Nov. 12, 2001

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UNLV (3-7, 2-4 MOUNTAIN WEST)
vs.
AIR FORCE (5-4, 2-3 MWC)
DATE:       Saturday, Nov. 17, 2001
KICKOFF:    12:07 pm PST
SITE:       Falcon Stadium/52,480/Natural Grass
TV:     ESPN+Plus/KFBT Gold 33
RADIO:      ESPN 920 AM

GAME PREVIEW

UNLV (3-7) closes out the season by traveling to Air Force (5-4) in a Mountain West Conference matchup ... The Rebels are coming off a 27-17 loss at New Mexico while the Falcons fell last week at Colorado State on an ESPN Thursday night telecast 28-21 ... UNLV will look to break a two-game losing streak by winning for the first time ever at the Academy ... With left guard Greg Hulett slowed by a sprained ankle, which he reaggravated at UNM, UNLV may have a different starter on the offensive line for the first time all season as the Rebels have started the same five players in 10 straight games (freshman Marcus Johnson spelled Hulett when he left Saturday's game) ... The Rebels are 12-19-2 in season finales and only 1-7 in their last eight, however, the lone victory came last season at Hawaii, 34-32, to wrap up a Las Vegas Bowl bid ... UNLV has won only one game on the road in the month of November since 1993 -- last year at San Diego State -- and is 4-15 overall in the month since 1995 ... With UNLV picking up its seventh loss, the school is assured of its sixth losing season in the last seven years and 12th in the last 15 campaigns ... The Rebel defense has faced three of the nation's top seven rushers this season in No. 2 Chance Kretschmer (UNR), who finished with 163 vs. UNLV, No. 4 Luke Staley (BYU), who had 77, and No. 7 Larry Ned (SDSU), who had only 46 yards ... The six teams that have defeated UNLV this season have a combined record of 40-26.

SERIES NOTES

Air Force leads the all-time series 4-2 but UNLV won last year's meeting for its first victory in the series since 1981 ... AFA is the only service academy team UNLV has ever faced ... The Falcons are one of only four teams that the Rebels have faced in each of the last six years (Wyoming, CSU and in-state rival UNR are the others) ... The Rebels took a 24-21 decision over AFA in the teams' first meeting on Nov. 21, 1981, and it took 15 years for the Falcons to even the series when they spoiled UNLV's WAC debut with a resounding 65-17 win at Sam Boyd Stadium ... UNLV's roster lists two players from the state of Colorado -- PK Dillon Pieffer from Colorado Springs' Coronado High School and QB Kurt Nantkes from Aurora's Hinkley High.

SERIES RECORD:      AFA leads 4-2LAST MEETING:       2000 (UNLV 34-13)UNLV at AFA RECORD: 0-2AFA at UNLV RECORD: 2-2UNLV's LARGEST WIN: 21 (34-13 in 2000)AFA's LARGEST WIN:  48 (65-17 in 1996)
DATE            SITE            RESULT
11-21-81    Las Vegas   UNLV, 24-219-7-96          Las Vegas   AFA, 65-179-13-97         Colo. Springs   AFA, 25-249-12-98         Las Vegas   AFA, 52-1011-13-99    Colo. Springs   AFA, 35-169-30-00     Las Vegas   UNLV, 34-13

