Nov. 18
Wyoming 34 ... UNLV 26
Wyoming became bowl eligible by jumping out to a 34-10 lead helped
by a Karsteen touchdown run and a five-yard pass to Wade Betschart,
along with a trick play Ivan Harrison 18-yard touchdown pass to
Tyler Holden. And then the Cowboys have to hold on as UNLV scored 16
points in the fourth quarter on a 18-yard Casey Flair catch from WR
Ryan Wolfe and a blocked punt return for a score from Chris Brogdon,
along with two, two-point conversions. The Rebels got into Wyoming
territory on one final drive, but stalled.
Player of the game ...
Wyoming RB Devin
Moore ran 13 times for 70 yards and two touchdowns and caught a pair
of passes for a yard.
Stat Leaders: Wyoming - Passing: Karsten Sween,
18-26, 179 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Devin Moore, 13-70, 2 TDs Receiving: Tyler
Holden, 5-52, 1 TD
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 18-36, 144 yds, 1
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: David Peeples, 5-24 Receiving: Casey Flair,
5-60, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
On
a ten game losing streak with Air Force to finish up, the Rebels
have to focus on one thing next week; a hot start. Actually, they
have to make sure they don’t get blown out early. With no ability to
mount a comeback, the early deficits have been killers for any hope.
Mistakes are still being made with three turnovers and ten penalties
against the Cowboys. Everything has to be perfect for the Rebels to
have any shot at a win.
Nov. 11
San Diego State 21 ... UNLV 7
San Diego State QB Kevin O'Connell came off the bench to
complete all seven of his throws and ran for a one-yard score as the
Aztecs came up with a surprisingly easy win. Ray Bass picked off a
Rocky Hinds pass and took it 49 yards for a first quarter score, but
it was a 15-play, 80-yard drive in the second quarter finished off
by the O'Connell touchdown run. UNLV finally got on the board early
in the fourth on a two-yard Aaron Straiten catch, but the Aztecs
answered with a nine-yard Brandon Bornes score.
Player of the game ... San Diego State QB Kevin Craft
completed seven of seven passes for 68 yard and ran six times for 14
yards and a score
Stat Leaders: San Diego State - Passing: Kevin
Craft, 7-7, 68 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Atiyyeh Henderson, 22-62 Receiving: Brett
Swain, 4-48
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 20-39, 211 yds, 1
TD, 2 INT
Rushing: David Peeples, 17-47 Receiving: Casey Flair,
7-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Another
week, another lack of any rushing punch. Rocky Hinds, outside of a
bad interception for a touchdown, wasn't too bad against San Diego
State, but the ground game netted just 39 yards on 26 carries. The
passing attack simply isn't good enough to carry the offense for a
full sixty minutes, and Hinds is struggling way too much to carry
the load on his shoulders. The defense did a nice job, but it didn't
come up with the big stop in the fourth quarter when the momentum
was the Rebels' way after their one score.
Nov. 4
TCU 25 ... UNLV 10
TCU's Peter LoCoco connected on all four of his field goal
attempts hitting from 42, 33, 40 and 29 yards out, while Jeff
Ballard led the team in rushing as well as passing hitting Michael
DePriest for a 34-yard touchdown run and setting up an 11-yard Aaron
Brown touchdown. UNLV was only able to managed a 52-yard Sergio
Aguayo field goal before finally getting into the end zone midway
through the fourth quarter on a five-yard David Peeples run.
Player of the game ...
TCU QB Jeff Ballard
completed 15 of 28 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown and ran 14 times
for 84 yards
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Jeff Ballard, 15-28,
195 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jeff Ballard, 14-84 Receiving: Quentil
Harmon, 4-49
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 10-27, 128 yds, 1
INT
Rushing: David Peeples, 10-68, 1 TD Receiving:
Casey Flair, 4-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... UNLV
keeps trying to get the offense moving, but it's not working as long
as Rocky Hinds is always off the mark. There just isn't enough of a
running game, or more to the point, a commitment to the running
game, to balance out the offense with no one producing enough to
count on as a go-to producer. The coaching staff has to use these
last three games as practices for next season and figure out who's
improving enough to get more of a look this off-season.
