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UNLV(0-0, 0-0 MOUNTAIN WEST)vs.ARKANSAS(0-0, 0-0 SOUTHEASTERN)
DATE:    Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001KICKOFF: 4:35 pm PDTSITE:    War Memorial Stadium (53,727/Grass) Little Rock, ARTV:      ESPN (Mike Tirico, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso & Jerry Punch)RADIO:   ESPN 920 AM (Tim Neverett & Tony Cordasco)
UNLV (0-0)
Date    Opponent    TV   Time (PT)
A. 30   at Arkansas     ESPN    4:30 pmS. 7    NORTHWESTERN    ESPN    5 pmS. 14   COLORADO STATE  ESPN    5 pmS. 22   at Arizona  KFBT    7 pmS. 29   BYU     ABC 4 pmO. 6    at Nevada, Reno KLAS    1 pmO. 13   SAN DIEGO STATE ABC 4 pmO. 27   at Wyoming  TBA TBAN. 3    UTAH            TBA 1 pmN. 10   at New Mexico   KLAS    4 pmN. 17   at Air Force    TBA TBA
ARKANSAS (0-0)
Date    Opponent        Time (CT)A. 30   UNLV            6:30 pmS. 8    TENNESSEE   8 pmS. 15   NORTH TEXAS 6 pmS. 22   at Alabama  TBAS. 29   at Georgia  TBAO. 13   SOUTH CAROLINA  6 pmO. 27   AUBURN          6 pmN. 3    at Ole Miss 1 pmN. 10   CENTRAL FLORIDA 1 pmN. 17   MISSISSIPPI ST. 1 pmN. 23   at LSU          1:30 pm

Location:      Las Vegas, NV  89154Founded:       1957Enrollment:    23,000Nickname:      Rebels (Not Runnin')Colors:        Scarlet & GrayPresident:     Dr. Carol C. HarterAD:            Charles CavagnaroFaculty Rep:       Dr. Hal K. RothmanConference:    Mountain WestStadium:       Sam Boyd StadiumCapacity/Surface:  36,800/Natural GrassRecord in Stadium: 113-69-3 (30th season)All-Time Record:   186-179-4 (34th season)All-Time vs. MWC:  23-33-1Head Coach:        John RobinsonRecord at UNLV:    11-13(.458/3rd year)Record Overall:    115-48-4 (.701/15th year)2000 Record:       8-5/4-3 (T3rd MWC)Offense:           MultipleDefense:       4-3

GAME PREVIEW

UNLV will open its 34th season of football by traveling to face Arkansas in Little Rock ... The game will be a rematch from December's Las Vegas Bowl, which UNLV won 31-14 ... The earliest game in school history, this marks only the second time that the Rebels will face the same team twice in a row as the school's first football team ended the 1968 season with a 17-13 loss vs. Cal Lutheran before UNLV opened the 1969 campaign with a 26-0 loss at the hands of the Kingsmen ... The Rebels, who won their final four contests of 2000, will look to win five consecutive games for the first time since a seven-game victory streak in 1984 ... The game will be televised nationally by ESPN and mark the Rebels' first appearance on the channel since 1994's Las Vegas bowl victory over Central Michigan ... UNLV's first three games this season are scheduled for ESPN broadcasts ... The Rebels hold a 5-2 record on games played on Thursday ... With two Friday night affairs ahead, UNLV will not play on a Saturday until Game Four at Arizona ... UNLV is 17-16 all time in season openers (.515), including just 1-5 since 1994 ... The Rebels, who have not opened a season at home since 1994, are only 4-11 (.267) in lid lifters away from home ... Head coach John Robinson is 8-6 in season-openers, including 1-1 at UNLV ... Thursday's game marks only the fourth time that UNLV faces an opponent from the Southeastern Conference as the Rebels lost 62-3 loss at Tennessee in 1996 and 43-40 in overtime at Ole Miss last October ... UNLV is the only team from the Mountain West Conference to defeat Arkansas as the Hogs are 3-0 vs. CSU, 2-0 vs. New Mexico and 1-0 vs. Air Force ... UNLV's eight victories last season were the most for the program since going 11-2 in 1984 ... The Rebels have won five more games (11-13) in Robinson's first 24 games as coach than the program's previous four seasons combined (6-39 from 1995-98) ... When Jason Thomas takes his place under center at Arkansas it will mark the first time that UNLV started the same quarterback for two consecutive season openers since Jon Denton did it in 1996-97 ... Both teams received votes in both major preseason polls: UNLV earned 12 points for 37th place in the AP rankings while Arkansas was 35th with 22 points, the Rebels earned 12 points for the 43rd spot in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll while the Hogs got seven points for 47th ... Arkansas is the first of three consecutive UNLV opponents who are coming off seasons in which they played in the postseason as Alamo Bowl participant Northwestern (Sept. 7) and Liberty Bowl champs Colorado State (Sept. 14) are next in line. Overall, the Rebels will face four bowl teams in 2001 as they close the regular season at Silicon Valley Classic winner Air Force.