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

UNLV 34, AIR FORCE 13

REBELS DOMINATE FALCONS IN HISTORIC WIN

LAS VEGAS -- (Sept. 30, 2000) UNLV (2-2) won its first-ever Mountain West Conference home game by surprising previously first-place and undefeated Air Force (3-1) in front of 22,321 at Sam Boyd Stadium. Appearing on ABC-TV for the first time since 1981 and first time ever from Las Vegas, the Rebels outrushed the Falcons for the first time in history -- 224-219 -- and the result was a 34-13 win. Things were nearly even in the first half as UNLV scored on two Ray Cheetany field goals and a short Jeremi Rudolph run. AFA, meanwhile, got two scoring runs by Scotty McKay in the first half to take a 13-12 lead into the locker room. In the third quarter, a thrilling 20-yard Jason Thomas scramble for a score on third-and-10 got UNLV a lead it wouldn't relinquish as the hosts scored the last 25 points of the game. Rudolph found the end zone again and Thomas later sealed the win with an 18-yard TD strike to Bobby Nero. After Cheetany had two extra-point attempts blocked, Thomas rushed in the team's second two-point conversion of the game (after not having one since 1995) for the final score with six minutes remaining. The Rebel defense continued its stunning performance by shutting out the Falcons in the second half and its opponents in nine of the last 12 quarters of play. Kevin Thomas grabbed his second interception of the year while Sam Brandon and Randy Black both turned in 10 tackles. Offensively, Jason Thomas had his best day yet, with career highs in pass attempts (22), completions (16) and passing yards (259) to go with the one score and no interceptions. Nate Turner rang up a career-high nine receptions for 102 yards and Troy Mason got four balls for 122 yards -- all in the first half. It marked the first time UNLV boasted two players with 100-yard games and the same player with back-to-back century-mark games since 1997. The surprise of the day, however, came in the form of Steven Costa who brought a whopping two career carries into the game. The sophomore fullback filled in for injured starter James Wofford and ended up leading his team with 78 yards on only eight carries, including a long of 32. UNLV broke a four-game losing streak to AFA.

UNLV (3-7)
Date    Opponent    TV     Result
A. 30   at Arkansas     ESPN    L, 14-10S. 7    NORTHWESTERN    ESPN    L, 37-28S. 22   at Arizona  KFBT    L, 38-21S. 29   BYU     ABC L, 35-31O. 6    at Nevada, Reno KLAS    W, 27-12O. 13   SAN DIEGO STATE ABC W, 31-3O. 20   COLORADO STATE  KLAS    L, 26-24O. 27   at Wyoming  LV One  W, 47-26N. 3    UTAH            ESPN+   L, 42-14N. 10   at New Mexico   KLAS    L, 27-17N. 17   at Air Force    ESPN+  12 pm PT
AIR FORCE (5-4)
Date Opponent           Result
S. 1    OKLAHOMA    L, 44-3S. 8    TENNESSEE TECH  W, 42-0S. 29   at San Diego St W, 45-21O. 6    at Navy         W, 24-18O. 13   WYOMING         W, 24-13O. 20   at BYU          L, 63-33O. 27   at New Mexico   L, 52-33N. 3    ARMY            W, 34-24N. 8    at Colorado St  L, 28-21N. 17   UNLV            1 pm MTN. 24   at Hawaii   TBAD. 1    UTAH            1 pm MT
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. Hal K. RothmanConference:         Mountain WestStadium/Opened:         Sam Boyd/1971Capacity/Surface:   36,800/Natural GrassRecord in Stadium:  114-73-3 (30th season)All-Time Record:    189-186-4 (34th season)All-Time vs. MWC:   25-37-1Head Coach:             John RobinsonRecord at UNLV:         14-20 (.412/3rd year)Record Overall:         118-55-4 (.678/15th year)2000 Record:            8-5/4-3 (T3rd MWC)Offense:        MultipleDefense:        4-3

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

NEW MEXICO 27, UNLV 17

JT-LESS UNLV STUMBLES AGAIN

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- (Nov. 10, 2001) With starting quarterback Jason Thomas on the sidelines with the flu and leading receiver and punt returner Troy Mason missing the game with a sprained ankle, UNLV (3-7) lost its second straight game, 27-17 to New Mexico (5-4). Playing before 27,107 fans at University Stadium and a SportsWest television audience, redshirt freshman signal-caller Kurt Nantkes made his first career start and led his banged-up team to an impressive first-half performance. After Lobo Derrick Sheppard opened the scoring with a 21-yard dash, freshman Dominique Dorsey tied things with a sensational 40-yard TD run before he left the game with a sprained ankle. UNLV took the lead in the second quarter when Nantkes found senior Andrew Dubiellak in the end zone from 26 yards out. It was the Canadian walk-on's first career catch. UNM QB Casey Kelly then re-tied the score with a one-yard scoring rush. However, UNLV kicker Dillon Pieffer booted the 10th-longest field goal in school history from 49 yards out with under a minute to go to give his team a 17-14 halftime lead. In the third quarter the Lobos converted a Nantkes fumble into a go-ahead two-yard TD by Jarrod Baxter. The scoring closed with two Vladimir Borombozin field goals, which extended his school record for consecutive successful attempts. Nantkes finished with 12 completions in 28 attempts and threw for 159 yards and one interception. The Rebel running game, which produced 88 yards in the first half, was held to just 19 in the second. The season's leading rusher, Joe Haro, finished with 53 yards on 20 carries, which pushed him over the 1,000-yard season mark for the only the sixth time in school history. UNLV's Michael Johnson led all receivers with five catches for 60 yards while Lobo Gary Davis totaled 15 tackles and added a fumble recovery to earn MWC Defensive Player of the Week.

