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UNLV           (6-5, 4-3 MOUNTAIN WEST)vs.HAWAI'I        (3-8, 2-6 WESTERN ATHLETIC)

DATE:       Saturday, Dec. 2, 2000KICKOFF:    8:05 pm PSTSITE:       Aloha Stadium (50,000/Artificial)TV:     TBARADIO:      ESPN 920 AM               (Larry Kahn & Tony Cordasco)

GAME PREVIEW

UNLV (6-5) will attempt to win in Honolulu for the first time since 1979 when it travels to Paradise to face Hawai'i (3-8) ... The Rebels look to earn their first bowl bid in six years by reaching seven wins ... A victory will make UNLV eligible for the postseason and put the school in either the Las Vegas Bowl or Silicon Valley Football Classic ... Saturday will mark the only time this season that UNLV will play on artificial turf and the first time since the 1999 opener at North Texas ... UNLV has only played two other regular-season games in the month of December: 12-2-78 vs. BYU in Japan (28-24 loss) and 12-1-84 vs. SMU in Las Vegas (38-21 loss) ... At 4-3 in the league, the Rebels finished in a tie with BYU for third place in the MWC ... The Rebels won four conference games in one year for the first time since going 5-1 in the Big West Conference in 1994 ... Last week, UNLV broke a seven-game road losing streak by downing San Diego State 31-24 while Hawai'i fell to visiting Wisconsin 34-18 ... The victory meant the Rebels won a road game in November for the first time since Nov. 13, 1993 ... A year after going winless at home, UNLV went undefeated and untied at Sam Boyd Stadium this season for the first time since 1977 ... UNLV's six victories this fall are the most for the program since going 7-5 in 1994 ... UNLV has won 50 percent more games (9-13) in Robinson's first 22 games as coach than the program's previous four seasons combined (6-39 from 1995-98) ... UNLV is 6-0 when scoring first and 0-5 when its opponent scores first ... Senior RB Jeremi Rudolph, who leads the MWC in rushing, needs 154 yards to become only the fifth Rebel to reach 1,000 yards in one season ... Senior WR Nate Turner needs 118 yards to reach the 1,000-yard plateau ... Senior UNLV fullback James Wofford needs 71 yards to move into fifth place on UNLV's career rushing list.

SERIES NOTES

UH leads the all-time series 10-4 ... In the last meeting, UNLV broke the Warriors' seven-game winning streak in the series with a 25-15 victory ... The Rebels have lost four straight games at Aloha Stadium ... Among teams in Div. I-A, only UNR is as old a Rebel rival -- both schools first played UNLV in 1969, which was just the second year of the program ... John Robinson is 1-0 all-time vs. UH after leading USC to a 21-5 win on the Islands on Dec. 2, 1978, en route to winning the national championship ... UNLV lists four players who graduated from Hawaii high schools: Waianae High's LB James Sunia (injured but traveling), Kahuku's DE Scott Parkhurst (will play), his brother, OL Matt Parkhurst (redshirting after LDS mission), and reserve OL Vance Fonoimoana (redshirting) ... UNLV second-year tight ends/option-game coach Ken Niumatalolo played QB for UH (1987-89), including leading the Rainbows to their first-ever bowl appearance in 1989 ... Two former Rebels appear on the Warrior roster: 1998 UNLV letterman DE La'anui Correa and DL Lui Fuga, who originally signed with UNLV out of high school but transferred home without ever suiting up for the Rebels.

2000 SCHEDULES/RESULTS
UNLV (6-5)
Date    Opponent    (TV)    ResultS. 9    at Iowa State   (KFBT)  L, 37-22S. 16   NORTH TEXAS     W, 38-0S. 23   at BYU          (ESPN+) L, 10-7S. 30   AIR FORCE   (ABC)   W, 34-13O. 7    UNR         (S.West)W, 38-7O. 14   at Colorado St. (ESPN2) L, 20-19O. 21   WYOMING-HC  (S.West)W, 42-23O. 28   at Mississippi      L, 43-40 (OT)N. 4    at Utah     (ESPN+) L, 38-16N. 11   NEW MEXICO  (ESPN+) W, 18-14N. 25   at San Diego St.(S.West)W, 31-24D. 2    at Hawaii   (TBA)   8 pm PST

