Sept. 22, 2007
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes
UNLV vs. Utah Game Notes: 9-22-07
UNLV's 27-0 win over Utah marked just the second time in the series and first time since the two schools first played in 1979 that the Rebels beat the Utes. The Rebels snapped a streak of 11 straight losses in the series. In that first-ever game, UNLV won 43-41 in Las Vegas on a then-school-record 49-yard field goal by Todd Peterson.
Saturday's win was also the first for UNLV against Utah since the two schools joined the Mountain West Conference. TCU is now the only team that UNLV has not beaten in MWC play. Utah had outscored the Rebels 338-154 in their previous eight meetings as members of the league.
Tonight's win broke an 11-year losing streak in conference openers for the Rebels, who last won their league lid-lifter by beating Arkansas State 28-23 on Sept. 9, 1995, to open play in the old Big West Conference.
The shutout by UNLV was the first for the Rebels since they blanked North Texas 38-0 on Sept. 16, 2000. The only other time that UNLV shut out a conference opponent was a 13-0 win against Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 12, 1983.
UNLV running back Frank Summers eclipsed the century mark on the ground in the first half, rushing for 108 yards on just 13 carries. He finished the game with 190 yards on 29 carries, becoming the first Rebel running back to rush for more than 100 yards in a game this season and first since David Peeples had 106 yards against Nevada, Reno in Game Four of the 2006 season.
Summers' 190 yards were the 18th-most on the ground by a running back in school history and the most since RB Larry Croom ran for 222 at Colorado State in 2002.
Summers was also the second Rebel to cross the 100-yard mark on the ground this year, as quarterback Travis Dixon had 129 yards on 22 carries at Utah State.
Summers scored his two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, scoring from four yards out early in the fourth quarter before capping his night with a 36-yard run with 1:52 left in the game.
Dixon connected on a 29-yard touchdown pass to Summers in the second quarter, marking the longest touchdown pass of the season for the Rebels.
Freshman CB Quinton Pointer ended the Utes' final drive with his first career interception, which was also the first for UNLV through four games this season.
UNLV junior wide receiver Casey Flair extended his catch streak to 27 consecutive games on Saturday night with single catch for seven yards. Flair has now caught a pass in every game of his Rebel career.
Tony Cade and Chris Brogdon both recovered fumbles in the first quarter for the Rebels, the first of their Rebel careers. The two fumble recoveries marked the first turnovers recovered by the Rebels since a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter against Utah State in the season opener, a span of eight quarters.
UNLV outscored the Utes 3-0 in the first quarter and on the year the Rebels have now outscored their opponents 20-7 in the opening quarter. That is a sharp turnaround from last season, when the Rebels were outscored 105-27 in the opening 15 minutes.
Casey Flair's 40-yard punt return in the first quarter was the longest return this season -and it marked the longest return of a punt by a Rebel since Tremayne Kirkland returned a punt 75 yards in 2003.
UNLV RB David Peeples INJURY UPDATE: David Peeples lost consciousness during the hit on which he fumbled in the first quarter. He regained consciousness while being attended to on the field. He showed movement in his hands and feet before being taken off the field. He was taken to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas where he underwent tests and X-rays.
