By Mark Wallington, UNLV Sports Information A season that started earlier than any in UNLV Football history ultimately ended one game short as the Rebels finished just inches from a bowl berth in 2003. The raw numbers didn't do the disappointment justice. On paper, a final record of 6-6, which came against opponents boasting a combined mark of 80-64, meant the team had reached .500 or better for only the fourth time in 17 years. And a 4-2 road effort and 3-3 record vs. bowl teams were certainly no throw-away accomplishments. And there is no denying that finishing seventh in the nation in turnover margin at plus-12 and garnering a school-record eight league players of the week also demanded notice. However, all of that did little to ease the frustration of squandering one of the best starts in program history and ultimately sitting at home for the holidays. Indeed, the 14-week season produced a lot to be proud of: a first team All-American, a new all-time tackle leader, perhaps the school's biggest non-conference win ever and the accompanying flirtation with the program's first top-25 ranking. But after enjoying the fruits of a new, 3-4 attacking defense that produced a league-leading 35 takeaways, a special teams unit that listed an all-conference punter and kicker, and a pro-level wide receiver making highlight-reel ball grabs, it was a missed chip-shot field goal here or an unforced fumble there, that in the end kept the season from being called a real success. After an impressive 4-1 start, "Something happened to us," fifth-year head coach John Robinson said about his team's ensuing 2-5 mark in Mountain West Conference play. "We hit a bad stretch where games could have gone either way, but we didn't get it done. We couldn't close out games that came down to the last minutes and we let them get away in painful fashion. Hopefully we learned something." An electric atmosphere unaffected by 100-degree temperatures greeted Rebel players in GAME ONE as the opener vs. Toledo was moved up to Friday, Aug. 29, in order to be shown on ESPN. Making its third straight season-opening national TV appearance, UNLV rallied to win its first lid-lifter at home since 1994. Avenging a blowout loss against the Rockets a year previous, the Rebels trailed by four late in the fourth quarter when they faced a fourth-and-seven at UT's 19-yard-line. With Robinson eschewing the field goal, UNLV QB Kurt Nantkes coolly hit tight end Greg Estandia for a game-turning touchdown en route to a 28-18 victory. Flying high after downing a solid Toledo squad, UNLV was quickly shot down in GAME TWO in a first-ever trip to Kansas. The Jayhawks brought in a seven-game losing streak and had been easily handled by the Rebels in Las Vegas just 12 months earlier. However, after falling behind 17-13, KU would rally with 30 consecutive points in the 46-24 final. Stunned by its Sunflower State swoon, UNLV entered GAME THREE as a question mark, but after playing three hours at rainy Camp Randall Stadium, transformed itself into an exclamation point! The Rebels' 23-5 shocker over No. 14 Wisconsin on ESPN2 not only went down as one of the top performances in school history, but also put the team on the national radar. In what turned out to be its second straight win over a ranked opponent, UNLV's defense posted nine sacks, forced five turnovers and held the Badgers to just 52 rushing yards and their lowest scoring output at home since 1995. The wet sell-out crowd saw the visitors, even without injured star tailback Larry Croom, take a 10-0 first-quarter lead and never look back as fill-in Dominique Dorsey ran for 100 tough yards, Earvin Johnson made two spectacular touchdown catches and the O-line did not allow a sack for a school-record fourth straight game. The biggest ovation, however, was reserved for Rebel strong safety Jamaal Brimmer. The Las Vegas native dominated from the secondary with 11 tackles, two interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery returned 55 yards for a TD. Not surprisingly, the eye-popping performance would earn Brimmer the nod for FWAA Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week. "It was a great win for us, and we deserved it because we played just about every phase of the game as hard as we could," Robinson said after the game. UNLV did not have the luxury of reveling in beating the Badgers as just six days later, offensive-minded Hawaii would be in town for another Friday night special on ESPN2. Played before the third biggest home crowd ever, no less than 17 NFL scouts were in the box to witness GAME FOUR. With UH up 14-7 and driving for more, Brimmer forced a fumble that was eventually rushed in for a UNLV score. Tremayne Kirkland's 46-yard punt