April 14, 2006
LAS VEGAS - Sergio Aguayo kicked three field goals and Lafayette Fletcher rushed for a 24-yard touchdown to lead the Gray to a 16-14 victory over the Scarlet in the 2006 UNLV football annual spring game on a windy Friday night at Sam Boyd Stadium.
With strong gusts wreaking havoc on both offenses, it was the ground and kicking games that made the biggest impact before the few hundred fans who braved the elements.
"It wasn't a great night weather-wise but it was a good night to get out and show what you can do as a player," UNLV head coach Mike Sanford said. "The running backs were a bright spot with Lafayette Fletcher doing a lot of good things as well as Ronnie Smith, Torrie Coleman and David Peeples making plays. I think that shows we will not only have a lot of depth at quarterback this season but also at running back."
Aguayo, who will be a strong candidate for the Lou Groza Place-Kicker Award as a junior this fall, booted field goals of 35, 35 and 46 yards in the first half to go with Fletcher's impressive scoring run that made it 16-0 at halftime.
In the second half, after a slow start, former USC transfer quarterback Rocky Hinds warmed up by hitting six of his last seven attempts, including a perfect seven-yard strike to freshman Ryan Wolfe that pulled the Scarlet to within two points in the fourth quarter. That followed an impressive 13-yard scoring scamper by another young quarterback for the Scarlet, redshirt freshman Mike McDonald.
"Rocky finally got into a rhythm and showed what an athletic quarterback he is. Shane Steichen also did some nice things."
The game marked the official end to Sanford's second spring practice at the school. The team's preseason camp begins on August 6 and the Rebels season-opener will be Sept. 2 at home against Idaho State. Season tickets are on sale now by calling (702) 739-FANS or logging on to www.unlvrebels.com.
NOTES: While there were no injuries reported in the game, redshirt freshman WR/TE Rodelin Anthony was on crutches on the sidelines after undergoing ankle surgery this week. He is expected to be back at 100 percent by mid-June ... DB Eric Wright opened the event with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, which was not counted in the scoring by coaches because it mixed players from both sides and was the only kickoff of the night. After that, the ball was placed on the teams' 35-yard line to start drives after scores ... 2005 starting punter Kip Facer, who was allowed to take the spring off but will return in the fall, suited up for the Gray so that both sides would have a punter. Redshirt junior Brian Pacheco booted for the Scarlet ... Head coach Mike Sanford acted as commissioner for the game as defensive coordinator Vic Shealy led the Scarlet along with honorary co-head coach Rich Abajian and offensive coordinator Noah Brindise led the Gray with honorary co-head coach Tyler Corder.
2006 SPRING GAME STATISTICS
SCARLETPASSING ATT CMP YARDS TD INTRocky Hinds 13 7 64 1 0Jarrod Jackson 1 1 11 0 0
RUSHING ATT YARDS TDRocky Hinds 6 21 0Erick Jackson 6 -9 0Ronnie Smith 4 41 0Jarrod Jackson 2 6 0Torrie Coleman 2 5 0Mike McDonald 1 13 1 (13)
RECEIVING REC YARDS TDCasey Flair 3 32 0Ronnie Smith 2 5 0Torrie Coleman 1 20 0Emmanuel Burrell 1 11 0Ryan Wolfe 1 7 1 (7)
DEFENSIVE LEADERSPLAYER AT UT TT SCK (YDS)Ryan Tillman 4 2 6 0Omega Faga 1 4 5 1 (-2)Jacob Hales 2 2 4 2 (-13)Jay Staggs 2 2 4 0Kellen Moriarty 3 0 3 0
GRAYPASSING ATT CMP YARDS TD INTShane Steichen 8 4 52 0 0Travis Dixon 3 1 12 0 0
RUSHING ATT YARDS TDDavid Peeples 6 67 0Lafayette Fletcher 4 33 1 (24)Shane Steichen 3 31 0Travis Dixon 3 5 0Chris Brogdon 2 12 0Dack Ishii 1 (-5) 0
RECEIVING REC YARDS TDCorey Anderson 4 48 0David Peeples 1 16 0
DEFENSIVE LEADERSPLAYER AT UT TT SCK (YDS)Marquel Martin 3 2 5 0Mil'Von James 3 1 4 0Jeremy Geathers 2 1 3 1 (-5)Bradley Niles 3 0 3 0Prince Brown 1 2 3 1 (-3)
SCORINGGray: Aguayo 35-yard field goal Gray 3-0 (1st Qtr.)Gray: Aguayo 46-yard field goal Gray 6-0 (1st Qtr.)Gray: Fletcher 24-yard TD run Gray 13-0 (2nd Qtr.)Gray: Aguayo 35-yard field goal Gray 16-0 (2nd Qtr.)Scarlet: Wolfe 7-yard TD reception Gray 16-7 (3rd Qtr.)Scarlet: McDonald 13-yard TD run Gray 16-14 (4th Qtr.)
