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UNLV (3-6, 2-3 MOUNTAIN WEST)
vs.
NEW MEXICO (4-4, 3-2 MWC)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2001KICKOFF: 4:07 pm PSTSITE: University Stadium (37,000/Natural Grass)TV: SportsWest/KLAS TV-8RADIO: ESPN 920 AM
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV (3-6) looks to rebound from its worst home performance of the season by traveling to New Mexico (4-4) ... The Rebels, who fell to Utah 42-14 last Saturday, were eliminated from bowl-game eligibility while the Lobos' 20-15 win at San Diego State kept them in contention for one of the three MWC postseason slots ... With UNLV picking up its sixth loss, the school is assured of its sixth losing season in the last seven years and 12th in the last 15 campaigns ... The Rebels fell from fourth to 13th in the nation in rushing after gaining just 38 yards vs. Utah ... UNLV has boasted a 100-yard rusher in six of nine games this fall ... The Rebel defense has faced three of the nation's top five rushers so far this season in No. 2 Larry Ned (SDSU), who had 46 yards vs. UNLV, No. 4 Luke Staley (BYU), who had 77, and No. 5 Chance Kretschmer (UNR), who finished with 163 ... The six teams that have defeated UNLV this season have a combined record of 32-19.
SERIES NOTES
UNLV leads the all-time series 5-3, but this is only the fourth meeting in the last 19 years ... Five of the eight games have taken place in Albuquerque and UNLV has not won there since a one-point thriller in 1991 ... The Lobos have never won a game in Las Vegas, including falling to Colorado State 41-13 in the 1997 WAC Championship ... UNM is one of only three MWC schools against whom UNLV owns a winning record (Rebels lead Wyoming 6-4 and SDSU 6-5) ... The two schools played five consecutive seasons (1978-82) when UNLV first thought itself headed to the Western Athletic Conference ... Ironically, these two teams never met while both were members of the WAC (1996-98) ... UNLV's highest-ever scoring output and second-greatest margin of victory came against the Lobos in 1980 when the Rebels won 72-7 at University Stadium ... UNLV is 16-6 vs. teams from the Land of Enchantment: (5-3 vs. UNM, 9-3 NMSU and 2-0 N.M. Highlands).
SERIES RECORD: UNLV leads 5-3LAST MEETING: 2000 (UNLV 18-14)UNLV at UNM RECORD: 2-3UNM at UNLV RECORD: 0-3UNLV's LARGEST WIN: 65 (72-7, 1980)UNM's LARGEST WIN: 28(49-21, 1982)
DATE SITE RESULT9-23-78 Albuquerque UNM, 24-010-13-79 Las Vegas UNLV, 28-2011-1-80 Albuquerque UNLV, 72-79-12-81 Las Vegas UNLV, 49-429-18-82 Albuquerque UNM, 49-219-21-91 Albuquerque UNLV, 23-2210-30-99 Albuquerque UNM, 27-611-11-00 Las Vegas UNLV, 18-14
UNLV (3-5)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 4 pm PTN. 17 at Air Force TBA TBA
NEW MEXICO (4-4)Date Opponent Result (MT)
S.1 UTEP W, 26-6S. 8 at Texas Tech L, 42-30S. 22 at Baylor L, 16-13S. 29 at Utah L, 37-16O. 6 at Wyoming W, 30-29O. 13 BYU L, 24-20O. 27 AIR FORCE W, 52-33N. 3 at San Diego St W, 20-15N. 10 UNLV 5 pmN. 17 COLORADO STATE 1 pmN. 24 NEW MEXICO ST 1 pm
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: 189-185-4 (34th season)All-Time vs. MWC: 25-36-1Head Coach: John RobinsonRecord at UNLV: 14-19 (.424/3rd year)Record Overall: 118-54-4 (.682/15th year)2000 Record: 8-5/4-3 (T3rd MWC)Offense: MultipleDefense: 4-3
THE LAST TIME THEY MET
UNLV 18, NEW MEXICO 14
FINAL DRIVE KEEPS BOWL HOPES ALIVE
LAS VEGAS -- (Nov. 11, 2000) Celebrating Senior Day, a mistake-prone UNLV (5-5) woke up in time to drive 69 yards for a last-minute, game-winning score to down New Mexico (5-6) and complete its first unbeaten and untied home record since 1977 before 17,081 fans at Sam Boyd Stadium. With both teams needing a victory to stay alive for bowl eligibility, UNLV stumbled to a 5-0 halftime lead behind a field goal and a safety. The Rebels, whose previous high for a game was two turnovers, coughed up the ball five times in the first half alone but the Lobos could not convert for any points. After a breathtaking wind and rain storm rolled in at halftime, UNM scored the only points in the third quarter with an 80-yard drive for a TD. The two-point conversion failed but the visitors still led 6-5. The listless Rebels were awakened in the fourth when Troy Mason ran back a punt 84 yards for a score -- the second-longest return in