Sept. 13, 1999
GAME 3UNLV (2-0, 0-0 MOUNTAIN WEST)vs. IOWA STATE (2-0, 0-0 BIG 12)
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 18, 1999KICKOFF:7:07 pm PDTSITE: Sam Boyd Stadium (40,000/Natural Grass) TV: NoneRADIO: ESPN 920 AM
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV (2-0) makes it home debut under Head Coach John Robinson by meeting Big 12 Conference member Iowa State (2-0) ... The Rebels are 2-0 for the first time since 1992 and for only the second time since 1984 after a stunning, last-second 27-24 road win at Baylor ... UNLV used a NCAA-record tying 100-yard fumble recovery for the winning points on the game's final play ... The game was the first UNLV victory over a Big 12 school in seven all-time meetings ... It marked UNLV's first back-to-back wins since Sept. 20-Sept. 27, 1997, and first consecutive road victories since Sept. 24-Oct. 1, 1994 ... UNLV looks to go 3-0 for the fifth time in history but for the first time since 1984 ... The Rebels have never opened the season with three non-conference victories since joining a league in 1982 ... UNLV has not won three non-conference games in one season since 1986 ... The Cyclones, who are making their road debut, downed intrastate rival Iowa 14-7 last Saturday ... This week's contest also will mark the opening of the newly renovated and expanded Sam Boyd Stadium ... The Rebels are 21-10 in home openers for a winning percentage of .677.
SERIES NOTES
UNLV and Iowa State have met only once before with the Cyclones earning a 57-30 win in Ames on Sept. 23, 1995 ... That game saw ISU set three opponent records vs. UNLV that still stand: Most team net rushing yards (586), most single-game rushing yards (302 by Troy Davis) and most touchdowns by one player (5 by Troy Davis) ... The two teams are a combined 4-0 leading into this week's game while they were both 1-2 heading into the 1995 meeting ... Former UNLV women's basketball head coach Sheila Strike (1980-88) is married to Iowa State athletics director Gene Smith ... The Rebels list one player from the state of Iowa -- kick-off man Ray Cheetany, who attended Iowa Central CC in Fort Dodge ... This year marks the first time in history that the Rebels play two Big 12 (Big 8) teams in the same season ... UNLV and ISU have met twice on the men's basketball court with the Runnin' Rebels taking both decisions (1976,'77).
PREVIOUS MEETING
AMES, Iowa -- (Sept. 23, 1995)
IOWA STATE 57, UNLV 30
In front of the biggest crowd of the season to see the Rebels, UNLV (1-3) took on Iowa State (2-2) for the first time. The Cyclones boasted the nation's leading rusher in Troy Davis and the sophomore star proceeded to run all over the depleted Rebel defense, which was missing injured senior leader Rossie Johnson. Davis simply turned the eighth-best rushing performance in Big Eight history with 302 yards on 36 carries and scored five touchdowns, including an 80-yarder before he retired to the bench in the third quarter. The rushing total was the most-ever for an individual against UNLV, breaking San Jose State's Nathan DuPree's record of 286 yards on 43 carries in 1992. The Cyclones' 586 yards on the ground as a team also broke a record set just the year before by Central Michigan. UNLV's Shannon Wilson, who entered game tied for 16th in the nation in rushing, was held to only 20 yards on 10 carries as the Rebels returned to the airwaves to move down field after falling behind 37-8 at halftime. Eight UNLV players caught at least one pass on the day as the offense came alive in the second half under the direction of Jared Brown, who relieved starter Jason Davis. Their favorite target was the most improbable of teammates. Fifth-year walk-on Jack Gilmore, who had previously failed to post a single offensive statistic, led the Rebels with seven catches for 62 yards, including an 18-yard scoring play.
TV SCHEDULE CHANGES ANNOUNCED
The annual Battle for Nevada will shown live in Las Vegas on Oct. 2, the school announced last week. The UNLV at UNR game, scheduled to kick off at 1 pm from Mackay Stadium, will be produced by SportsWest Network and shown live on KLAS TV-8 (CBS). Also, the BYU at UNLV game at Sam Boyd Stadium on Oct. 23 has been moved from 4 pm to 7:30 pm and will appear live in both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.