REBELATIONS

ON THE OFFENSIVE:

QB Jason Thomas needs 60 yards to move into eighth place on the school's career passing yards list with 2,983. Another 77 yards would put JT at the 3,000 mark for a career ... The Rebels' 47 points at Wyoming were the most for the team under head coach John Robinson, the most for the program since a 55-48 overtime loss to San Jose State in 1997 and the most in a regulation game since a 52-24 Las Vegas Bowl win over Central Michigan in 1994 ... UNLV's best quarter this season has been the opening stanza as the Rebels have outscored their opponents 82-63 ... UNLV has been outscored in both the third and fourth quarters this fall ... The Rebel offensive line has allowed only six sacks in the last six games and only 12 in 10 games this fall ... UNLV have been successful on fourth down only thrice in 17 attempts this season after finishing 7-13 on such plays a year ago ... Sophomore WR Michael Johnson set what was a Mountain West Conference record with 174 yards on a career-high eight receptions vs. Northwestern. It was the 14th-best receiving day in school history and the most since Len Ware had 200 vs. SDSU in 1996. However, BYU tight end Doug Jolley broke Johnson's short-lived record with 177 yards on Oct. 20 ... A week after UNLV threw for the second-least yards in school history with 40 vs. Arkansas, Thomas rebounded to toss for a career-high 304 yards and two touchdowns vs. Northwestern. It marked the first 300-yard game for a UNLV quarterback since Jon Denton threw for 401 vs. San Jose State in 1997 ... Even though he only had seven completions at Wyoming, Thomas passed for three touchdowns in a regular-season game for the first time in his career. JT also tossed three scores in last year's Las Vegas Bowl.

FOR THE DEFENSE:

UNLV has four defensive scores this season ... FS Sam Brandon, who had a team-season-high 17 tackles vs. Utah, has led his team in takedowns in all but three games in 2001 ... Brandon's 70-yard interception return for a score vs. Utah meant that he has one on both sides of the ball. The former WR also caught an 11-yard touchdown vs. SMU in 1998 ... Former reserve tight end Trevan Sorensen recently moved to defensive end and got his first action on his new side of the ball at Wyoming. He now has eight tackles in three games ... Sophomore LB Ryan Claridge is among the national leaders with six forced fumbles and is just one behind single-season UNLV record holder Bruce Gray (1970) ... Shanga Wilson also recovered a fumble vs the Cowboys, which gave him a league-leading four this fall ... Senior Scott Parkhurst, who started the first two games at LB, moved back to the line in time for the Arizona game while Adam Seward moved over and now is the starter on the strong side ... UNLV held Arkansas to only 114 yards in Game One, which broke the school record of 131 yards by Cal State Fullerton in 1983 ... SDSU's 3 points in Game Six was the lowest total ever allowed by UNLV to a MWC opponent.

SPECIAL (TEAMS) DELIVERY:

UNLV snapped a 12-quarter drought without a field goal when PK Dillon Pieffer hit a career-long 49-yarder just before halftime at UNM ... The three-pointer was the 10th-longest in school history and the longest since Nick Garritano had five 51 or longer in 1994 ... Pieffer is only 7 of 12 in field goals this season after making 6 of 7 as a rookie a year ago ... The Rebels have a new kickoff man in the form of import Hubi Schulze Zumkley, a freshman from Herbern, Germany, who took over the duties beginning in Game Four ... The Rebels have had two players bring home MWC Special Teams Player of the Week honors this fall as freshman punter Gary Cook earned the title on Oct. 8 after averaging 45.3 yards per kick at UNR and PR Troy Mason earned the award on Oct. 15 after returning two punts longer than 50 yards vs. SDSU.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