SERIES NOTES

UNLV won the only meeting between the two teams and the Hogs are one of only three schools on the 2001 schedule against which the Rebels have a winning record ... John Robinson is 1-0 vs. Arkansas but the former USC head man also was an assistant for the Trojans when they played the Hogs from 1972-74, including twice in Little Rock where the schools split ... Although this is the program's first-ever visit to the state of Arkansas, the Rebels are 3-0 vs. teams from the Land of Opportunity. In addition to last December's bowl victory, UNLV downed the State College of Arkansas in 1973 (38-6) and got by Arkansas State in 1995 (28-23) ... Two former UNLV head coaches had strong UA ties: Jim Strong (1990-93) was a graduate assistant and at Fayetteville in 1978-79 and returned as a full-time assistant in 1983 under Lou Holtz while Jeff Horton (1994-98) attended the school and was a walk-on wide recevier for the Hogs from 1977-79 before transferring to UNR ... It was during Horton's tenure that this non-conference matchup was formed back in 1998 ... First-year Razorback defensive secondary coach Dave Wommack was UNLV's defensive coordinator from 1992-93 under Strong ... The two proud hoops schools have met three times in men's basketball with the Runnin' Rebels sweeping a memorable home-and-home series in 1989 & `91 before UA ended UNLV's run in the NIT in 1997 ... New UNLV basketball head coach Charlie Spoonhour was raised in Rogers, Ark., and graduated from the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

UNLV 31, ARKANSAS 14

LAS VEGAS -- (Dec. 21, 2000) Playing before a national ESPN2 audience and a Las Vegas Bowl-record 29,113 fans, UNLV (8-5) won its fourth straight for the first time since 1984 and moved to 3-0 all-time in bowl games with a 31-14 victory over Arkansas (6-6). UNLV QB Jason Thomas earned MVP honors by completing 12 of 17 pass attempts for 217 yards and three scores without an interception as well as rushing for 32 yards on 10 carries. Thomas' favorite target was Nate Turner, who ended his career with 126 yards on eight catches -- all in the first half. Jeremi Rudolph gained 92 yards on 14 carries and Kevin Brown had 78 on 13 attempts. UA, which was fresh from two consecutive victories over ranked SEC opponents to become bowl eligible, opened the scoring with the only points of the first quarter. UNLV answered with a Thomas to Turner pass, which was the first TD allowed by the Hogs in 11 quarters. The teams traded scores to make it 14-14 at the break and things stayed tied until Thomas found Troy Mason with a stunning 54-yard TD strike with two minutes left in the third. UNLV would eventually score the game's final 17 points en route to out-gaining UA in yardage, 476-298. The win was the Rebels' first vs. a team from the SEC while it was the first-ever Razorback loss to a team from the Mountain West.

TACKLE ELIGIBLE

Last season, senior strong safety Randy Black became his school's all-time tackle leader with 294 in four years. Now, one of Black's former teammates looks to push that total down to No. 2 on the list. Black was battling linebacker James Sunia to see who would finish 2000 as the UNLV Takedown King before Sunia suffered a season-ending knee injury in Game Five. After missing eight games, including the Las Vegas Bowl, Sunia re-injured his ACL/MCL just before spring practice kicked off and the Hawaii native was back in rehabilitation mode. Sunia is gradually making his way back into practice and is expected to be in full-contact drills by Game Three. After leading the team in tackles both of his first two seasons, he was averaging 10.6 takedowns per game. However, after registering just 26 tackles last fall, Sunia will enter his senior campaign in ninth place on the school's career list with 260 -- 34 behind Black's record total.