HOME COOKIN'
UNLV makes its 32nd home debut this week but the games have never looked like this in the Valley. Thanks to an $18 million renovation and expansion of 28-year-old Sam Boyd Stadium, the team will be playing in front of more people in a drastically upgraded facility. Although the final capacity is still to be determined, the stadium will feature more than 36,000 permanent seats (all painted red for the first time), which is at least a 4,000 raise over last year. Temporary seating is also available if needed, which would raise the capacity to 40,000. Not 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 Stadium now sports grass for the first time in its history. The move to grass ensured that the new Mountain West Conference is all-natural. The Rebels have already played their only game on artificial turf this season -- at North Texas in game one.
RUDOLPH: THE HARD-NOSED GAIN'S NEAR
Highly touted tailback Jeremi Rudolph did not disappoint in his first two games 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 with a long of 28. The native of Apopka, Fla., scored two touchdowns (nine and three yards), including the team's first points of the year. Then, last week, he rushed for 91 yards on 18 carries, including a long of 23. He also added his team-leading third score of the young season. Rudolph's 94-yard average currently puts him third in the MWC and 42nd in the nation. He also ranks sixth in scoring in the league with a 9.0 points-per-game average.
ON THE OFFENSIVE...
The Rebels have scored 53 points in two games this fall. Last year's squad didn't score its 50th point until game five ... James Wofford, who finished 10th in the WAC with 74.2 YPG a year ago but has been moved primarily to fullback this fall, has moved into 11th place on the school's career rushing list with 1,552 in just over two years. He needs 41 yards to crack the top 10 and pass Shannon Wilson (1992-93, 95) ... Highly touted JC transfer Nate Turner shined at Baylor. The WR grabbed five balls for a team-leading 85 yards, which included a spectacular sideline reception of 45 yards. He also scored his first two touchdowns as a Rebel ... Peter Tramontanas, who spent '98 as an offensive guard, is now the team's starting tight end and has a reception in both of the first two game ... Two Rebel O-linemen were recently named to the Henderson (NV) Home News' All-Time Henderson football team. Basic HS graduate Brandon Bair and Silverado HS alum Glenn Pilarowski both made the team, which also listed former Rebel Jon Denton as the QB.
FOR THE DEFENSE...
UNLV's opponents have scored 27 points in two games this year compared to 93 in the same stretch a year ago ... Rebel opponents have converted only one of seven fourth-down attempts this season ... The Rebel defense has two scores in two games -- both by DB Kevin Thomas. Following his 49-yard interception return at UNT, the sophomore 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 school record for most defensive touchdowns in a career is three by Patt Medchill (1970-72) ... Since 1996, UNLV has returned four fumbles 65 yards or longer ... The Rebels have recorded 15 pass breakups in two games after having only 32 all of last year ... 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 again with 19 ... 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 198.
SPECIAL (TEAMS) DELIVERY...
True-freshman punter Ryan McDonald made his collegiate debut vs. UNT and averaged 32 yards on six kicks. The Oklahoma product replaced 1998 consensus All-American Joe Kristosik, who led the nation last year with a 46.2-yard average. McDonald is the first scholarship punter (or kicker) signed by the Rebels since JC transfer punter Brand Faunce in 1993 ... When James Sunia got a hand on UNT kicker Jason Ball's field goal attempt, it marked the first such block for UNLV since Nov. 13, 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. James has returned four punts for 13 yards this fall.
DANDY DEBUT
Playing for his fourth team in four years, quarterback Jason Vaughan had a record-breaking premiere for UNLV against UNT. The junior-college transfer was nothing if not efficient in leading his team to victory. Finishing without an interception, his 16-of-19 passing included hitting his final nine attempts. Vaughan's percentage of .840 shattered the school record for single-game completion percentage, besting Randall Cunningham's 21-of-26 (.804) performance vs. Idaho State in 1984. Vaughan also threw his first career I-A touchdown pass when he hit freshman DeJhown Mandley for an eight-yard score late in the game. At Baylor, Vaughan hit on 17 of 27 attempts for 192 yards and two scores and has yet to throw an interception.