HAWAI'I (3-8)
Date    Opponent    ResultS. 9    PORTLAND STATE  L, 45-20S. 23   at UTEP         L, 39-7S. 30   TULSA           L, 24-14O. 7    at TCU          L, 41-21O. 14   SMU     W, 30-15O. 21   at Rice         L, 38-13O. 28   SAN JOSE STATE  L, 57-48N. 4    at Fresno State L, 45-27N. 11   NEVADA, RENO    W, 37-17N. 18   LOUISIANA TECH  W, 27-10N. 25   WISCONSIN   L, 34-18D. 2    UNLV        6 pm HST

UNLV QUICK FACTS
Location:           Las Vegas, NV  89154Founded:            1957Enrollment:         23,000Nickname:           Rebels (Not Runnin')Colors:             Scarlet & GrayPresident:          Dr. Carol C. HarterDir. of Athletics:  Charles CavagnaroFaculty Representative: Dr. Myrlene LaMancusaConference:         Mountain WestStadium:            Sam Boyd StadiumCapacity/Surface:   36,800/Natural GrassRecord in Stadium:  112-69-3 (28 seasons)UNLV All-Time Record:   184-179-4 (33rd season)All-Time vs. MWC:   23-33-1Head Coach:             John RobinsonRecord at UNLV:         9-13  (2nd year)Record Overall:     113-48-4 (14th season)1999 Record:            3-8/1-6 T8thOffense:        MultipleDefense:        4-3

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

UNLV 25, HAWAI'I 15

LAS VEGAS -- (Sept. 20, 1997) UNLV (1-2) opened its 30th season of home football with a solid defensive effort that resulted in a 10-point win over WAC rival Hawaii (2-2). The victory broke a seven-game losing streak to the Rainbows and was the Rebels' first win over UH at Sam Boyd Stadium since 1978. UNLV trailed 3-0 after the first quarter before taking control by scoring 15 straight points and enjoying its biggest halftime advantage (12 points) since a 24-10 lead over North Texas in 1995. UNLV put the game away with a 22-yard scoring strike from Jon Denton to Damon Williams near the end of the third quarter. Two sophomores paced UNLV with Len Ware picking up 108 yards on eight catches through the air and Coury Hankins earning 125 yards on 29 carries on the ground. Although nine UH players caught at least one pass on the night, the Rebels held the `Bows to 98 yards rushing, marking the first time a Rebel opponent had been held under 100 yards since UNT two years earlier.

SERIES RECORD:          UH leads 10-4LAST MEETING:           1997 (UNLV, 25-15)UNLV at UH RECORD:  1-6UH at UNLV RECORD:  4-3UNLV's LARGEST WIN: 25 (33-8 in 1974)UH's LARGEST WIN:   38 (57-19 in 1969)
SERIES SCORESDATE            SITE            RESULT10-25-69    Honolulu    UH, 57-1911-7-70         Las Vegas   UH, 28-2110-27-73    Honolulu    UH, 31-2910-26-74    Las Vegas   UNLV, 33-810-14-78    Las Vegas   UNLV, 30-209-29-79         Honolulu    UNLV, 48-3111-15-80    Las Vegas   UH, 24-1910-31-81    Honolulu    UH, 57-2110-15-83    Las Vegas   UH, 23-09-29-84         Honolulu    UH, 16-1210-24-92    Honolulu    UH, 55-259-30-95         Las Vegas   UH, 58-3010-19-96    Honolulu    UH, 38-289-20-97         Las Vegas   UNLV, 25-15

J-DUB EYES LAST SHOT

After entering the Ole Miss game with only 17 rushing yards on the year, senior FB James Wofford exploded for 138 yards on just 10 carries for his first 100-yard rushing game in nearly two years. In that game, he climbed from 10th place all the way to seventh on UNLV's all-time rushing list. After adding 17 yards on four carries vs. UNM, Wofford moved up to sixth with 1,855 yards. Now, with one regular-season game remaining, the co-captain needs 71 yards to surpass Ickey Woods in fifth and 78 to move past Omar Love into fourth.

UNLV CAREER RUSHING YARDS
1. Mike Thomas, 1973-74         3,1492. Kirk Jones, 1983-86          2,6563. Michael Morton, 1978-81  2,5364. Omar Love, 1992-96           1,9325. Ickey Woods, 1984-87         1,9256. James Wofford, 1997-PR   1,8557. Mack Gilchrist, 1968-71  1,8508. Raymond Strong, 1976-77  1,750

