Rebels need to put leash on Bulldogs

Tim Graham

Friday, Oct. 24, 1997 | 9:27 a.m.

The timing could not have been worse.

Jon Denton's two-game suspension comes at a point when UNLV needs its mobile quarterback the most.

Not only will the Rebels play a pair of pivotal games without their poster boy at the helm, but their shorthanded offensive line will try to fight off two of the most devastating defenses in the Western Athletic Conference.

The trial by fire starts 6 p.m. Saturday at Fresno State's homecoming, where UNLV will take on one of the most aggressive defensive schemes around.

"All they do is blitz. They're going to blitz me," said Kevin Crook, who will start against Fresno State and Colorado State. "I know they'll be coming with the heavy heat."

And when the Bulldogs turn it up, they're cooking with Gass. Linebacker A.J. Gass leads the WAC in quarterback sacks with eight, despite missing three games due to hand surgery.

"The schemes allow me to blitz a lot," said Gass, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound senior. "They're good calls. On some, I just have to beat a blocking back. But I'd say 80 percent of the time I'm coming free, and all I have to do is make the tackle."

The Bulldogs average nearly four sacks a game. By comparison, San Diego State averages two, but chased Denton around all night in last Saturday's 20-17 overtime win over the Rebels, dropping him four times.

Crook is a classic drop-back passer and lacks Denton's elusiveness. Throw in that four of the Rebels' five interior linemen are beat up, and Crook could be spending many a down on the ground.

"It's a crucial game up front for our pass game," left guard Mike Reily said.

Reily was moved from his usual position of right guard to fill in for Jerald Pierucci, who is out for the year with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Reily is nursing a right shoulder sprain and has not experienced contact all week. Neither has center Bubba Gonzalez, who continues to limp with a sprained ankle.

Left tackle Ben Glidewell, the only senior on the offensive line, should go the whole game in Fresno, even though he was able to play only two series in San Diego because of an injured hand. John Greer slides from right tackle to guard, while Brandon Ellena makes his first start anywhere in Greer's old slot.

Crook is confident in those around him and claims no concerns heading into his first start since 1995, a 52-14 loss at San Jose State.

"If they bring it, we have plays that can bring them out of it," Crook said. "If they blitz and we make proper reads, I'm going to hurt them."

If UNLV's receivers can muster enough time to get down field, Crook could take advantage of the blitz.

Bulldog starting safeties Cory Hall and Bernard Finley missed last week's game with injuries. But their absences didn't hurt. Fresno State topped previously unbeaten Air Force 20-17 in Colorado Springs with junior walk-on Efrain Guizar -- who prior to this year had not played organized football since 1994 -- at free safety.

"The receivers need to make the big plays that we've counted on all year," Rebel head coach Jeff Horton said.

Fresno State's offense features running back Michael Pittman, who has 612 yards and three touchdowns in six games. Quarterback Billy Volek leads the WAC in touchdown passes with 13 and has just two interceptions.

The Bulldogs are 3-4 overall, 2-1 in the Pacific Division. The Rebels are 3-4, 2-2.

Extra points

* OFF THE BOARD: Because of Jon Denton's two-game suspension for violating a team rule, Saturday's game was taken off the underground betting boards. Fresno State opened a 4-point favorite, but when Denton's status was revealed Monday, wagering on the game immediately ceased. A spread will be posted for Colorado State after oddsmakers get a feel for the Kevin Crook offense. Betting on Nevada universities is illegal in-state but is permitted in Mexico, offshore and overseas. ... The Scripps Howard power ratings made the Rebels a 7 1/2-point underdog with Denton at quarterback.

* FOX IN FRESNO: Former Cimarron-Memorial star Vernon Fox is a freshman free safety at Fresno State. Fox rushed for 1,532 yards with the Spartans last year and earned All-Sunset Division honors. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder became a full-time defensive back when he joined the Bulldogs.

* GRID TIDBITS: For the first seven weeks of the season, running back was the only Rebels starting offensive position that experienced a personnel change. ... UNLV has not won in Fresno since 1983 and has lost four straight at Bulldog Stadium. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 10-4, including last year's 34-23 victory at Sam Boyd Stadium.