Oct. 28
Utah 45 ... UNLV 23
Brett Ratliff hooked up with Brent Casteel for three
touchdowns and the Utah defense returned an interception for a
touchdown in the blowout win. The Utes got out to a 24-3 first half
lead on two Casteel touchdowns and a two-yard Ratliff run, but the
dagger came midway through third when J.J. Williams picked off a
Rocky Hinds pass for a score. Down 45-6, the Rebels made the score
cosmetically better with 17 points in the fourth.
Player of the game ...
Utah QB Brett
Ratliff completed 19 of 23 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns
with a rushing score.
Stat Leaders: UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 25-35, 232 yds,
2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Ronnie Smith, 6-34, Receiving: Casey Flair,
5-51, 1 TD
Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 19-23, 268 yds,
4 TD
Rushing: Darryl Poston, 17-72 Receiving: Brent Casteel, 5-86, 3
TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... UNLV just can't keep making the mistakes it is if it
wants to survive against a decent team. The offense moved the ball
fairly well on Utah, but three turnovers, that all turned out to be
killers, seven penalties, and no pass defense whatsoever on Brett
Ratliff and the Ute passing game turned out to make it a blowout
early. The attack could use a confidence boost of some sort with a
big, out-of-nowhere game from someone. Don't expect it to happen
against TCU next week.
Oct. 21
BYU 52 ... UNLV 7
BYU rolled up 574 yards of total offense with John Beck
throwing three touchdown passes and running for another in the
laugher. UNLV turned it over six times giving the Cougars a short
field time and again, but going on long scoring marches wasn't a
problem. McKay Jacobson and Jonny Harline each caught caught two
touchdown passes for BYU. UNLV's only score came on a three-yard
catch from Casey Flair in the second quarter.
Player of the game ...
BYU RB Curtis
Brown ran 20 times for 148 yards and a touchdown and caught two
passes for 11 yards.
Stat Leaders: UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 16-32, 205 yds,
1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: David Peeples, 13-49, Receiving: Ryan Wolfe,
4-97
BYU - Passing: John Beck, 18-23, 250 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brown, 20-148, 1 TD Receiving: McKay Jacobson,
3-54, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... UNLV not only lost to BYU, it lost Shane Steichen to a
leg injury. That means its up to Rocky Hinds to carry the offense,
and he hasn't even been close to being effective. First and
foremost, he has to do a better job of taking care of the ball.
Interceptions are a problem, but he's had to force things with no
running game to help him out. At this point in the year, the offense
should be getting more productive, not worse.
Oct. 14
New Mexico 39 ... UNLV 36 OT
New Mexico's Kenny Byrd kicked
four field goals after halftime including a 39-yard shot in
overtime, and Michael Tuohy recovered a fumble on UNLV's first play
in the extra session to give the Lobos the win.
The Lobos forced five turnovers after halftime with Byrd turning
into the offense with four field goals after the break to go along
with a 47-yard Cody Kase interception return for a score and a
four-yard Martelius Epps touchdown run. UNLV fought its way back
with a nine-play, 80-yard drive in 1:19 finishing with a nine-yard
Shane Steichen touchdown pass to Ryan Wolfe followed by a successful
two-point conversion. The Rebels got four touchdown passes in the
second quarter from Steichen including a 75-yard strike to Ryan
Wolfe and a 14-yard pass to Aaron Straiten to overcome a 14-0 New
Mexico first quarter lead.
Player of the game ... In a losing cause, UNLV QB Shane Steichen
completed 18 of 30 passes for 295 yards and five touchdowns with two
interception, and ran 12 time fro 29 yards..