REBELATIONS

ON THE OFFENSIVE: With 305 points scored through 11 games (27.7 per game), the Rebels are on pace to finish the year with 332, their highest scoring total since racking up 387 points in the 1984 season ... UNLV has totaled more than 400 yards in offense in four of 10 games this fall after failing to hit the mark even once a year ago ... The Rebels have 21 rushing TDs through 11 games, which is seven more than the previous two seasons combined and more than any entire season since posting 24 in 1981 ... After going 55 games and more than four years without a two-point conversion, UNLV has tied a school record with four successful two-point tries this year. The Rebels are 4-of-6 (66%) on two-point attempts in `00 ... Jeremi Rudolph had his string of 100-yard games broken at four when he picked up 64 yards at SDSU. Rudolph has a league-leading five century-mark games this fall -- all coming with less than 20 carries in a game. Rudolph, who is tied for seventh at UNLV with seven career 100-yard games, was the first Rebel to earn five such games in one season since Tommy Jackson had five in 1988 ... UNLV boasts a stunning 10 of the 28 century-mark games in the MWC this season. UNLV has had four different players gain 100 yards in a game this fall: Rudolph (five), Kevin Brown (three) James Wofford (once) and QB Jason Thomas (once). Rudolph was the only Rebel to pass 100 yards in a game in 1999, doing it twice ... Nate Turner (61) has 51 percent of the team's receptions (119) this season ... Turner has at least two receptions in all 22 of his games at UNLV.

FOR THE DEFENSE: UNLV has outsacked its opponents 29-24 this fall. After 11 games in 1999, the Rebels had been outsacked 31-15 by opponents ... The 29 sacks are the most in a season since the team had 41 in 1994 ... Anton Palepoi leads the Rebels with seven sacks ... Preseason All-American Thomas leads the MWC with 16 passes defended (14 PBU, two INT) ... Senior SS Randy Black is tied for the league lead in forced fumbles with three ... UNLV has held 10 of its 11 opponents to 200 yards or less rushing this season. Air Force picked up 219 yards but the Falcons still finished 118 yards below their average heading into the game ... Former Arizona LB Shanga Wilson has taken over the UNLV team lead with 76 total tackles.

SPECIAL (TEAMS) DELIVERY: Troy Mason ranks seventh in the nation in punt returns with an average of 16.4 on 23 attempts, including an 84-yard return for a score vs. UNM that ranks as the longest in the MWC this season and the school's second longest ever ... Freshman walk-on kicker Dillon Pieffer replaced senior punter Ray Cheetany on kicks after the Rebels missed five PAT attempts, including four blocks, in the first six games. Pieffer has nailed four of five field goal attempts and is a perfect three-for-three from 30 yards out or longer ... Overall, UNLV is 9-of-12 on field goals this season, which more than quadruples the team's total from a year ago (2-of-5).

GAME 11 IN REVIEW

UNLV 31, SAN DIEGO STATE 24

LATE PICK ENSURES REBELS LIVE ANOTHER DAY LAS VEGAS -- (Nov. 25, 2000) Sixth-year cornerback Amar Brisco returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute remaining to give UNLV (6-5) a 31-24 victory over San Diego State (3-8) and keep the Rebels' bowl hopes alive. The victory, which broke a seven-game road losing skid, was UNLV's first on the road in the month of November since 1993 and first in San Diego since 1984. The Rebels improved to 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference and secured a third-place league finish behind a strong performance by quarterback Jason Thomas, who established new career highs in passing attempts (31), completions (19) and yards (277) to go with two scoring tosses. After a scoreless first quarter in front of a crowd of 17,000 at Qualcomm Stadium and a SportsWest television audience, UNLV broke the ice with a 53-yard touchdown reception by Bobby Nero. The hosts rebounded, however, on their next play from scrimmage when Lon Sheriff hit Derrick Lewis for a 68-yard score. After another long Lewis reception, Jason Van ran in one of his two touchdowns to push the Aztecs' lead to 21-7 with three minutes left in the second quarter. Burned by the big play but not panicked, UNLV quickly drove down field and Thomas found Nate Turner from 16 yards out to make it 21-14 at the break. After a three-and-out by SDSU, UNLV flew down field and tied things with a one-yard Kevin Brown plunge. Aztec kicker Nate Tandberg's 37-yard field goal put his team up 24-21 but Tandberg's subsequent fourth-quarter attempt was blocked by Adrian Watson to keep the lead at three. UNLV earned a first and goal but was forced to use a Dillon Pieffer 27-yard field goal at the three minute mark to tie the game despite the program's 0-4 overtime record. SDSU effectively passed down field and was moving into position for a game-winning field goal when it faced second and six at the UNLV 37. Sheriff threw near the home sideline and Brisco moved in front of the ball and took it all the way to stun the crowd with his second career score and his team's longest intereception return since 1991. Offensively, UNLV was led by Turner's 11 receptions for 158 yards (both career highs) to offset a ground game that picked up only 91 yards. For the hosts, who were held to just three points in the second half, Lewis finished with 153 yards on just three receptions while Sheriff torched UNLV's secondary for 328 yards on just 17 completions -- the most passing yards surrendered by the Rebels since Wyoming threw for 357 on Oct. 17, 1998. The victory, which was UNLV's second-ever Mountain West Conference road win, gave the Rebels a winning record after 11 games for the first time since 1994 when they finished 7-5. The game also marked only the seventh time in school history that UNLV rallied to win after being down two touchodwns.

