Nov. 7, 2001

LAS VEGAS - UNLV football will make its first-ever trip to play the University of Toledo in 2002 and then host the Rockets in 2003, the school announced Wednesday.

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. It will mark UNLV's fourth non-conference game to open the campaign after hosting Wisconsin (Aug. 31) and Kansas (Sept. 7) and then traveling to Oregon State (Sept. 14). The Rebels also will host in-state rival Nevada, Reno on Oct. 5.

Toledo will come to Sam Boyd Stadium to open the next season on Aug. 30, 2003. The Rebels will play 12 games in both of those years, including six each at home. It will mark the first time UNLV has played six-regular-season games at home since 1996 and the first time in successive years since 1991-92.

In 2003, UNLV also will play at Wisconsin (Sept. 13), host Hawaii (Sept. 20), and travel to Kansas (Sept. 27) and UNR (Oct. 4).

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. Toledo also played in the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl where it downed UNR in overtime 40-37.

The Rockets replaced Baylor on UNLV's non-conference schedule. The Bears were originally scheduled to return a game that the Rebels played in Waco, Texas, in 1999, but paid a fee to exit the contract. UNLV Senior Associate Athletics Director Jerry Koloskie had been looking for a replacement most of the year.

"It was difficult to establish a home-and-home series with anyone this late in the game but signing Toledo presents us with a quality opponent from a conference that we have a history with," Koloskie said. "Most importantly, these games allowed us to fill the only two gaps remaining in our schedule for the next six years."

UNLV has played seven teams from the Mid-American Conference and holds a 6-6 record. The last time the Rebels played a MAC team was 1995 when Eastern Michigan downed Jeff Horton's squad 51-6. Since moving to the Division-I level in 1978, UNLV has participated in home-and-home series with EMU and Central Michigan. UNLV also faced CMU in its second bowl appearance in 1994 and defeated the Chippewas 52-24.

2002 UNLV SCHEDULE              2003 UNLV SCHEDULE
HOME                        HOME
Aug. 31         WISCONSIN           Aug. 30         TOLEDOSept. 7         KANSAS              Sept. 20    HAWAIIOct. 5      UNR             TBA     BYUTBA     AIR FORCE           TBA     UTAHTBA     WYOMING             TBA     COLORADO STATETBA     NEW MEXICO          TBA     SAN DIEGO STATE
AWAY                        AWAY
Sept. 14    at Oregon State         Sept. 13    at WisconsinSept. 21    at Toledo           Sept. 27    at KansasTBA     at BYU              Oct. 4      at UNRTBA     at Utah             TBA     at Air ForceTBA     at Colorado State       TBA     at WyomingTBA     at San Diego State      TBA     at New Mexico
UNLV FUTURE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULES
2004                        2005
Sept. 4         at Tennessee                Sept. 3         at OregonSept. 11    at Wisconsin            Sept. 17    ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAMSept. 25    UTAH STATE              Sept. 24    at Utah StateOct. 2      UNR             Oct. 1      at UNR
2006                     2007
Sept. 2         at Alabama-Birmingham           Sept. 1         UTAH STATESept. 16    OREGON                  Sept. 8         WISCONSINSept. 23    MISSISSIPPI         Sept. 15    at Oregon StateOct. 7      UNR             Oct. 6      at UNR