One of the most memorable photographs of Randy Gatewood while he was at UNLV wasn't taken on a football field, though it had everything to do with his play on it.

In a black and white image captured by local photographer Steve Spatafore at the campus radio station - KUNV - the wide receiver held two vinyl records showing off the makeshift labels in the center identifying NCAA records he had broken on Sept. 17, 1994, in a game against Idaho.

Although the Rebels lost that night to the Vandals, 48-38, Gatewood set NCAA single-game records for receptions with a mind-boggling 23 and receiving yards with a video-game-like 363 while leading the Rebel offense back from a 45-10 deficit to a near-win. Gatewood, who played the slot position in UNLV's three-wideout formation, caught 13 passes for 207 yards in the fourth quarter alone at Sam Boyd Stadium. The 6-foot senior from Wichita Falls, Texas, also contributed with 56 return yards, giving him 419 all-purpose yards -- in one game. Also of note -- Rebel quarterback Jason Davis still holds five national records for coming off the bench and completing 38 passes for 347 yards IN THE FOURTH QUARTER ALONE!

"I remember that as if it were yesterday," Gatewood said during a phone interview just days before the 20-year anniversary of his record-setting performance. "I remember taking that picture, and I think I caught more flak from guys on the team because of the hat I was wearing at the time.

"You look back on that night, and how things happen, it's nice to still be a part of it. They always say records are meant to be broken, and I thought the receptions record would be broken by now (it was tied by Tyler Jones of Eastern Michigan in 2008). I know eventually it's going to come tumbling down, but it's nice to know I've been a part of history, and it's something I can tell my grandkids about."

Gatewood's big outing came during a big year for the Rebels, who later that season defeated in-state rival UNR, 32-27, to win a share of the Big West Conference championship. They later went on to crush Central Michigan, 52-24, in the Las Vegas Bowl under then-coach Jeff Horton.

But it was Gatewood's performance that ignited the Rebels after a 1-2 start, as they went on to win three straight, and six of their last nine, after losing to the Vandals.

"The main thing I remember is we got down in a hole early and we learned to deal with growing pains," Horton said recently, when asked to reflect on the Idaho game. "The greatest thing to take out of the game was the way we fought back. Even though we lost, I thought that's when we became a football team. We came back, we gave ourselves a chance to win."

It's an eerie similarity to this year's version of UNLV's football program, which is 1-2 and heads to Houston this week after staging a furious comeback against Northern Illinois last Saturday, only to fall short to the Huskies in a 48-34 setback.

"I don't think we knew how good we could be," Gatewood said about the 1994 team. "By the time we came out of spring ball my senior year, Jeff had instilled in us that we could be good. They personally made me understand how good of a receiver I could be. It put us on the map a little bit that year, being able to look back still and saying 'look at those guys, they were pretty good.' Every game we went out and believed we could win, we played to win and I think that was the main thing that led us to the success we had.

"There's a group of guys on this year's roster like that. There's always a moment that something special can be done there, with that program. You just never know with that program."

Horton said he believes coach Bobby Hauck has built his program "the right way" and has taken a big step in the right direction, both in the Mountain West Conference and on a national level.

"They've got it going the way it needs to be going," said Horton, now an assistant coach at San Diego State. "They have some tremendous people over there. I follow their scores weekly. I talk to Bobby several times a year. I told him 'hey I've been there, just keep doing what you're doing'

"When we play them, I'm going to do everything I can do to beat 'em. But other games, I hope they can win. It makes our conference stronger."

As for the records Gatewood still holds from that game - the 23 receptions and average all-purpose yards gained per play (16.8) - both the player and the coach are surprised they haven't fallen due to the infusion of spread offenses in college football, and are sure one day they'll be wiped off the books. Until then, however, the 20-year-old mark continues to remind everyone about the team that averaged 244.8 yards passing that season.

"I think that shows how special it was that those records still stand," Horton said. "It's a tribute to those kids."