UNLV at HAWAI'I TENTATIVE DEPTH CHART

REBEL OFFENSE

WR (Z)  6   Nate Turner (6-3, 200, SR-1L)    8   Michael Johnson (5-10, 180, FR-RS)WR (X)  86  Troy Mason (5-10, 170, SO-1L)    1   Bobby Nero (6-1, 180, JR-TR)LT  69  Bradon Bair (6-6, 295, JR-1L)    54  Brian Hart (6-5, 290, SR-3L)LG  63  Greg Hulett (6-3, 300, JR-RS)    75  Shane Wagers (6-5, 300, JR-1L)C   61  Peter Tramontanas (6-5, 275, JR-2L)    78  Joel Menendez (6-3, 275, FR-RS)RG  70  Tony Terrell (6-4, 295, SO-1L)    73  Dominic Furio (6-2, 285, FR-RS)RT  72  John Greer (6-5, 290, SR-3L)    75  Shane Wagers (6-5, 300, JR-1L)TE  80  DeJhown Mandley (6-4, 240, SO-1L)    83  Trevan Sorensen (6-4, 240, SO-1L)QB  2   Jason Thomas (6-4, 235, SO-TR)        10  Jason Vaughan (6-4, 210, SR-1L)TB  7   Jeremi Rudolph (5-9, 175, SR-1L)    4   Kevin Brown (6-2, 225, SR-TR)FB  33  James Wofford (6-0, 200, SR-3L)    24  Steven Costa (6-1, 225, SO-1L)

REBEL SPECIALISTS
PK  95  Dillon Pieffer (5-11, 169, FR-HS)    39  Ray Cheetany (5-11, 180, SR-1L)KO  39  Ray Cheetany (5-11, 180, SR-1L)HOLD    23  Toby Smeltzer (5-10, 185, SO-1L)LS  53  Ryan Hanson (6-2, 220, FR-RS)


REBEL DEFENSE
LDE 47  Anton Palepoi (6-4, 275, JR-TR)    37  Scott Parkhurst (6-3, 235, JR-TR)DT  44  Ahmad Miller (6-4, 295, JR-1L)    91  Dietrich Canterberry (6-4, 290, FR-RS)NG  98  Anthony Suggs (6-0, 260, SR-1L)    92  Phil Reed (6-3, 270, SO-1L)RDE 90  Ahmad Briggs (6-3, 230, SO-1L)    45  Steve Newton (6-3, 245, SR-1L)    99  Adrian Watson (6-3, 240, JR-TR)SLB 48  Tyler Brickell (6-4, 225, SR-3L)    13  LaMar Owens (6-2, 235, JR-TR)MLB 49  Ryan Claridge (6-3, 235, FR-HS)    59  Bill Cofer (5-11, 235, SO-1L)WLB 36  Shanga Wilson (6-1, 215, JR-TR)    18  Tosh Burrus (6-0, 210, SO-1L)CB  5   Amar Brisco (5-10, 170, SR-3L)    19  Jamal Wynn (6-0, 185, SO-1L)SS  22  Randy Black (6-0, 210, SR-3L)    31  Sharif Hamilton (6-0, 195, SR-1L)    41  Ross Dalton (6-3, 205, SO-1L)FS  42  Sam Brandon (6-3, 195, JR-1L)    23  Toby Smeltzer (5-10, 185, SO-1L)CB  28  Kevin Thomas (5-11, 180, JR-2L)    19  Jamal Wynn (6-0, 185, SO-1L)

REBEL SPECIALISTS
P   39  Ray Cheetany (5-11, 170, SR-1L)    17  Ryan McDonald (5-10, 175, SO-1L)PR  86  Troy Mason (5-10, 170, SO-1L)    7   Jeremi Rudolph (5-9, 175, SR-1L)KOR 1   Bobby Nero (6-1, 180, JR-TR)    86  Troy Mason (5-10, 170, SO-1L)