UNLV (3-8) 1999 RESULTSDate Opponent ScoreS. 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 L, 35-17
UNLV 2000 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Time NON-CONFERENCES. 9 at Iowa State TBAS. 16 NORTH TEXAS TBAO. 7 NEVADA, RENO TBAO. 28 at Mississippi TBA CONFERENCETBA WYOMING TBATBA NEW MEXICO TBATBA AIR FORCE TBATBA at Utah TBATBA at BYU TBATBA at San Diego St TBATBA at Colorado St 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: 107-69-3 (28 seasons)UNLV All-Time Record: 178-174-4 (32 seasons)All-Time vs. MWC Teams: 18-30-1Head Coach: John RobinsonRecord at UNLV: 3-8 (one year)Record Overall: 107-43-4 (13 seasons)Offense: MultipleDefense: 4-3
UNLV 1999 SEASON HIGHLIGHTSo Coaching legend John Robinson makes his UNLV debut on Sept. 2o Team breaks school-record overall losing streak of 16 games in Robinson's first gameo Rebels also snap school-record 26-game road losing streak in Game One o UNLV earns as many victories as last two years combined (three)o Rebels lead nation in fewest turnovers committed with 11 o UNLV sets school records for fewest interceptions (six) and fumbles (five)o Rebels do not throw an interception in final 20 quarters of playo WR Len Ware finishes in second place on the school's career reception list (161) o DB Kevin Thomas breaks school record for pass breakups with 24o Thomas ties NCAA record with 100-yard fumble return for game-winning TD at Bayloro RB Jeremi Rudolph named one of nation's top-10 transfers by Sports Illustratedo Punter Ray Cheetany named one of nation's top-10 special teams players by SIo Rebels upset Wyoming in Laramie to break conference losing streak at 16o In season finale, true freshman Matt Ray has first 200-yard passing day for UNLV QB since Jon Denton in 1997o QB Jason Vaughan breaks school's single-game record for passing efficiency vs. UNTo UNLV ranks third in nation in kickoff returns at 25.5 -- the second-best average in school historyo A UNLV player earns MWC player of the week honor on offense, defense and special teamso UNLV ranks 23rd in nation in pass-efficiency defense after finishing 97th in 1998o Rebels play on grass at Sam Boyd Stadium for first time in historyo Newly renovated stadium hosts third-best season attendance average in history, including the fourth-largest single-game crowd in school history with 30,599 watching homecoming game vs. BYU
INJURY UPDATE
UNLV Head Athletic Trainer Kyle Wilson reports that four players will spend the offseason rehabilitating from injury. Offensive lineman Allen Williams, who started his first games this fall, had surgery on his wrist on Nov. 18 and will most likely miss spring practice. Three Rebels missed the entire season. Shane Lockhart (Knee) and Justin Conway (Shoulder) are probable for spring while Tony Pierce (ACL) is out.
Following is a list of injured players and their status for Spring Practice game:
PLAYER, POS. (INJURY) STATUS GMS MISSEDJustin Conway, DL (Shoulder Surgery) Probable SeasonShane Lockhart, OL (Right Knee Surgery) Probable SeasonTony Pierce, LB (ACL Surgery) Out SeasonDevon Rose, LB (Lower Back Surgery) Out 6Allen Williams, OL (Broken Wrist) Out 2
K.T. DUTY
Defender Kevin Thomas used his sophomore year to become the top cornerback in the Mountain West Conference. The native of Sacramento, Calif., led the squad and tied for 20th in the nation with five interceptions. He also shattered the school record for pass breakups in one season with 24 -- six better than Anthony Blue's school-record 18 set in 1984. Thomas, who is seventh on the team with 52 total tackles (including two for loss), also had 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. The super soph led the MWC in passes defended (breakups plus interceptions) with 29 and was named first-team All-Mountain West Conference by Football News.
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. Cheetany not only earned the starting job, but he went on to lead the league and finish fourth in the nation in punting average with 45.4. 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 25 of his 65 attempts (39 percent) have gone 50 yards or longer while he has placed 28 percent of his punts (18) inside the 20-yard line, including seven inside the 10. Six punts (nine 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 and then had two touchdown-saving tackles vs. Colorado State.
FINAL 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 60 46.454. Ray Cheetany UNLV 65 45.38 5. Dan Hadenfeldt Nebraska 65 44.98
UNLV ALL-AMERICAN PUNTERSYR 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, 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 season's last three games. His 69.3-yard average ranked him sixth in the MWC. Also, Rudolph was second on the team in touchdowns with five and his 12 receptions were 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.
RAY OF LIGHT
Starting the final three games of the year was 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 had been slowed by a concussion sustained in the BYU game and backup Chris Hayward was battling a stress fracture in his foot. Ray -- whose uncle is coaching legend Bill Walsh -- was the fourth freshman to make a start at QB 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. Next up, Ray was 10-20 for 138 yards, one TD and no interceptions vs SDSU. One of eight true freshmen in Div. I-A who finished the season as their teams' starting quarterback, Ray saved the best for last, throwing for 216 yards and a score vs. Colorado State -- marking the first time a Rebel QB threw for 200 yards since 1997. He has yet to throw an intereception as a collegiate signal-caller.