UNLV CAREER TACKLE LEADERS*
PL PLAYER (POS)         YEARS   TOT
1. Randy Black (DB)   1997-00 2942. Darnell Pickens (LB) 1984-87 2893. Doc Wise (DL)    1986-89 2804. Greg Gales (LB)  1996-98 2775. Jason Davis (DB) 1991-94 2766. Harvey Allen (DB)    1982-85 2727. Quincy Sanders (DB) 1995-99 2708. Jerrad Pierucci (LB)   1996-99 2649. James Sunia (LB)   1998-PR 260    Jody Reinoehl (LB)  1987-90 260

"MUST-SEE" FB

This is not the first time UNLV has moved a game to Thursday for national television. The school is 5-2 all-time when playing on Thursdays and four of those games were televised nationally. The Rebels' last Thursday game came in head coach John Robinson's UNLV debut when they broke a school-record 16-game overall losing streak by defeating North Texas 26-3 on Sept. 2, 1999. This Aug. 30 game will mark the earliest starting date in school history. The only other time UNLV has played in August came five years ago when it opened the season on Aug. 31, 1996, at another Southeastern Conference power, Tennessee.

UNLV FOOTBALL THURSDAY HISTORY
DATE        OPPONENT        TV      RESULT
Oct. 22, 1970   At Cal State Fullerton  None        W, 20-10Nov. 26, 1970   NEVADA, RENO        None        W, 42-30Sept. 2, 1982   BYU         WTBS        L, 27-0Oct. 27, 1983   SAN DIEGO STATE     WTBS        W, 28-10Oct. 31, 1985   NEW MEXICO STATE    ESPN        W, 17-12Nov. 6, 1986    FRESNO STATE        ESPN        L, 36-7Sept. 2, 1999   At North Texas      KLAS        W, 26-3Aug. 30, 2001   At Arkansas     ESPN

TGIF TIMES TWO

UNLV will play two consecutive Friday games this fall at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Rebels will host Big Ten co-king Northwestern on Sept. 7 and then open conference play by welcoming two-time defending champ Colorado State on Sept. 14. Both games were scheduled for the unusual day in order to be nationally televised by ESPN. The Rebels have played on a Friday three times - all at home -- in their history, and two of those came in the same season. UNLV will bring in an unbeaten Friday record of 2-0-1 built with a 31-9 victory over Marshall on Sept. 21, 1973, a 36-28 win over Tennessee State on Nov. 9, 1979, and a season-ending tie with Lamar on Nov. 23, 1979.

IT'S A FACT: STAFF INTACT

UNLV's assistant coaching staff returns unchanged in 2001. Offensive line coach Rob Boras earned the additional title of offensive coordinator, though John Robinson will continue to call the plays. This marks the first time UNLV had the same staff coming back since 1985 when the Rebels were coming off a California Bowl victory.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

UNLV head football coach John Robinson was unanimously approved by a UCCSN Board of Regents vote on Aug. 16 to be appointed UNLV's Director of Intercollegiate Athletics effective Jan. 1, 2002. "We are very pleased that the regents recognized UNLV's unique opportunity to place a nationally recognized figure, John Robinson, into a critical leadership role at the university," UNLV President Carol Harter said. "I look forward to our partnership as we re-energize and reaffirm the positive values of athletics within the academic community. We also look forward to strengthening relationships with the community at large, as John brings great enthusiasm and energy to these tasks." Robinson, who will be one of only two dual head coach/ADs in the Div. I-A football along with Arkanas State's Joe Hollis, is under contract to coach the Rebels at least through the 2005 season. "I made a commitment to UNLV and this community when I came here in 1999, and I'm excited about this opportunity to build on the successes we have already achieved," Robinson said. "My goal is to fulfill my commitment to the football program while also moving the athletic department forward as one unit - all sports working together. I am convinced this is a people-oriented operation and I plan to fully utilize the tremendous talent of all the people in the department to help us create a dynamic, well-rounded program. Having the added responsibility of athletic director will be every bit as much fun as coaching. I am at my best when I am challenged, and I look forward to this opportunity."