Stat Leaders: UNLV - Passing: Shane Steichen,
18-39, 295 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Erick Jackson, 11-55 Receiving:
Ryan Wolfe, 9-176, 2 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 13-27, 168
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 21-64, 1 TD Receiving: Travis
Brown, 5-58
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Overall
mistakes against New Mexico aside, the offense might have finally
found its solution with Shane Steichen at quarterback. Rocky Hinds
hasn't provided the spark this year that Steichen did in an amazing
second quarter with four touchdown passes, and now there's hope that
the attack can battle in a firefight with teams like BYU and Utah
over the next few weeks. Give credit to the defense for not breaking
and forcing field goals, for the most part, after all the problems
with second half turnovers.
Oct. 7
Colorado State 28 ... UNLV 7
Caleb Hanie ran for a touchdown and threw a 64-yard touchdown
pass to Damon Morton for a score as Colorado State had an easy time
with the Rebels. UNLV answered a two-yard Gartrell Johnson touchdown
run with a 25-yard David Peeples score, but the defense couldn't
handle the offensive balance that helped the Rams hold on to the
ball for over 36 minutes. CSU outgained the Rebels 387 yards to 250.
Player of the
game ...
Colorado State QB Caleb Hanie completed 23 of 28 passes for 257
yards and a touchdown and ran for a score
Stat Leaders: Colorado State - Passing: Caleb
Hanie, 23-28, 257 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Gartrell Johnson, 15-57, 1 TD Receiving:
Damon Morton, 5-115, 1 TD
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 19-34, 198 yds, 1
INT
Rushing: David Peeples, 9-39 Receiving: Casey
Flair, 8-100
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
offense keeps having problems getting going. Rocky Hinds isn't
running much, and Shane Steichen isn't doing any better at getting
things moving. It would be nice if there was something to count on,
if one player could step up and start making a few big plays to
spark the attack. It doesn't help that the defense is struggling so
much in all phased. Colorado State threw at will, and Nevada ran
without a problem. Things don't get any easier after next week's New
Mexico game with BYU, Utah, and TCU to follow. Things will probably
get worse before the year get better.
Sept. 30
Nevada 31 ... UNLV 3
Nevada had few problems with the sputtering Rebels forcing
four turnovers and getting touchdown runs of five and 66 yards from
Brandon Frogger. The Wolf Pack started off the scoring with a
79-yard touchdown catch from Mike McCoy on the game's opening drive,
and closed out its run in the fourth quarter with a two-yard Kyle
Ekund scoring run. UNLV didn't get on the board until late on a
21-yard Sergio Aguayo field goal.
Player of the
game ...
Nevada RB Brandon Fragger ran 19 times for 146 yards and two
touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Nevada - Passing: Jeff Rowe,
8-14, 119 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Fragger, 19-146, 2 TD Receiving:
Anthony Pudewell, 4-33
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 18-32, 153 yds, 2
INT
Rushing: David Peeples, 15-106 Receiving: Casey
Flair, 6-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
Rebels need to find some sort of spark from someone. The offense
isn't getting any big plays and is making too many mistakes.
Nevada's offense didn't go crazy on the Rebel D, but it was able to
make the scores needed and coasted. UNLV has to start taking better
care of the ball and has to put up points early after getting down
42-0 to Hawaii and 31-0 to the Wolf Pack. With three road trips in
the next four weeks as Mountain West play starts, things might be
tough, but there's a chance to wipe the slate clean.
Sept 16
Hawaii 42 ... UNLV 13
The Warriors had little trouble putting away a struggling UNLV
team getting up 42-0 midway through the third quarter thanks to two
Colt Brennan touchdown passes, a one-yard Brennan scoring run, and
two short touchdowns from Nate Ilaoa. The defense got in the act
with a Leonard Peters 33-yard interception return for a touchdown.
UNLV got a touchdown pass from Shane Steichen, who filled in for an
ineffective Rocky Hinds, and a one-yard run from David Ppeples, but
the outcome had long been decided.