THE FIVE FRESHMEN
UNLV started five freshmen on offense in a game at Air Force this fall. Aside from quarterback Matt Ray making his debut as a collegian, the other fresh faces were all redshirts located along the line: tight end DeJhown Mandley, left guard Allen Williams, right guard Tony Terrell and right tackle Marquez Ologbosele. While Terrell had started all season, Mandley, Williams and Ologbosele all were making their first starts. At least 15 freshmen played significant roles for UNLV this fall on both sides of the ball, including seven true freshmen: Ray, punter Ryan McDonald, linebacker Tosh Burrus, holder Toby Smeltzer, defensive backs Jamal Wynn and Ross Dalton and defensive lineman Kawika Sagapolu.
DANDY DEBUT
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' three points marked the least allowed since Jeff Horton's coaching debut in the 1994 season opener vs. Eastern Michigan. In fact, only twice before in 32 years of 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).
HEAD COACH JOHN ROBINSON
In a historic move for the team, school and entire Las Vegas Valley, famed football coach John Robinson was hired as the eighth head coach in UNLV history on Dec. 3, 1998. Bringing instant credibility to a program that this fall moves into the new Mountain West Conference, Robinson is one of college football's most successful and recognizable figures. Still passionate about the game he teaches, Robinson's stunning move to the desert and subsequent courting of Southern Nevada's loyalties has rapidly mined a football spirit not before seen in the City of Lights. "The hiring of John Robinson should be proof positive that UNLV is committed to its football program and is serious about its membership in the Mountain West Conference," UNLV President Dr. Carol C. Harter said.Robinson, 64, is the nation's eighth-winningest active coach with a career record of 107-43-4, for a percentage of .708. In addition, his 7-1 bowl record gives him a higher winning percentage in the postseason (.875) than any active college coach with a minimum of eight games. Robinson, who earned his 100th career victory at the University of Southern California in 1997 with a win vs. UNLV, had two stints with the Trojans. He first became head coach in 1976 and spent seven years leading Troy. His teams won 82 percent of their games (67-14-2) in his original run, averaging nearly 10 victories a year. In fact, Robinson tied a NCAA record for most wins by a first-year head coach after his team went 11-1 and earned a Rose Bowl berth. He won the 1978 national championship with a 12-1 mark (USC was ranked No. 2 in both 1976 and '79), led the Trojans to three Pac-10 titles and guided Troy to five postseason bowls. Also, from 1978 through 1980, USC posted a school-record 28-game unbeaten streak. Along the way, he coached two Heisman Trophy winners (running backs C harles White in 1979 and Marcus Allen in 1981) and a Lombardi Award honoree (guard Brad Budde in 1979). Also, Robinson was named National Coach of the Year in 1979 following an 11-0-1 campaign. After spending four months as USC's senior vice president for university relations, Robinson headed to the NFL to take over the Los Angeles Rams. His stint in pro ball produced the most victories (79) in Rams history. During his nine years with the club (1983-91), he reached the playoffs six times and twice advanced to the NFC championship game (1985 & '89). He spent 1992 as a television analyst before returning to USC for the 1993 season. His second term at Troy lasted until 1997 and featured three more bowl victories, including the Rose Bowl title over Northwestern following the 1995 season that improved his career record in the Granddaddy of them All to a sparkling 4-0. Robinson began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Oregon, for 12 seasons (1960-71). He moved to USC to direct the school's offense for three years (1972-74) before serving as the backfield coach for the NFL's Oakland Raiders in 1975 under childhood friend John Madden. Considered an expert on the running game, Robinson has produced four NFL rushing champions and two NCAA rushing leaders. Overall, he has tutored 24 first team All-Americans, 22 NFL first-round selections and 86 NFL draft picks. Born on July 25, 1935, Robinson grew up in Daly City, Calif., and starred in football and baseball at Serra High School San Mateo. He then lettered as an end for Oregon when the Ducks won the 1957 Pacific Coast Conference title and played in the Rose Bowl. He received his bachelor's degree in education from the school in 1958. Robinson and wife, Linda, have six grown children and six grandchildren.