RANKING FILE

The UNLV football team earned a top-25 ranking by Sports Illustrated magazine for the first time in school history. The Rebels, who are coming off an 8-5 record, were No. 25 in the publication's 2001 preseason issue, which was dated August 13. The ranking came with a full-page team preview by writer Kelli Anderson with the headline "John Robinson's gamble will continue to pay off for the up-and-coming Rebels." The team, which was the only Mountain West Conference program included in the top 25, is listed in the complete national rankings with the following note -- "Don't be surprised if (junior quarterback) Jason Thomas makes a Heisman run." The ranking is even more historic when considering the team's recent predicted finishes by the same source. The 2000 Rebels were listed at No. 58 and fifth in the MWC by Sports Illustrated while Head Coach John Robinson's first UNLV team in 1999 appeared at 89 and seventh in the league. The team was ranked as low as No. 99 in the nation by the magazine five seasons ago. UNLV, which also was ranked No. 24 in Football Digest's 2001 preseason list and No. 26 by Lindy's, has never been ranked in the top 25 in either the writers' or coaches' polls.

UNLV IN RECENT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED RANKINGS
YEAR    NAT RK          LEAGUE RK (CONFERENCE)2001    25      1 (MWC)2000    58      5 (MWC)1999    89      7 (MWC)1998    98      7 (WAC Division)1997    93      6 (WAC Division)1996    99      7 (WAC Division)

PAC-10 EAST?

Under the guidance of former USC head coach John Robinson, UNLV has attracted no less than seven former Pac-10 Conference players to the roster. Jason Thomas, Deon Burnett, Larry Croom, Matt Harris and now-former Rebel Kevin Brown transferred directly from their respective schools while the remaining three came to Las Vegas after stops at junior colleges. Burnett, Croom and Harris must sit out 2001 and will be eligible to play in 2002. Two other D-I transfers sitting out at UNLV this season are former Iowa State linebacker Tyrone Tucker and former Alabama defensive back Connie Brown.

PLAYER POSITION PAC-10 SCHOOL

Kevin Brown* Running Back Washington State Deon Burnett# Running Back Washington State Larry Croom# Running Back Arizona Matt Harris# Quarterback USC Jabari Johnson Running Back Washington Bobby Nero Wide Receiver Oregon Jason Thomas Quarterback USC Shanga Wilson Linebacker Arizona

*Exhausted eligibility in 2000 #Eligible in 2002

REBELS BOWL A PERFECT GAME

With its 31-14 win over Arkansas in last year's Las Vegas Bowl, UNLV moved to 3-0 in D-I postseason bowl games. The Rebels' victory helped the Mountain West Conference become the only league to go undefeated in multiple bowl games last season as Air Force won the Silicon Valley Classic over Fresno State and Colorado State took care of Louisville in the Liberty Bowl. UNLV, which is one of the youngest football programs in the NCAA (34 seasons), also won the 1984 California Bowl over Toledo, 30-13, in Fresno, Calif., and the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl over Central Michigan, 52-14. UNLV now stands as the only active I-A program with a perfect record in bowl games with a minimum of three games played.

BOWLED OVER

UNLV head coach John Robinson is the winningest bowl coach in NCAA Div. I-A history with a minimum of eight games. His 8-1 slate gives him a winning percentage of .889. The only other two active coaches ranked in the top 10 are Florida State's Bobby Bowden at No. 5 (.729) and Penn State's Joe Paterno at No. 10 (.683).

REBEL RANKINGS
2001 MWC
MEDIA POLL
(First-Place votes in parentheses)
PL TEAM1. Colorado State (11)2. UNLV (4)3. BYU (1)4. San Diego State (1)5. Air Force6. Utah7. New Mexico8. Wyoming

UNLV also was picked to finish first in the MWC by at least three sources in a survey of various preseason publications. National rankings are listed where available.