return set up a 36-yard Dorsey score and another forced fumble -- this time by Ruschard Dodd-Masters -- ended a second-quarter Rebel scoring flurry with a Dillon Pieffer field goal. After the Warriors closed to 27-22 in the third, Pieffer hit a 45- and 43-yarder to give him four field goals on the night (he just missed making a fifth) to seal the 33-22 victory. The non-conference slate would end with a trip to the unfriendly confines of Nevada, Reno's Mackay Stadium in GAME FIVE. Using a stingy defense, the Wolf Pack led 9-3 at halftime before a fan hit Robinson in the face with a bottle during the team's trek into the locker room. Whether the incident, which resulted in an arrest, helped spark the Rebels is unanswered. However, UNR would only score three more points as UNLV used three Pieffer field goals and a stunning fourth-down 29-yard TD run by Dyante Perkins to hold off the Pack 16-12. It was UNLV's fourth straight win over its state rival and marked the first time the Rebels won back-to-back games up North since the late 1970s. With a sparkling 4-1 record vs. an impressive pre-league schedule, UNLV moved up in both national rankings, even getting enough votes to sit a program-best 30th in the nation in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches Poll. The climb up the rankings ended, however, on October 12 when the Rebels opened MWC play with a visit to Air Force in GAME SIX. All momentum suddenly was lost as UNLV turned in a sloppy, uninspired effort at the Academy. Down 10-0 at halftime, a bungled punt by emerging return star Tremayne Kirkland ended with a free Falcon touchdown early in the third quarter that essentially ended the game against the ground-oriented hosts. The Rebels did not force a turnover for the first time in eight games and fell 24-7 to drop their conference debut for an incredible eighth straight season. UNLV fell to 0-2 in MWC play for the first time ever with its eighth straight loss to Utah, 28-10, on an unseasonably warm Homecoming day for GAME SEVEN. Two Nantkes fumbles and exemplary play by Ute QB Alex Smith made sure the Rebels couldn't rally in a game that unfortunately will be most remembered by the home fans for an ugly on-field incident with a Ute lineman intentionally kicking a helmet-less Rebel player in the face. Desperately needing a victory, UNLV instead suffered sheer heartbreak in GAME EIGHT by allowing BYU to rally for a 27-20 win in front of 30,084 fans and an ABC-TV audience. The Rebels forced three turnovers in the first quarter and converted them into a 13-0 lead before a costly fumble on their own 10 let the dejected Cougars back in the game. In fact, thanks to two long field goals, BYU caught up by halftime. After Pieffer missed a chip shot field goal attempt, the third quarter ended scoreless. UNLV eventually took the lead with a Nanktes to Johnson 22-yard scoring play. Almost magically, BYU stunned the Rebels by mounting an 80-yard scoring drive to force overtime. The Cougars got the ball first and scored easily while the Rebels were turned away to drop UNLV to a nation's-worst 1-5 all-time record in OT while BYU improved to a perfect 5-0 in extra sessions. Dejected to be back at the .500 mark, UNLV went on the road to face a streaking New Mexico in GAME NINE. However, it was the Rebels who showed zest early as a refreshingly free-wheeling Nantkes moved his team at will en route to picking up 11 first downs in the first quarter alone. The game looked to be a shootout but things changed dramatically just before halftime when Nantkes absorbed a ferocious sack that immediately knocked him out of the game. Up by 10, UNLV brought in seldom-used reserve signal-caller Scott Turner. Kirkland's late 75-yard punt return turned into another three points and the visitors led 27-14 at the break. Even with the Rebels looking to shorten the game as much as possible with simple handoffs, the Lobos clawed their way back into it. Pieffer added a career-long 50-yard field goal but the Lobos pulled to within two before Brimmer shocked the home crowd with a game-changing 62-yard interception return for a score. UNLV held on for 37-35 final that broke a three-game losing skid. Returning home to host San Diego State in GAME 10, UNLV had renewed hope but lacked a mobile quarterback as Nantkes' injury left him visibly limping with each painful step. After tossing two first-half interceptions, he was pulled in favor of true freshman Shane Steichen for two futile series. After an Aztec scoring pass left the game 7-0 at halftime, Nantkes talked his way back onto the field and, with eight minutes remaining, led an inspired Rebel drive all the way to a first-and-goal situation at the visitor five. Alas, UNLV eventually