Player of the game ... Hawaii WR Davone Bess caught ten
passes for 124 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Hawaii - Passing: Colt
Brennan, 24-35, 296 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Nate Ilaoa, 9-104, 2 TD. Receiving:
Davone Bess, 10-124, 1 TD
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 13-27, 166
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: David Peeples, 13-39, 1 TD. Receiving:
Casey Flair, 4-87
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Did the
Rebels lose a little bit of their heart after the controversial late
loss to Iowa State? Rocky Hinds, back from a knee sprain, wasn't
anywhere near the sharp, confident passer he was all off-season and
before the injury, while the defense did nothing to slow down
anything the Warrior offense wanted to do. With Nevada coming up
next week, the Rebel D has to be able to hang its hat on something.
It can't get barreled over and thrown on. The ground attack needs to
get going until Hinds, or Shane Steichen, can start to move the ball
through the air.
Sept. 9
Iowa State 16 ... UNLV 10
Iowa State hung on after a wild and controversial ending that
UNLV still wants answers for. On the final play of the game, UNLV's
Aaron Straiten came down with a pass in the back of the end zone,
but the officials ruled it was incomplete, it wasn't reviewed, and
the game was over. The Rebels went nuts in protest, but to no avail.
Stevie Hicks and Ryan Kock each ran for one-yard scores in the
second quarter to put the Cyclones up 13-3, and Bret Culbertson came
up with the winning points on a 25-yard field goal late in the third
quarter. UNLV's Shane Steichen in for an injury Rocky Hinds, threw a
three-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wolfe early in the fourth.
Player of the game ... Iowa State RB Stevie Hicks ran
23 times for 109 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: UNLV - Passing: Shane
Steichen, 19-27, 180 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Erick Jackson, 11-31. Receiving:
Casey Flair, 9-86
Iowa State - Passing: Bret Meyer, 14-21,
203 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Stevie Hicks, 19-27, 180 yds, 1 TD. Receiving:
Jon Davis, 2-57
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Because of the way the game
ended against Iowa State, UNLV will always have something stuck in
its craw. Forgetting that WR Aaron Straiten was out of bounds after
further review, the play at the end might serve as a spark to fire
up the team and bring everything together. The defense did a great
job of keeping the Cyclones in check in the second half, but now the
offense has to do a little bit more with backup QB Shane Steichen in
for Rocky Hinds, who hurt his knee. Hinds might be the better
player, but Steichen brings some more mobility.
Sept. 2
UNLV 54 ... Idaho State 10
UNLV cranked out 506 yards of total offense and Ryan Wolfe set
a UNLV freshman record with 160 yards receiving with a 71-yard
touchdown in the fourth quarter on the way to the blowout win. In
the second quarter, David Peepers ran for two touchdowns, Erick
Jackson ran for one from 29 yards out, and QB Rocky Hinds ran for a
seven yarder. The defense and special teams got in the act in the
fourth quarter with a 67-yard fumble return for a score and a
12-yard blocked punt for a touchdown. Idaho State got its touchdown
in the fourth quarter on a 29-yard Clyde Logan catch.
Player of the game ... UNLV WR Ryan Wolfe caught six
passes for 160 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Idaho State - Passing:
Matt Gutierrez, 17-32, 260 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Josh Barnett, 14-61. Receiving:
Eddie Thompson, 6-89 & Clyde Logan, 6-89, 1 TD
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 34-42, 322
yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Erick Jackson, 11-79, 1 TD. Receiving:
Ryan Wolfe, 6-160, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's only
one game and it came against Idaho State, but UNLV's offense showed
balance and explosiveness. Rocky Hinds appeared to be more than
comfortable spreading the ball around, and WR Ryan Wolfe showed that
he could grow into a star number one receiver. On the down side,
UNLV's excellent kicker, Sergio Aguayo, suffered a leg injury.
2006 UNLV Preview
UNLV Preview |
Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
Has any team ever made such a drastic and immediate upgrade of
talent in one year?
It's not like college football is a pro sport where you can
address needs in free agency, and it's not like college basketball
where one or two players can turn an also-ran into a title
contender. It takes time, years, to improve in college football
needing a steady string of good recruiting classes and a long term
plan to go from awful to good.
