Aug. 30, 1999
LAS VEGAS -
GAME ONE
UNLV (0-0, 0-0 MWC)vs. NORTH TEXAS (0-0, 0-0 BIG WEST)
DATE: Thursday, Sept. 2, 1999KICKOFF:5:07 pm PDTSITE: Fouts Field (30,500/Artificial) Denton, TexasTV: KLAS TV-8 in Las Vegas/SportsWest (Dave McCann & Blaine Fowler)RADIO: ESPN 920 AM (Tony Cordasco & Hunkie Cooper)
UNLV (0-0) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/Time S. 2 at North Texas 5 pm PDTS. 11 at Baylor 4 pm PDTS. 18 IOWA STATE 7 pm PDTS. 25 UTAH 7 pm PDTO. 2 at Nevada, Reno 1 pm PDTO. 9 at Wyoming 12 pm PDTO. 16 OPENO. 23 BYU (HOMECOMING)4 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
NORTH TEXAS (0-0) 1999 SCHEDULEDate Opponent Result/TimeS. 2 UNLV 7 pm CDTS. 11 at LSU 7 pm CDTS. 18 at Texas Tech 6 pm CDTO. 2 at Baylor 6 pm CDTO. 9 at Idaho 7:30 pm CDTO. 16 BOISE STATE 2:35 pm CDTO. 23 ARKANSAS STATE 2:35 pm CDTO. 30 at Nevada, Reno 3 pm CDTN. 13 at TCU 2 pm CSTN. 20 at New Mexico St.3 pm CSTN. 27 UTAH STATE 2:35 pm CST
UNLV QUICK FACTSLocation: Las Vegas, 89154Founded: 1957Enrollment: 21,000Nickname: Rebels (Not Runnin')Colors: Scarlet & GrayPresident: Dr. Carol C. HarterDir. of Athletics:Charles CavagnaroConference: Mountain WestStadium: Sam Boyd StadiumCapacity/Surface:40,000/Natural GrassRecord in Stadium:107-64-3 (27 seasons)UNLV All-Time Record: 175-166-4 (31 seasons)All-Time vs. MWC Teams: 17-24-1Head Coach: John RobinsonRecord at UNLV: 0-0 (1st year)Record Overall: 104-35-4 (13th year)Offense: MultipleDefense: 4-3
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV (0-0) will play the first-ever game involving a team from the new Mountain West Conference in a special Thursday showdown with North Texas ... Head Coach John Robinson, the eighth head coach in Rebel history, returns to the sidelines for the first time since Nov. 22, 1997, when he coached his final game with USC ... Rebel coaches are 4-3 in their debuts at the school ... All-time, UNLV is 16-15 in season openers, but has not won a lid-lifter since Jeff Horton's coaching debut in 1994 when the Rebels downed Eastern Michigan 17-3 ... The Rebels are only 3-10 when opening the season away from Sam Boyd Stadium and have not won on the road in an opener since defeating San Jose State 16-6 on Sept. 5, 1981 ... UNLV has won only one of eight games it has played in the state of Texas -- a 27-20 victory over UTEP in 1981 ... The game will be shown live on Las Vegas' KLAS TV-8 (CBS) and it is believed that Thursday will mark the first time in school history that Rebel football will appear on a network affiliate in prime time ... With UNLV converting its home stadium to natural grass this fall, this game will mark the only time all season that the Rebels will play on artificial turf.
SERIES NOTES
The Rebels take on North Texas for the third time in history but the first time in Denton, Texas ... UNLV has a 2-0 record vs. The Mean Green ... North Texas represents the first Big West Conference team other than in-state rival Nevada, Reno that UNLV has faced since leaving the league after the 1995 season ... The programs have met twice in men's basketball but not since 1970 ... UNLV lists four players from the Lone Star State on its roster, including two defensive- line starters - Ahmad Briggs from Irving and Roderick Jones from Kendleton ... Only two current Rebels played against UNT in the 1995 meeting: DB Amar Brisco (who was a receiver at the time and led his team with four catches), and DL Alonzo Jones.