school history -- to put his team up 11-6. With UNM unable to move the ball, the game seemed finished until a blocked punt set up a an eight-yard TD run to put the Lobos ahead 14-11 with just three minutes on the clock. Despite zero pass completions in the second half, UNLV set out from its own 31 and masterfully drove 10 plays for the winning score -- a two-yard TD pass from Jason Thomas to Nate Turner with 18 seconds remaining. The win was the first for UNLV in the month of November since 1996 and moved the hosts to 5-0 at SBS in '00. Turner finished with 72 yards on six catches while RB Jeremi Rudolph earned 106 yards on 19 carries for his fourth-consecutive century-mark rushing day.
CROWDED CROWDS
Last week's home-finale crowd of 21,042 gave the Rebels a season total of 122,513 and an average of 24,503 for five home games, which was second all-time at the school. The 2001 Rebels needed only 1,485 more home fans to break the school record for per-game average, which was 24,799 per game in 1981 during Tony Knap's final year as head coach. This fall was only the second time UNLV played in front of at least 20,000 fans at every home game in a season along with 1981. In fact, UNLV has played all but one of its nine games this year in front of at least 20,000, with the gathering of 11,299 at Wyoming being the only exception.
HOME ATTENDANCE
RK YEAR AVG/GAME
1. 1981 24,7992. 2001 24,5033. 1980 23,4224. 1979 22,8065. 1999 22,9926. 2000 20,6987. 1997 20,3158. 1987 20,216
REBELATIONS
ON THE OFFENSIVE:
UNLV has scored exactly the same amount of points as its opponents this season (233) ... 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 ... Combined, UNLV has been outscored in three of four quarters this fall -- only having a 75-56 advantage in the first quarter ... The Rebel offensive line has allowed only four sacks in the last five games and only 10 in nine games this fall ... UNLV have been successful on fourth down only thrice in 15 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 two games in 2001 ... Brandon's 70-yard interception return for a score last week meant that he now 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 seven tackles in two games ... Sophomore LB Ryan Claridge is tied for the national lead 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:
PK Dillon Pieffer is only 6 of 11 in field goals this season after making 6 of 7 as a rookie a year ago. Also, after making his first 22 extra points this fall, the sophomore missed two at Wyoming ... 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 ... Kick coverage ace Derek Olsen earned his first career score when he scooped up a BYU fumble on the opening kickoff and ran 22 yards for a TD ... UNLV ranks first in the MWC in both kickoff returns (1st NCAA with 28.1) and punt returns (16th NCAA with 12.6) ... 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 already make an impact in 2001. On offense, highly touted WR recruit Earvin Johnson is fifth on the team with 10 receptions for 155 yards. The team's oldest rookie, 21-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. Adding brief performances at Wyoming and vs. Utah gives the former Oakland Athletics farmhand a QB efficiency rating of 184.80. 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 is tied for fifth on the team with 38 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 (14) 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.
PICK ME!
With his interception last week vs. Utah, UNLV preseason All-American cornerback Kevin Thomas moved all alone into third place on the school's career list. When the senior returned the pick 24 yards for a score, it marked his fifth career defensive touchdown (including two fumbles), which extended his school record that was set just one week earlier. The pick also tied another school mark as KT's third interception for a TD matched Patt Medchill, who did the same from 1970-72. Thomas led the squad in 1999 with five interceptions and paced the Rebels again last fall with two and now leads the Mountain West Conference and is tied for fourth in the nation with five. The Sacramento, Calif., native needs just one more interception in his final two games to tie for the UNLV single-season record of six owned by Alvin Horn (1986), Aaron Mitchell (1978) and Marlon Beavers (1976).
