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UNLV (0-0, 0-0 MOUNTAIN WEST)vs.#23/25 WISCONSIN (1-0, 0-0 BIG TEN)
DATE: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002KICKOFF:5:45 pm PDTSITE: Sam Boyd Stadium (41,800/Grass) Las VegasTV: ESPN2 (Dave Barnett, Bill Curry, Mike Golic & Michelle Tafoya)RADIO: ESPN 920 AM (Tim Neverett & Bruce Snyder)
GAME PREVIEW
UNLV will open its 35th season of football by hosting Big Ten Conference power Wisconsin (No. 23 coaches/25 AP) this Saturday ... Tied for the second-earliest game in school history, the Rebels have played in August only twice before and never at home (Aug. 31 at Tennessee in 1996 and Aug. 30 at Arkansas just last year) ... The game will be broadcast by ESPN2, which marks the second consecutive UNLV opener to be nationally televised after last year's lid lifter vs. the Razorbacks was on ESPN ... The Rebels have not debuted a season at home since 1994 but are 13-5 (.722) when opening in Las Vegas ... Saturday marks only the seventh time that UNLV will face an opponent from the Big Ten as the Rebels are 1-3 vs. the Badgers and 0-2 vs. Northwestern ... UW is 11-5 vs. MWC teams (1-0 vs. AFA, 0-1 vs. BYU, 3-1 vs. SDSU, 2-1 vs. Utah and 2-1 vs. Wyoming) ... When Jason Thomas takes his place under center vs. UW, it will mark only the second time in school history that UNLV started the same quarterback for three consecutive season openers. Glenn Carano, who went on to a pro career with the Dallas Cowboys, was the first to accomplish the feat (1974-76) ... With the addition of nearly 5,000 temporary bleacher seats in the north end zone, the game could draw a crowd of more than 42,000, which would be the largest ever to watch a team sporting event in the state ... The record is 41,238 at the 1996 WAC Championship game when BYU downed Wyoming in OT, 28-25, in Las Vegas ... UNLV's only two sell-outs at Sam Boyd were vs. UW (40,091 in 1996 and 32,207 in 1986).
BADGERS vs. REBELS NOTES
The Badgers have outscored the Rebels 104-24 in the last two meetings ... Three members of the UW staff previously coached at UNLV: offensive coordinator Brian White (1990-92 & '94), DB coach Ron Cooper (1990) and QB coach Jeff Horton, who was an assistant (1990-91) and then head coach (1994-98) ... Horton led the Rebels in their last battle with UW (1998) ... The interregional series will continue as UNLV will play at Camp Randall in the next two years (Sept. 13, 2003 & Sept. 11, 2004) and the Badgers are slated to return on Sept. 8, 2007 ... The schools also are enjoying a men's basketball series as the Runnin' Rebels downed UW 74-69 at home last Nov. 17 and the programs will meet again on Dec. 7 in Madison.