Tailback/kick returner Dominique Dorsey is not the only Rebel rookie to make an impact in 2001. On offense, highly touted WR recruit Earvin Johnson is fifth on the team with 11 receptions for 162 yards. The team's oldest rookie, 22-year-old QB Kurt Nantkes, made his collegiate debut at Arizona and completed 2 of 3 attempts for 33 yards, including his first touchdown pass. In Game Six vs. SDSU's first unit, Nantkes completed both of his attempts, which included another short scoring pass. After brief performances at Wyoming and vs. Utah, the former Oakland Athletics farmhand started his first college game at UNM and passed for 159 yards and his third score. On special teams, Gary Cook has settled into the team's starting punting job while Hubi Schulze Zumkley is the squad's new kickoff man. On defense, redshirt LB and four-game starter Adam Seward stands fifth on the team with 46 tackles and had his first career sack at UNR. Redshirt DB Jamaal Brimmer has 20 tackles and started his first game at Wyoming while Ruschard Dodd-Masters (16) and Zach Bell (seven) also are contributing.

TAKE A PEEK AT NEEK

Diminutive UNLV tailback Dominique (pronounced dom-in-NEEK) Dorsey was creating a sensation in Las Vegas before suffering ankle injuries. The 5-foot-6-inch, 165-pound true freshman did not even play in the season's first game but then exploded into a versatile gridiron weapon. Dorsey gained 18 yards on his first career carry vs. Northwestern and then minutes later returned his first kickoff 87 yards. After later adding a 55- and 53-yarder, he skyrocketed to No. 1 in the nation. Although he has had only three returns in the last three games, he returned to the top spot with a current average of 36.33 on nine attempts. Dorsey broke out of the backfield vs. BYU when he gained 77 yards on 14 carries and scored his first two TDs. Then, still coming off of the bench at Nevada, Reno, "Little D" rolled up a MWC freshman-record 180 yards on just 18 carries, including a career-long 56-yarder and another score. Dorsey sprained his ankle vs. SDSU and left after gaining just 17 yards on four carries and then, vs. CSU, sprained the other ankle after just three attempts and did not play vs. Wyoming before coming back in a limited role vs. Utah. Last week at UNM, Dorsey ran for 49 yards, including a scintilating 40-yard touchdown before leaving a game once again because of injury. He is listed as probable to play at Air Force.

TOLEDO BOUND

UNLV football will make its first-ever trip to play at the University of Toledo in 2002 and then host the Rockets in 2003, the school announced Nov. 7. The addition of the two-year series means that the school's schedules, though tentative, are now complete through 2007. Toledo, a highly successful Mid-American Conference program will host UNLV at the 26,248-seat Glass Bowl on Sept. 21, 2001. Toledo will come to Sam Boyd Stadium to open the next season on Aug. 30, 2003. Next year's clash will not be the first time the two teams have met on the football field. UNLV defeated the Rockets in the 1984 California Bowl, which was played in Fresno, 30-13 behind the talents of All-American quarterback/punter Randall Cunningham.

JERSEY JOE

UNLV junior Jersey Joe Haro burst into the starting tailback spot after a long journey back and forth across the line of scrimmage. An all-state performer out of Clifton, N.J., Haro joined the Rebels in 1998 and earned a medical hardship after rushing four times for zero net yards. He carried the ball only eight times in 1999 but still managed to be his team's leading rusher vs. BYU with 59 yards on just four carries. With a senior logjam at the UNLV tailback spot in 2000, Haro moved to defensive back but fractured his right fibula in Game Two and missed the remainder of the season. Haro moved back to offense during bowl-game practices last December and earned the No. 2 tailback spot heading into the season opener. During halftime at Arkansas, Haro had five carries for zero yards, but then Jersey Joe exploded to finish with a game-high 131 yards on 24 total carries. Starting his first game vs. Northwestern the following week, Haro proved his gutty rushing style was no fluke as he gained 104 yards on 25 carries, including his first career touchdown run of 10 yards. Haro had career-best days three weeks in a row in October as he ran for 136 vs. SDSU and then 146 yards and two touchdowns vs. CSU for his third and fourth century-mark games this fall. Then, at Wyoming, Haro dominated on the ground with 226 yards on just 22 carries (10.3 per carry) and two touchdowns, including a career-long 65-yard scoring run. The peformance, which earned him MWC POW honors, marked the first time a Rebel ran for 200 yards in a game since Shannon Wilson got exactly that much vs. Arkansas State in 1995. It was also the best UNLV total since Ickey Woods ran for 265 on 37 carries vs. Pacific in 1987. With 53 yards at UNM, Haro moved to 1,037 to turn in the sixth 1,000-yard rushing season in school history and is currently at the fourth-best single-season total ever for a Rebel. Haro currently ranks 28th in the nation and fourth in the MWC with 103.7 yards per game and fifth in the league and 70th in the country in all-purpose yards with 110.3 per game. His five career 100-yard games already ranks him 12th all-time.

