Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
ZERO AND 12 was the privately espoused prediction in this corner when the UNLV football team opened its season. And the Rebels are 0-3 today, with two almost certain losses remaining on the immediate horizon.
So they'll be 0-5 in two weeks.
But they won't go 0-12.
Here's why: As was apparent in Saturday's loss to Wisconsin, UNLV is an improving team with considerable heart. Oh-and-12? Not with Hawaii on the upcoming schedule, plus winnable games with Nevada-Reno, Fresno State and San Jose State still to be played.
"That Hawaii trip looks better and better," UNLV coach Jeff Horton said Tuesday, referring to an Oct. 19 excursion to the islands to face the bruised and battered Rainbow Warriors. Shorthanded anyhow, Hawaii is 0-3 and was laid out by Wyoming by a 66-0 count last weekend.
They not only are not a good football team, they're regressing.
UNLV, meanwhile, has shown some signs of coming around even if it isn't obvious on the scoreboard.
"From game one to game two, and from game two to game three, we've made some progress," Horton said. "We're getting closer to the top of the hump."
Not every WAC team can say the same. In fact, the nine teams remaining on UNLV's schedule are a cumulative 9-14, with Fresno (0-2) and San Jose (0-3) also among the winless.
If the Rebels can get through this terrorizing stretch of games that serves as the opening half of their schedule, the road through October and November appears far more navigable.
That consolation, however small it is, will have to suffice with Colorado State up next. And Wyoming to follow.
The Rams are only 1-2 and have injury doldrums of their own. They've been forced to utilize some freshmen they were hoping to redshirt, yet they scored 61 points in a season-opening win over Tennessee-Chattanooga before relatively close losses to Colorado and Oregon. They were 8-4 last year and have 42 returning lettermen, so they're a little more than UNLV is ready to handle.
Same thing with this Wyoming team that's averaging 49 points per game.
But then comes a less-than-awesome Reno team, with Hawaii -- which has now lost seven straight games over two seasons -- two weeks later and vulnerable Fresno after that.
Assuming UNLV can continue to progress, a win or two (or three!) may be in the works.
"There's a little story I'm telling to the guys and trying to sell them on," Horton said. "It's about how you can't quit when you're pumping a well for water. You've got to keep pumping and pumping and pumping even if you're not seeing any results, because you never know how close that water is to reaching the surface."
It's not bubbling yet, but that gurgling sound is reason for encouragement. Horton's "keep pumping, boys" approach could pay some dividends, especially if the Colorado State and Wyoming games don't leave the Rebels spent and gasping for air.
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