Once in a while a program can make a big jump, like UCF did last
season in George O'Leary's second year, but the Golden Knights
weren't all that far away from being better after their winless
season. UNLV should be better only one year removed from a 2-9
record thanks to a ridiculous
infusion of talent that should make Mike Sanford's second season a
whole bunch more fun.
USC transfer Rocky Hinds
will push Shane Steichen for the starting quarterback job, JUCO
superstar receiver Aaron Straiten could've gone anywhere, and most
importantly, the secondary got a huge upgrade with addition USC transfer
Eric Wright, UCLA transfer Mil'Von James, and Oklahoma transfer Tony
Cade. These five players might not be enough to make UNLV a Mountain
West champion, but they will make the team a whole bunch better.
But Rebel fans have heard this before. Former head coach John Robinson
brought in several highly ranked prospects both from the JUCO ranks and
as true freshmen, and the program turned into one of the nation's bigger
underachievers. Are things different now under Sanford? Yes. This is an
energized team that truly believes it has the potential to do big
things. After winning four games in two years and with one winning
season since 1994, just being respectable would be good enough.
Sanford's Rebel Shotgun Spread offense never took flight last year
because the pieces weren't in place. Now the offensive line is
experienced, the receiving corps is deep, there are several good running
back options to push Erick Jackson, and the quarterbacks are a strength
with Hinds and Steichen each good enough to put up big numbers. The
defense has to hold up its end of the bargain after allowing 30 points
or more in eight games.
Things are pointed in the right direction for UNLV, but is the program
ready to rock this season, or will it take another year for everything
to jell? Watch out for this to be a dangerous, exciting team all year
long.
The
Schedule: It's harder than it looks with a rough beginning going off
to Hawaii and playing WAC power Nevada to go along with an early road
trip to Iowa State. The Mountain West season will be made or broken
before mid-Novembers with all the big boys early before facing three of
the league's non-bowl teams over the final three games. Three of the
final four games are at home.
Best
Offensive Player: Sophomore QB Rocky Hinds and/or senior QB Shane
Steichen. Steichen proved to be a stunningly good fit for the offense
before breaking his hand. He has size, passing touch and mobility, but
he's not the talent Hinds is. The former USC Trojan is a tremendous
passer who should make the talented young receiving corps shine.
Best
Defensive Player:
Junior CB Eric Wright. He picked off a pass in the 2005 Orange Bowl to
help beat Oklahoma for the national title, and now he's expected to be
one of the Mountain West's best cornerbacks right away. He has
next-level talent with good size and tremendous speed.
Key player
to a successful season:
Sophomore DEs Jeremy Geathers and Jacob Hales. All the
excitement about the possible improvements this year could turn into
tremendous disappointments if the front three doesn't generate a
consistent pass rush. The Rebels had to manufacture pressure from all
angles last season. Geathers, Halas,
Robert Travers and Faauo Faga have to take advantage of having Howie
Fuimaono in the middle to anchor the line.
The season
will be a success if ... the Rebels win six games. There are way too many holes and the
early schedule is way too tough to hope for any sort of run for a
conference title, but that doesn't mean the improved team can't win half
of its games and be in the hunt for a bowl game.
Key game:
Oct. 7 at Colorado State. The Mountain West opener is a must-win for
the Rebels with nasty games against New Mexico, at BYU, at Utah and TCU
ahead. The 31-27 season-ending loss to the Rams was a turning point for
UNLV as it showed that things were starting to work the right way on
offense.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Scoring after three quarters: Opponents 305 - UNLV 138
- Penatlies: UNLV 91 for 670 yards - Opponents 76 for 700 yards
- Interception return average: Opponents 15.2 yards on 17 interceptions
- UNLV 4.8 yards on five interceptions
The Last Time
UNLV ...
…played in a bowl game…2000 (Las Vegas Bowl vs. Arkansas)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2000 (North Texas)
…was shutout…2003 (San Diego State)
…scored 50 points…1994 (Central Michigan)
…went undefeated…never
…won a conference title…1994 (share, Big West)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1996 (Jon Denton)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (Dominique Dorsey)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1994 (Randy Gatewood)
…had a first-round draft choice…never