DANDY DEBUT PART II
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, 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' 3 points marked the least allowed since Jeff Horton's coaching debut in the 1994 season opener versus Eastern Michigan. In fact, only twice before in 32 years of Rebel 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). Ironically, it was the first time Robinson won his first game at a university. He lost his debut game in both of his stints at Southern California.
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 FOUR GAMES! UNLV was burned by a 100-yard fumble return in game nine of last season when Dan Dawson 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
GAME TWO REVIEW: UNLV 27, BAYLOR 24
IMPROBABLE FINISH SAVES REBELS
WACO, TEXAS -- (Sept. 11, 1999)
Enjoying one of the most stunning finishes in college football history, UNLV (2-0) won its second consecutive game in the state of Texas in two weeks after having just a 1-7 record previous to 1999 in the Lone Star State. Baylor (0-2) lost on the last play of the game for the second consecutive week as the Bears went from attempting to run up the score to losing their eighth-straight in a matter of seconds. Ahead 24-21, BU had a first and goal on the UNLV eight-yard-line with under 10 seconds remaining but decided to go for more points instead of taking a knee to end the game. RB Darrell Bush took the handoff and was stood up just outside the endzone when UNLV LB Tyler Brickell smacked the football loose. DB Kevin Thomas then picked up the ball and raced 100 yards untouched as time expired to give the guests a shocking 27-24 win and marking only the third time in NCAA Div. I history that a fumble had been returned the length of the field. "It's just unbelievable," BU rookie head coach Kevin Steele said. "It was a one-in-a-million deal. We played with fire and got burned and it was an expensive mistake." UNLV's John Robinson raised his record vs. the Bears to 2-0 as the Rebels won back-to-back games for first time since Sept. 20-27,1997, and earned consecutive road wins for the first time since Sept. 24-Oct. 1, 1994. UNLV won despite making a fistful of errors. In fact, all of BU's points resulted from Rebel miscues, including a botched punt, two lost fumbles and 96 yards in penalties. Two of those mistakes led to BU taking a 10-7 lead into halftime. The game see-sawed from that point with UNLV taking leads of 14-10 and 21-17. The hosts regained the lead 24-21 and seemingly were running out the clock before the final-play fireworks, which saw Thomas score his second defensive TD in as many weeks. UNLV was led on the ground by Jeremi Rudolph's 91 yards on 18 carries, including one score while WRs Len Ware (8 receptions for 83 yards) and Nate Turner (5 for 85 and two TDs) took care of things through the air. Despite his fumble, Bush led the Bears with 127 yards and one TD. The Rebels, who earned their first-ever win over a school from the Big 12, went 2-0 on the road to start a season for first time since 1974 and only second time in history as well as improving to 5-2 all-time after playing on a Thursday.
GAME ONE REVIEW: UNLV 26, NORTH TEXAS 3
ROBINSON'S REBELS NOW STREAK BREAKERS
DENTON, TEXAS -- (Sept. 2, 1999)
The John Robinson Era at UNLV began on a Thursday night in a game shown live on Las Vegas' KLAS TV-8 (CBS) -- believed to be the first time in school history that Rebel football appeared on a network affiliate in prime time. The Rebels broke a school-record 16-game losing streak with a 26-3 victory at North Texas in the season opener for both programs. UNLV won its first game on the road since 1994 by taking advantage of various Eagle miscues and playing stingy defense in front of 19,011 at Fouts Field. After a scoreless first quarter, the Rebels got on the board with a nine-yard run by JC-transfer Jeremi Rudolph, though the PAT was blocked. The Mean Green then knocked in a 24-yard field goal just before the break to cut the lead in half. The 6-3 score marked the first time UNLV had gone into the lockerroom with a lead on the road since leading 7-6, ironically, at USC in 1997. After a scoreless third period, UNLV exploded for 20 points. Another Rudolph run gave the visitors a 13-3 lead and Kevin Thomas stepped in front of a Jason Attaway pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown to put the game away. The Rebels' first touchdown passing play finished things off when Jason Vaughan hit freshman DeJhown Mandley for an eight-yard score with less than a minute remaining. UNLV improved its record on Thursday games to 5-2 all-time and moved to 17-15 in season openers, including just 4-10 when opening on the road.