UNLV vs. AIR FORCE
TENTATIVE DEPTH CHART
REBEL OFFENSE
WR  8   Michael Johnson (5-10, 180, SO-1L)    88  Andrew Dubiellak (6-4, 185, SR-1L)WR  1   Bobby Nero (6-1, 180, SR-1L)    4   Earvin Johnson (6-3, 195, FR-HS)LT  69  Brandon Bair (6-6, 295, SR-2L)    67  Eddie Freas (6-2, 300, JR-RS)LG  63  Greg Hulett (6-3, 300, SR-1L)    76  Marcus Johnson (6-1, 290, FR-RS)C   61  Peter Tramontanas (6-5, 275, SR-3L)    73  Dominic Furio (6-2, 285, SO-1L)RG  70  Tony Terrell (6-4, 295, JR-2L)    60  Ernie Calanche (6-4, 290, JR-1L)RT  75  Shane Wagers (6-5, 300, SR-2L)    77  Jimy Zoll (6-6, 300, FR-RS)TE  80  DeJhown Mandley (6-4, 240, JR-2L)        84  Brad Osterhout (6-4, 245, JR-1L)QB  2   Jason Thomas (6-4, 230, JR-1L)    7   Kurt Nantkes (6-4, 215, FR-RS)TB  34  Joe Haro (5-10, 190, JR-2L)    32  Jabari Johnson (5-11, 200, SR-1L)FB  40  George Gordon (6-0, 235, SR-RS)    24  Steven Costa (6-1, 225, JR-2L)    35  Andrew Faga (6-0, 240, SO-TR)
REBEL SPECIALISTS
PK  95  Dillon Pieffer (5-11, 180, SO-1L)KO  14  Hubi Schulze Zumkley (6-2, 215, FR-HS)HOLD    23  Toby Smeltzer (5-10, 185, JR-2L)LS  67  Eddie Freas (6-2, 300, JR-RS)

REBEL DEFENSE
LDE 37  Scott Parkhurst (6-3, 245, SR-1L)    45  Steve Newton (6-3, 245, SR-2L)    83  Trevan Sorensen (6-4, 255, JR-2L)DT  44  Ahmad Miller (6-4, 310, SR-1L)    92  Phil Reed (6-3, 265, JR-2L)NG  91  Dietrich Canterberry (6-4, 300, SO-1L)    93  Garrett Brassington (6-2, 285, JR-TR)RDE 90  Ahmad Briggs (6-3, 230, JR-2L)    99  Adrian Watson (6-3, 240, SR-1L)SLB 55  Adam Seward (6-2, 235, FR-RS)    13  LaMar Owens (6-2, 235, SR-1L)MLB 49  Ryan Claridge (6-3, 245, SO-1L)    36  Shanga Wilson (6-1, 215, SR-1L)WLB 36  Shanga Wilson (6-1, 215, SR-1L)    18  Tosh Burrus (6-0, 200, JR-2L)CB  19  Jamal Wynn (6-0, 185, JR-2L)    3   Ruschard Dodd-Masters (5-11, 175, FR-RS)SS  41  Ross Dalton (6-3, 205, JR-2L)    21  Chameion Sutton (5-11, 180, JR-TR)FS  42  Sam Brandon (6-3, 195, SR-2L)    27  Jamaal Brimmer (6-1, 205, FR-RS)CB  28  Kevin Thomas (5-11, 180, SR-3L)    3   Ruschard Dodd-Masters (5-11, 175, FR-RS)
REBEL SPECIALISTS
P   16  Gary Cook (5-11, 180, FR-HS)PR  1   Bobby Nero (6-1, 180, SR-1L)KR  1   Bobby Nero (6-1, 180, SR-1L)    34  Joe Haro (5-10, 190, JR-2L)