UNLV CAREER INTERCEPTION LIST
PL PLAYER (YEARS) NO YDS TD
1. Marlon Beavers (1973-76)17 367 12. Charles Jarvis (1978-81)14 211 13. Kevin Thomas (1998-PR) 12 267 34. David Hollis (1983-86) 11 143 1 Patt Medchill (1970-72) 11 303 36. Jim Farnham (1970-71) 9 129 1 Rodney Mazion (1991-94) 9 179 2
BREAK IT UP
CB Kevin Thomas, has already obliterated the school's career passed defended record with 53 -- amazingly almost doubling the 27 second-place Anthony Blue knocked away in 1983-86 and Randy Black totaled during his career from 1997-2000. Thomas, who had a career-high six breakups vs. UNR on Oct. 7, 2000, also set UNLV's single-season mark with 24 in 1999.
CAREER PASSES DEFENDED
1. Kevin Thomas, 1998-PR 532. Randy Black, 1997-2000 27 Anthony Blue, 1983-86 274. Rodney Mazion, 1991-94 265. Carlton Johnson, 1989-91 246. Charles Dimry, 1984-87 21 David Hollis, 1983-86 21
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 984 yards on the year after struggling vs. Utah, Haro needs just 16 more in the final two games to reach 1,000. It would mark only the sixth 1,000-yard season in UNLV history. Already the sixth-best single-season total in school history, Haro currently ranks 21st in the nation and fourth in the MWC with 109.3 yards per game and fourth in the league and 49th in the country in all-purpose yards with 116.7 per game. His five career 100-yard games already ranks him 12th all-time.
GAME 9 IN REVIEW
UTAH 42, UNLV 14
UTES CONTINUE REBEL DOMINATION
LAS VEGAS -- (Nov. 3, 2001) Despite scoring two defensive touchdowns, UNLV (3-6) saw its offense shut out by Utah (6-2) in a 42-14 blow out on senior day in front of 21,042 fans and a ESPN+Plus TV audience. After Ute back Dameon Hunter rushed in to give his team a 7-0 lead, UNLV scored by way of interception in successive series. First, Sam Brandon took one of Lance Rice's pass attempts back 70 yards to tie the score and then Kevin Thomas returned one 24 yards for a 14-7 lead. It was Thomas' school-record fifth career defensive TD and his 12th career pick, which is third all-time at the school. The game changed dramatically just before halftime as Rebel Gary Cook's punt was blocked and the visitors eventually took it in from 10 yards out to tie things at 14. After the break, Utah dominated and scored two touchdowns in each of the remaining two quarters en route to a six-for-six TD day in the red zone. UNLV meanwhile, never got past the visitors' 41-yard-line as it finished with just 38 yards on the ground (after coming in averaging 250) and just 107 in the air. Joe Haro, who had put up three straight 100-yard rushing games, was held to just 34 while Hunter picked up 137 yards on 31 carries. Jason Thomas' 11 yards rushing made him the first UNLV QB in history to earn 1,000 on the ground during a career. The 28-point margin of defeat meant Utah has outscored UNLV 132-44 since the MWC was formed three years ago and the Rebels have not downed the Utes since 1979. Also, the Rebels closed out the 2001 home season with a 1-4 record just one year after going 6-0 at Sam Boyd Stadium.
UNLV vs. NEW MEXICO
TENTATIVE DEPTH CHART
REBEL OFFENSE
WR 86 Troy Mason (5-10, 170, JR-2L) 8 Michael Johnson (5-10, 180, SO-1L) WR 4 Earvin Johnson (6-3, 195, FR-HS) 1 Bobby Nero (6-1, 180, SR-1L) 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) 6 Dominique Dorsey (5-6, 165, FR-HS) 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 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) 37 Scott Parkhurst (6-3, 245, 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 21 Chameion Sutton (5-11, 180, JR-TR) 41 Ross Dalton (6-3, 205, JR-2L) 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 86 Troy Mason (5-10, 170, JR-2L) KR 86 Troy Mason (5-10, 170, JR-2L) 1 Bobby Nero (6-1, 180, SR-1L) 6 Dominique Dorsey (5-6, 165, FR-HS)