ROBINSON'S HEAD COACHING RECORD
COLLEGE Year School Overall Conf.(Pl.) Bowl1976 USC 11-1 7-0 (1st) Rose (W) 1977 USC 8-4 5-2 (2nd) Bluebonnet (W) 1978 USC 12-1 6-1 (1st) Rose (W)1979 USC 11-0-1 6-0 (1st) Rose (W) 1980 USC 8-2-1 4-2-1 (3rd) - 1981 USC 9-3 5-2 (2nd) Fiesta (L) 1982 USC 8-3 5-2 (3rd) - 1993 USC 8-5 6-2 (T1st) Freedom (W) 1994 USC 8-3-1 6-2 (T2nd) Cotton (W)1995 USC 9-2-1 6-1-1 (T1st) Rose (W) 1996 USC 6-6 3-4 (5th) -1997 USC 6-5 4-4 (T5th) -1999 UNLV 3-8 1-6 (8th) - TOTAL 107-43-4 (.708) - 13 seasons
LOS ANGELES RAMS (NFL) Year Record Div.Fin Playoffs1983 9-7 2nd First Round1984 10-6 2nd Wild Card1985 11-5 1st NFC Championship Game1986 10-6 2nd First Round1987 6-9 3rd -1988 10-6 2nd First Round1989 11-5 2nd NFC Championship Game1990 5-11 3rd -1991 3-13 4th -TOTAL 79-74 (.516) - 9 seasonsCAREER 186-117-4 (.612) 22 seasons
HOME COOKIN'
UNLV made its 33rd home debut this fall but the games 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 now sports grass for the first time in its history. The move to grass ensured that the new Mountain West Conference is all-natural.
TACKLE (RECORD) ELIGIBLE
Three Rebels climbed the UNLV career tackles chart in 1999. Senior defensive back Quincy Sanders logged a career-high 104 tackles to give him 270 in his career -- good enough for sixth place on the school's alltime list. Right behind Sanders was senior linebacker Jerrad Pierucci, whose 80 tackles this fall gave him 264 in his career and the seventh spot alltime. Sophomore James Sunia, who led the team in tackles for the second straight year (119 in '99), has already moved into 10th place on the school's career list with 234. The linebacker, who averages 10.6 tackles per game in his career, needs only 56 tackles in 2000 to become UNLV's career leader over Darnell Pickens, who had 289 from 1984-87.
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. Quincy Sanders (DB) 1995-99 2707. Jerrad Pierucci (LB) 1996-99 2648. Jody Reinoehl (LB) 1987-90 2609. Rodney Mazion (DB) 1991-94 23510. James Sunia (LB) 1998-PR 234
CROWDED CROWDS
UNLV's debut season in the newly expanded and renovated Sam Boyd Stadium was 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. The season average of 22,992 was the third-highest in school history.
UNLV's LARGEST SINGLE-SEASON AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCEYEAR AVG HOME GAMES1981 24,799 61980 23,422 61999 22,992 51979 22,806 6
STAT SHOCK!
You want improbable? If UNLV's 100-yard fumble return to win the game at Baylor seemed shocking, consider this fact: Only three times in NCAA Division I-A history has a fumble been returned 100 yards (the fumble was allowed to be advanced starting in 1992). TWO of those instances involved the Rebels and they happened in a span of ONLY FIVE GAMES! UNLV was burned by a 100-yard fumble return in game nine of last season when Dan Dawson of Rice returned QB Chad Reed's fumbled attempt at reaching the end zone 100 yards for a score the other way.
NCAA RECORD FOR LONGEST FUMBLE RETURN100 yards by Kevin Thomas of UNLV at Baylor, Sept. 11, 1999100 yards by Dan Dawson of Rice vs. UNLV, Nov. 14, 1998100 yard by Paul Rivers of Rutgers vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 28, 1995
WARE THE BALLS WERE
Star receiver Len Ware closed out his Rebel career by moving up two spots on his school's career list. His six catches vs. CSU gave Ware 261 in his career -- second alltime at UNLV. The sure-handed veteran also finished fifth with 2,322 receiving yards. Ware is tied for first at the school with eight career 100-yard games. Known for his long scores, he had f our career touchdowns over 75 yards, including a 97-yard kickoff return this fall, and caught at least one pass in 39 of 42 career games. He also finished sixth at the school for receiving touchdowns with 16. Ware, a communications major, was seventh in career all-purpose yardage at UNLV with 3,252.
RED-ZONE REDUX
UNLV was 18 for 22 in the red zone this fall, and even more impressive is that all but two of the 18 conversions were touchdowns. UNLV did not fail in the red zone at all until game five at UNR. Two of the Rebels' three missteps inside the red zone this season were missed field goals. Meanwhile, Rebel opponents get into the end zone only 62% 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 UNM 1 1 0at AFA 3 2 1SDSU 1 1 0CSU 4 2 1TOTAL 22 16 2PCT. SCORING TD IN RED ZONE:73%
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 UNM 4 3 1at AFA 2 2 0 SDSU 5 4 0CSU 4 4 0TOTAL 50 31 12PCT. SCORING TD IN RED ZONE:62%
WITH HONORS1999 UNLV MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCEPLAYERS OF THE WEEK
DEFENSIVESept. 13 Kevin Thomas, DB (at Baylor)
OFFENSIVEOct. 11 Jeremi Rudolph, RB (at Wyoming)
SPECIAL TEAMSOct. 11 Duane "Toy Train" James, KR/WR (at Wyoming)
TAKING THE HIGH ROAD
After entering 1999 with a school-record 26-game road losing streak that dated back to mid-1994, UNLV posted an impressive 3-3 record away from Sam Boyd Stadium this fall. 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.
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.
