UNLV vs Tulsa — Game notes

Monday, Nov. 2, 1998 | 10:20 a.m.

By Steve Guiremand

Two weeks ago it was James Wofford's fumble at the goal line in overtime. Last week it was an officials' horrific mark on a key 4th-and-one play. Saturday, it was a botched PAT try that came back to haunt UNLV in its quest to snap what has now grown to a 14-game losing streak. The Rebels lost to a crippled Tulsa (3-5, 1-4) squad that was minus its two top quarterbacks and two top wide receivers, 20-16, on Halloween afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Rebels might have at least been able to send this one into overtime if Kevin Crook didn't mishandle Mike Leatham's slightly high conversion snap, costing the Rebels a key extra point in the third quarter. Quarterback Chad Reed had just scored on a two-yard bootleg to apparently tie the game and give UNLV the momentum. But the botched PAT allowed the Golden Hurricane to remain in front, 17-16. When Tulsa added a fourth quarter field goal following a Wofford fumble on an option pitch by Reed the Golden Hurricane led, 20-16. That meant that instead of driving for a potential game-tying field goal and overtime down the stretch, UNLV was forced to go for a touchdown. And after driving to the Tulsa 45 --- about 20 yards from Tim O'Reilly's field goal range --- with a minute to go, backup quarterback Chris Hayward overthrew Damon Williams deep down the middle where Golden Hurricane free safety Chris Miller intercepted for the game-clincher. ... In the past three weeks, UNLV (0-9, 0-6 WAC Mountain) has lost by a grand total of 10 points, extending their nation's co-longest Division 1-A losing streak to 14. The good news? UNLV has a bye this week while San Jose State travels to Hawaii. If the Spartans can knock off the Rainbows as expected, UNLV will no longer be tied for the nation's longest losing streak.

Afteward, talk in the UNLV locker room once again centered on how the Rebels really aren't as bad as their record indicates.

"I'll probably sound like I'm a little crazy, which I probably am," UNLV head coach Jeff Horton said. "Are we a bad football team? No, I don't think so. We're not a very good football team by any imagination. When we've had our chances to win in tight games, we just haven't done it."

"We're not a bad 0-9 team," Reed said. "We're not a team people say, 'Oh, they're the worst team in Division I' or whatever. We've got a lot of good players on this team and a lot of character on this team. For some reason it's just not happening. I can't explain it."

On the plus side, senior defensive end Talance Sawyer had a team co-high 10 tackles, including two more for losses, and continues to lead the WAC in that catagory with 19. And punter Joe Kristosik, thanks in part to a couple of nice rolls, averaged 50.0 yards on six more punts and now leads the nation with a 46.6 average.

Next opponent

The Rebels have a bye this week before traveling to Houston and a Nov. 14 date with the Rice Owls (3-5, 3-2 WAC Mountain). Ken Hatfield's squad pulled off arguably the biggest upset in the WAC this year when it knocked off preseason WAC favorite Colorado State, 35-23, on Saturday. The Owls have also beaten SMU (23-17 in OT) and Tulsa (14-10) this season.

Attendance

Saturday's crowd: 15,187.

Season total: 74,561.

Season average: 18,840.