PUBLICATION         MWC   NATION
Sports Illustrated  1st 25thPhil Steele's           1stCollegefootballnews.com 1stFootball Digest         2nd 24thLindy's 2nd         26thStreet & Smith's    2ndPreview Sports          2ndAthlon Sports           3rd 35thThe Sporting News   3rd 53rd

THREE REBELS BEING WATCHED

UNLV seniors Kevin Thomas and Anton Palepoi and junior Jason Thomas all have been named to national awards watch lists for their respective positions in 2001. Kevin Thomas was included in the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List for the second consecutive season. The trophy has gone to the nation's top defensive back each year since 1986. KT, a consensus choice for preseason All-MWC, was tabbed 2001 preseason third-team All-America by Athlon magazine and honorable mention by Street & Smith's and Phil Steele. KT, who has three career defensive touchdowns, is the Rebels' all-time leader with 45 pass breakups and is tied for 10th at the school with seven career interceptions. Also tabbed the preseason MWC Defensive Player of the Year by Lindy's magazine, he has been listed as the nation's fourth-best cornerback heading into the 2002 NFL Draft by The Sporting News. Palepoi is one of 52 members of the 2001 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List after leading the Rebels and tying for second in the MWC with eight quarterback sacks for a loss of 39 yards in 2000. The Salt Lake City native earned first-team all-conference honors after transferring to UNLV from Dixie College in St. George. Also, preseason MWC Player of the Year Jason Thomas is one of 30 candidates for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, which has gone to college football's top singal-caller for 24 years. Three finalists will be chosen at the end of November and the winner of the 2001 Davey O'Brien will be announced December 6 during ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Orlando, Fla.

TOUTING THOMAS

A unique partnership between a broadcasting company and UNLV Athletics is driving this season's awards campaign effort for All-America candidate Jason Thomas, who has recently been listed as the top quarterback in college football by both ESPN's Mel Kiper and The Sporting News' NFL Draft section. Tony Bonnici, general manager and vice president for Lotus Broadcasting, agreed to sponsor a media campaign touting Thomas' talents at a cost of at least $20,000. Lotus' local family of radio stations is made up of ESPN AM-920, SportsRadio AM-1460, KOMP FM-92.3 and KXPT FM-97.1. ESPN 920 is the home of Rebel football and men's basketball.

UNLV at ARKANSAS
TENTATIVE DEPTH CHART
REBEL OFFENSE
WR  86  Troy Mason (5-10, 170, JR-2L)    8   Michael Johnson (5-10, 180, SO-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)        83  Trevan Sorensen (6-4, 255, JR-2L)QB  2   Jason Thomas (6-4, 230, JR-1L)    7   Kurt Nantkes (6-4, 215, FR-RS)TB  32  Jabari Johnson (5-11, 200, SR-1L)        34  Joe Haro (5-10, 190, JR-2L)FB  24  Steven Costa (6-1, 225, JR-2L)    40  George Gordon (6-0, 235, JR-RS)
REBEL SPECIALISTS
PK  95  Dillon Pieffer (5-11, 180, SO-1L)HOLD    23  Toby Smeltzer (5-10, 185, JR-2L)LS  67  Eddie Freas (6-2, 300, JR-RS)
REBEL DEFENSE
LDE 47  Anton Palepoi (6-4, 275, SR-1L)    45  Steve Newton (6-3, 245, SR-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 37  Scott Parkhurst (6-3, 245, SR-1L)    13  LaMar Owens (6-2, 235, SR-1L)MLB 49  Ryan Claridge (6-3, 245, SO-1L)    55  Adam Seward (6-2, 235, FR-RS)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)    15  Joe Hunter (6-0, 175, FR-RS)
REBEL SPECIALISTS
P   17  Ryan McDonald (5-10, 185, SO-1L)    16  Gary Cook (5-11, 180, FR-HS)PR  86  Troy Mason (5-10, 170, JR-2L)KR  34  Joe Haro (5-10, 190, JR-2L    6   Dominique Dorsey (5-6, 165, FR-HS)