UNLV’s new offensive guru leaves Cougars after defeat

Tim Graham

Friday, Jan. 2, 1998 | 1:25 a.m.

Buzz Preston officially became a member of UNLV's football coaching staff two seconds sooner than he would have liked.

Executing his final duties Thursday in the Rose Bowl as Washington State's running backs coach, Preston watched the Cougars' season expire on the Michigan 26-yard line. There were two seconds left when quarterback Ryan Leaf took the snap and spiked the ball in an attempt to stop the clock, but the officials questionably ruled time expired.

Michigan won 21-16.

"You should have some time left in that situation, but there were other plays in the game that contributed more than that," Preston said afterward from his Santa Monica, Calif., hotel room. "There's no use crying over that. You just have to accept it like men and move on."

Preston already is itching to begin work as the Rebels' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in light of the heartbreaking loss. A victory over No. 1 Michigan and some help in other bowl games could have resulted in a national championship for No. 7 Washington State.

"It just makes me want to get over to UNLV and get going," Preston said. "I just can't wait to get there. I really feel I can add something to it, get things turned around, win some games and get back to a bowl game next year.

"I feel this program is on the cusp of breaking out. The chance of taking off and having a heck of a season is really possible. I see a lot of potential there. UNLV is a sleeping giant."

UNLV head coach Jeff Horton announced Wednesday that Preston had accepted a one-year, $75,000 offer to operate the Rebels' pass-oriented offense, a job that includes all play calling and quarterback management. Preston replaces Charlie Stubbs, who left the program two weeks ago to become the quarterbacks coach at Alabama.

"This is something I've been dying to do," Preston said.

Preston, 41, was at Washington State for three years. In his final season, the Cougars led the Pac-10 in total offense by a large margin, averaging 502.18 yards per game. Their rushing offense ranked fifth with 157.7 yards per game.

Preston previously was a receivers and defensive backs coach at his alma mater, Hawaii, in 1983 and again from 1987-93. He played both football and baseball for the Rainbows.

He also coached receivers and defensive backs at Southern Illinois from 1984-87. Other stops included Washington, where he was a graduate assistant, and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where he assisted with the receivers and special teams.

"He's been successful at every level," Horton said.

Not only is this Preston's first coordinator post, but also it marks the first time he has coached quarterbacks.

"I've studied the game," Preston said. "I've coached every position out there. I have a lot of insight to help a player I'm coaching become a better player. Some people in the profession get hung up on if a coach is specialized or what he has coached. But if you're a football coach, you can coach any position on that field.

"I feel very strong I've prepared myself for this."

Horton hopes Preston's work at Washington State is a harbinger for what will happen at UNLV. Preston helped the Cougars progress from their 3-8 record in 1994 into a national power. UNLV was 3-8 last year.

"Offensively, it's a great fit," Horton said. "We do a lot of the same stuff, but maybe not quite as much motion. They use one-back sets, move the ball around a bunch. I think the kids will really respond to him and his style of coaching."

Horton already has stated that UNLV will continue to use the system implemented by Stubbs. Under Stubbs last year, the Rebels' passing offense ranked first in the Western Athletic Conference and 12th in the country with 285.5 yards per game. In 1996, the Rebels ranked second in the WAC and ninth in the nation with 307.1 yards per game.

"I'm not coming in claiming to be an offensive guru or genius who's going to single-handedly turn it all around," Preston said. "It's going to be all of us working together."

One area with which Preston is most concerned is turnovers. UNLV lost the ball 33 times last year. Its --17 turnover margin ranked next to last in the WAC and among the five worst in the nation.

In addition to his coaching duties, Preston will recruit high school players in the Los Angeles area, possibly the most important target for all colleges in the West. Preston was born in Los Angeles, where he attended Banning High.

Some of his key signees include senior running back Michael Black, who led the Cougars with 1,302 rushing yards this season, receiver Nian Taylor and quarterback Steve Birnbaum, the heir apparent to Leaf.

"He's a big-time recruiter," Horton said. "He's had a lot of success producing kids, and he's the main source of all the players they've brought in from L.A., which is a big recruiting bed for us."