, UNLV 16
UNLV (0-4) scored its most points of the year and gave up the least (at that point) but still lost its eighth consecutive game, 38-16, at Colorado State (3-2) in front of 27,632 fans -- the fifth-biggest crowd in Hughes Stadium history. The Rams, with their third-consecutive win, tied the all-time series at 3-3-1. CSU starting QB Ryan Eslinger was knocked out for the day on the first series after a hit by Randy Black that got the DB ejected from the game. However, reserve signal-caller Matt Newton threw three touchdowns and RB Kevin McDougal totalled 117 yards on 17 carries to fend off an inspired Rebel squad. Rick Crowell returned Chris Hayward's first pass attempt 22 yards for a defensive score that gave CSU a 7-0 lead that held up through the first quarter. UNLV, which was shut out in the first half for the first time in '98, quickly turned to senior Kevin Crook, who went on to throw for two scores. The Rebel defense, led by senior Talance Sawyer, forced four fumbles and recovered three but could only convert an interception into points. CSU eventually went up 38-7 but a safety by La'anui Correa (UNLV's first since 1993) and Duane James' first career TD reception gave UNLV the game's final nine points.
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 has shattered the school record for pass breakups in one season. Thomas' four breakups last week vs. SDSU helped him climb to 20 on the year -- two more than Anthony Blue's school-record 18 set in 1984. Thomas, who is seventh on the team with 44 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 fifth in the league with an average of .40 interceptions per game, needs two more picks in the final game 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 24.
TACKLE (RECORD) ELIGIBLE
Two Rebel seniors continue to climb the UNLV career tackles chart. After a stunning 38 tackles in his last two games, defensive back Quincy Sanders has moved into sixth place on the school's career list with 262. Sanders' 96 total tackles this fall are second on the team and a career high. Right behind Sanders is linebacker Jerrad Pierucci. Despite missing most of two games this fall because of injuries, Pierucci has 75 tackles on the year. The younger brother of former Rebel lineman Jerald Pierucci (1995-98), Jerrad needs three more takedowns to move past Jody Reinoehl in seventh place with 261.
ON THE OFFENSIVE...
As a team, UNLV is plus-three 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 total of six interceptions tossed is one less than the school-record-low of seven set in 1990. The Rebels have not thrown an interception since the second quarter of the Oct. 23 game vs. BYU -- a span of 14 quarters ... Even more impressive, when James Wofford fumbled in the fourth quarter last Saturday vs. SDSU, it marked the first lost fumble by UNLV since the third quarter of game two -- a span of 33 quarters ... Wofford's 17 yards vs. the Aztecs moved him into the school's top 10 in career rushing. The junior, who has played both fullback and tailback this fall, needs 68 yards to pass Tony Lewis' total of 1,698 in ninth ... Sophomore Peter Tramontanas, who started the first eight games at tight end, has moved back to the offensive line (where he played as a freshman) and will start at center for the second consecutive week.
FOR THE DEFENSE...
UNLV currently has four of the top 15 tacklers in the Mountain West Conference: No. 3 James Sunia (10.6 TT per game), No. 8 Quincy Sanders (9.6), and tied at No. 14 are Randy Black and Jerrad Pierucci (7.8) ... 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 165.1 yards per game ... UNLV is currently ranked 21st 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 16 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 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 again with 106 total tackles and is third in the MWC with an average of 10.6 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 37th in the nation with an average of 23.1 on 15 attempts. As a team, the Rebels are eighth in the nation in kickoff return average at 24.8.
RAY OF LIGHT
Making his third 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 backup 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 at Air Force, Ray finished 10-18 passing for 187 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Last week, Ray was 10-20 for 138 yards, one TD and no interceptions. Ray is one of eight true freshmen in Div. I-A who finished the season as their teams' starting quarterback.
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 45.7. 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 vs. SDSU, Cheetany booted seven balls for 44.4. A stunning 23 of his 58 attempts (40 percent) have gone 50 yards or longer while he has placed 28 percent of his punts (16) inside the 20-yard line, including seven inside the 10. Six 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 47 48.062. Brain Schmitz North Carolina 74 47.813. Shane Lechler Texas A&M 52 46.884. Ray Cheetany UNLV 58 45.675. Drew Hagan Indiana 44 44.80
UNLV ALL-AMERICAN PUNTERSYEAR 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 did not disappoint 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 much of the last two games. His 68.6-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.
GAME 10 REVIEW: SAN DIEGO ST. 37, UNLV 7
AZTECS BREEZE PAST REBELS
LAS VEGAS -- (Nov. 20, 1999)
UNLV (3-7) lost its 11th straight home game and fourth overall as San Diego State (4-6) methodically distanced itself to earn a 37-7 victory in front of 18,165 at Sam Boyd Stadium. SDSU opened the scoring by tackling RB Jeremi Rudolph in the endzone for a safety, marking the first two-pointer given up by the Rebels since 1996. After the ensuing kickoff, the Aztecs threw deep on first down and posted an 87-yard touchdown -- the longest ever against UNLV and the second-longest in SDSU history. The Rebels answered with a 19-yard scoring pass from Matt Ray to Duane "Toy Train" James, marking only the second time UNLV scored in the first quarter this season. UNLV blocked its first punt since 1998 in the first quarter but couldn't stop SDSU from putting in two more scores to make it 23-7 at the break. The Aztecs, who closed out the scoring with two more rushing TDs in the second half, were led by Jonas Lewis' 145 yards on 21 carries. UNLV, meanwhile, was limited to just 77 yards on the ground. Senior WR Len Ware was shut out for only the third time in his 41-game career as Nate Turner led UNLV receivers with five catches for 76 yards. DB Quincy Sanders turned in 16 tackles to give the senior 38 in the last two games.
BURGER BOY
UNLV place-kicker Tim O'Reilly was honored as a Burger King Scholar-Athlete at halftime of the Nov. 20 game vs. SDSU. O'Reilly, a senior from Las Vegas, is the first active student-athlete to attend UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law. Burger King has donated $10,000 to UNLV's general scholarship fund in O'Reilly's name. Kurt Pederson, Burger King General Manager of HKM II in Las Vegas and a UNLV graduate, presented the award to O'Reilly, UNLV president Dr. Carol C. Harter and director of athletics Charles Cavagnaro. A graduate of Bishop Gorman High School, O'Reilly earlier earned his bachelor's degree in hotel administration and already appeared on ABC as the network's scholar-athlete of the week on November 6.