turned the ball over on downs just nine feet from the end zone and what tied as the lowest scoring game in school history at 7-0, saw the Rebels shut out for the first time since 1999. Regrouping after a bye-week, UNLV hoped to replicate its successful run closing the 2000 season and win its last two for a bowl bid. On a cold Senior Day in GAME 11, Steichen made his first career start under center and had his team rolling early while Brimmer got his league-leading sixth interception. The Rams eventually took a 14-13 lead but Joe Miklos' long fumble return for a touchdown put the hosts back in front at halftime. On a play that knocked star QB Bradlee Van Pelt out with an injury, LB Ryan Claridge got an interception that set up Pieffer's third field goal of the game. Up 23-17 in the fourth quarter, UNLV looked to ice the game after a 69-yard, 14-play drive that set up a simple chip shot field goal. But instead of being half way to a bowl bid, the Rebels watched in horror as Pieffer pushed it left. The miss loomed large as CSU reserve QB Justin Holland directed his team down field and into the end zone after a controversial interference call. UNLV even got a hand on the ensuing extra point but it still sailed through to give CSU a 24-23 win and a bid to the San Francisco Bowl. A week later, out of bowl contention and stuck traveling for the fourth straight season -- on Thanksgiving weekend, no less -- the Rebels could have been forgiven for not getting too excited for their finale. However, in front of a sparse, cold crowd sitting between the snow drifts left dripping among the stands at War Memorial Stadium, UNLV rallied in impressive fashion to down Wyoming in GAME 12. Twice down by two touchdowns, the Rebels overcame a 24-10 halftime deficit to score the final 25 points. Steichen started his second game but was soon replaced by Nantkes, who sparked the comeback. The game turned with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter when UNLV converted a muffed punt into its first safety in three years for two points. Nantkes hit Perkins for a 21-yard score and later capped off the win with a 32-yarder to Estandia that gave the QB his first three-TD game since the season opener. Perkins scored three times while Croom had a fantastic second half to finish with 146 yards on 20 carries. The 35-24 win was the school's fourth straight in season finales. Done for the year, the team saw a program-high six players voted All-MWC by the coaches, including first-team honorees Brimmer and Adam Seward, the latter of whom was the first Rebel LB honored since 1994 after becoming his school's career tackle leader with 312 and counting. Brimmer, who was consensus MWC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season despite the league's coaches oddly shutting him out, was named First Team All-America by College Football News. The hometown hero, who flirted with the idea of becoming the first Rebel to enter the draft early, was the first non-punting first-teamer for UNLV since the school moved up to the Division-I level. Along with being inducted to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, Robinson added another notch on his career coaching belt in January by serving as head man at the East-West Shrine Game in his hometown Bay Area. Another Rebel had a big postseason as Croom became the first player in school history to play in three all-star games. The former Pac-10 transfer didn't disappoint his hosts, scoring a combined four touchdowns in the Blue-Gray Classic, East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl en route to signing a free-agent contract with the Phoenix Cardinals. One UNLV player made it into the NFL Draft as center Dominic Furio used his tough-nosed play to earn a call in the seventh round from the Philadelphia Eagles and become the first Rebel offensive lineman selected in a decade.

2003 UNLV FOOTBALL AWARDSMost Valuable Player - Team     Jamaal Brimmer, DB, JuniorMost Valuable Player - Offense     Earvin Johnson, WR, JuniorMost Valuable Player - Defense     Jamaal Brimmer, DB, JuniorMost Valuable Players - Special Teams     Dillon Pieffer, PK, Senior     Gary Cook, P, JuniorRene Arceneaux Scholarship Award     Chris Eagen, DE, SeniorRobert Cline Scholarship Award     Dietrich Canterberry, DE, SeniorJack Gilmore Coaches Award     Ryan Clifford, TE, SeniorBill "Wildcat" Morris Most Inspirational Award     Dominic Furio, OL, SeniorJohn Robinson Man of the Year Award     Dominic Furio, OL, Senior"Doc" Tobler Senior Award     Larry Croom, RB, SeniorScholar-Athletes of the Year     Reggie Butler, LB, Junior     Michael Freund, TE, SophomoreCaptains Award     Dominic Furio, OL, Senior     Dietrich Canterberry, DE, Senior