Denton feels Stubbs absence

Tim Graham

Thursday, Dec. 18, 1997 | 12:38 p.m.

With mere days left on the 1997 calendar, Jon Denton looked forward to turning the page and putting a troubling year behind him.

But the frustrated UNLV quarterback must endure another emotional blow before he can look forward to his junior year. Denton on Tuesday discovered his personal coach, mentor and confidante is leaving.

Charlie Stubbs, the man who molded Denton into one of the nation's top passing prospects, stepped down from his position as UNLV's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach to become the quarterbacks coach at Alabama.

"I've been by myself the last couple of days," Denton said Wednesday, "just me and the weight. The puzzle kind of fell off the wall, and now I have to put the pieces back together."

Denton, 20, didn't come to grips with the situation until he considered leaving Jeff Horton's program to play for Stubbs at Alabama.

"I have nothing against Coach Horton, but this is the guy I've been most involved with," Denton said. "We could go down there and throw the rock in the SEC and lead the SEC in passing."

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Green Valley High grad hinted that if he hadn't used his redshirt season in 1995, he would send his UNLV transcripts to Tuscaloosa, Ala.

"It kind of irks me because a coach can come in and stay for a year or two and then leave without having to sit a year like we have to," Denton said. "What happens if I wanted to finish my career with this guy? I'm in limbo.

"He's been instrumental to my life on the field and my life off the field. When somebody is that important in your life and -- the next thing you know -- he's not going to be there anymore, it's going to be tough."

But Denton eventually realized the risks involved with transferring. He would have to sit out one year before he could play for the Crimson Tide. When he returned to the field he would have only one season of eligibility left and no guarantees.

"No transferring," he said. "It'd be fun to play down there, I'm not going to lie to you about that. But I've invested too much here to leave right now.

"Maybe if it was last year it could be a different situation."

Stubbs, 42, expressed regret over leaving Denton. But he is confident his former pupil will continue to develop without him.

"He's a solid guy, and he's going to do well because he's just a solid player," Stubbs said. "He's going to be very good here and make a name for himself. I'll always be proud to have had a chance to coach him in his earlier years."

One season after breaking 10 NCAA freshman and 10 UNLV passing records, Denton was poised to maintain his phenomenal production in 1997. But his statistics slipped, and he was suspended two games for violating a team rule.

That was when Denton and Stubbs drew even closer.

"I dealt with things off the field that put us to the test," Denton said. "I couldn't have done anything in my two years without him.

"I learned that if I listen to this guy and do what he tells me, if I absorb his knowledge, things will be all right."

Denton, despite his personal struggles and the Rebels' 3-8 record, managed to lead the Western Athletic Conference in total offense this year, averaging 287.9 yards per game. He completed 199 of 374 passes for 2,586 yards and 18 touchdowns against 17 interceptions. He also ran for three scores.

Horton wants to maintain Stubbs' pass-first-ask-questions-later offense and intends to welcome a replacement within the next three to four weeks.

"I'm not going to hire somebody just to hire them," he said. "They have to come in and blend in with us. We're not going to change our offense. Of course, whoever comes in will bring a couple of ideas on their own, but we'll still run 95 percent of what we have."

Under Stubbs this year UNLV's pass offense ranked first in the WAC and 12th in the country at 285.5 yards per game. Last year it ranked second in the WAC and ninth in the nation at 307.1 yards per game.

"It's going to be tough, but we'll adapt to it," Denton said. "We'll adjust and we'll move on. We'll still lead the WAC in passing, and we'll still be in the top 20 in the nation."