SERIES RECORD: UNLV leads 2-0 LAST MEETING: 1995 (UNLV 34-24)UNLV at UNT RECORD: 0-0 UNT at UNLV RECORD: 0-2UNLV's LARGEST WIN: 10 (34-24 in 1995)UNT's LARGEST WIN: None
SERIES SCORES:DATE SITE RESULT11-1-86 Las Vegas UNLV, 27-2611-4-95 Las Vegas UNLV, 34-24
THE LAST TIME THEY MET LAS VEGAS -- (Nov. 4, 1995)
UNLV 34, NORTH TEXAS 24
UNLV (2-7) broke a six-game losing streak with a 34-24 win over North Texas (1-8). The Rebels ruled the rushing wars with Tony Burton gaining 177 yards and Shannon Wilson picking up 126, marking the first UNLV duo to hit the century mark since 1990. UNLV finally scored in the first quarter for the first time all season when Burton went in from 50 yards -- his third TD run of longer than 20 yards in two games. The Rebels improved their all-time homecoming record to 18-10 by gaining 512 total yards and getting three touchdown passes from Jared Brown, two of which went to tight ends in the second quarter. True freshman Talance Sawyer made his first (and only) catch with a seven-yard score and senior Dave White hauled in his first career TD as UNLV enjoyed its first halftime lead of the year, 24-10. The Eagles were held to only 51 yards on the ground but racked up 422 yards passing by QB Josh Gulley. UNT eventually closed the gap to 24-17, but the hosts put the game away with a short Alan Di Leo field goal and a 37-yard scoring pass to Carlos Baker early in the fourth.
THURSDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
Thursday's game will not be the first time UNLV has played a pre-Saturday football game. In fact, the Rebels hold a 4-2 record on Thursdays. The 1970 Rebels, just the third squad fielded by the young school, actually played two games on Thursdays, first defeating Cal State Fullerton in a game played in Anaheim, and then downing Nevada, Reno in a season-ending homecoming battle on Thanksgiving Day for their first win over the Pack. The four other Thursday games were moved for national television. The Rebels opened the 1982 season vs. BYU and met San Diego State in 1983 both on WTBS. Most recently, UNLV played two Thursday games (a Nevada Day affair with New Mexico State in 1985 and at Fresno State in 1986) on ESPN.
UNLV THURSDAY HISTORYDATE OPPONENT RESULTOct. 22, 1970 At Cal State Fullerton W, 20-10Nov. 26, 1970 NEVADA, RENO W, 42-30Sept. 2, 1982 BYU L, 27-0Oct. 27, 1983 SAN DIEGO STATE W, 28-10Oct. 31, 1985 NEW MEXICO STATE W, 17-12Nov. 6, 1986 FRESNO STATE L, 36-7
ON THE OFFENSIVE...
James Wofford, who finished 10th in the WAC with 74.2 YPG, was only the seventh Rebel to rush for more than 600 yards in consecutive seasons and the first since Kirk Jones and Tony Lewis both hit the mark in 1984-85. The junior from Bakersfield, who started the last 16 games at tailback but has been moved primarily to fullback for '99, has quickly moved up the UNLV rushing charts. Wofford is currently 13th at the school with 1,499 career yards and needs just 153 more to move into the top 10 ... Junior quarterback Jason Vaughan, who makes his Rebel debut Thursday, is playing for his fourth team in four years. The former Mississippi recruit transferred to Valdosta State and then Middle Georgia College before finally finding a home in the desert ... Peter Tramontanas, who is projected to start at tight end for UNLV this week, is one of five returning starters on offense but spent '98 as an offensive guard. The sophomore moved back to his natural position this spring ... When Danny Pacheco hits the field Thursday it will mark the first time someone who didn't belong to the Gonzalez family starts at center for UNLV since 1993. Jose Gonzalez snapped for the Rebels in 1994-95 and was succeeded by brother Bubba from 1996-98.
FOR THE DEFENSE...
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 ... All of the Rebels' seven interceptions last season were by different players -- none of whom return in '99. Junior Randy Black is the team's current leader in career picks with three ... Secondary coach Mike Bradeson, who heads into his fourth season in Las Vegas, is the only returning assistant on the UNLV staff ... At least two of the starters on the defensive line only hit campus last month in time for preseason camp. Both rush end Ahmad Miller and noseguard Anthony Suggs are junior-college transfers who joined the team in August ... Linebacker Jerrad Pierucci, who is the brother of former starting offensive lineman Jerald Pierucci (1995-98), is the squad's active leader in career tackles with 184.
SPECIAL (TEAMS) DELIVERY...
With the loss of Joe Kristosik, UNLV will field a new starting punter for the first time since 1995. Kristosik, a former walk-on, simply became the school's first-ever consensus first-team All-American last year while leading the nation with a 46.2 average. Stepping into those big shoes is true freshman Ryan McDonald of Oklahoma who is the first scholarship punter (or kicker) signed by the Rebels since JC transfer punter Brand Faunce in 1993 ... Highlighting the return game for UNLV is Duane "Toy Train" James, who led the team in all-purpose yardage as a freshman in 1998 and finished ranked 22nd in the nation with a 25-yard average on kickoff returns.
