UNLV’s Reily eyes return to the lineup

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 1998 | 11:36 a.m.

Mike Reily has spent his time at practice the past couple of weeks pushing around a cart with UNLV strength coach Mark Philippi aboard.

But the 6-3, 290-pound senior offensive guard is getting itchy to start pushing opposing defensive lineman around again.

Reily, a second-team all-WAC choice last season, partially tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee back at Camp Mesquite in mid-August. And after five weeks of rehabilitation, he finally returned to the practice field for Tuesday afternoon's workout at Rebel Park.

Reily spent most of the practice watching instead of playing. And according to Rebels coach Jeff Horton, he still may be a couple weeks away from playing significant minutes.

Not exactly the kind of senior year Reily, who had started 33 of his 34 previous UNLV games, had hoped for. But it could have been worse.

"The trainers said it was real close to a season-ending injury which would have meant a career-ending injury for me here," Reily said. "So it could have been worse. A lot worse. That would have been devastating for me."

As it is, standing around and watching helplessly as your teammates have been outscored 145-24 in three poundings hasn't exactly been a picnic.

"It's been brutal," Reily said.

"It's not a lot of fun being on the sidelines and seeing your team not doing as well as it can be doing or should be doing. It's been real rough watching, not being able to go out and try and help."

Almost as painful as the injury?

"If it's not the same, it's pretty close," Reily said.

"I don't want to go into the dramatics and say things like mental anguish ... but being on the sideline and wanting to be out there so bad, your senior year, your last go-around. ... and to see your team get beat, it's a pretty painful thing to see from the sidelines."

Now Reily hopes he can see game action "as soon as possible."

Odds are, though, he won't be back on the field until next week's in-state battle with Nevada-Reno, at the earliest.

"Mike has to work his way back in," Horton said. "He's not going to be in great shape. With the knee, there's only so much running you can do. I just think it's going take a good two weeks for him to get back into game-playing condition. But it will be nice to get someone with Mike's experience back when he's ready."

* REBEL NOTES: Highly touted JC transfer Dusty Pearce, who also sat out the past month with a partially torn knee ligament, returned to practice Tuesday at his middle linebacker position and performed well. However, outside linebacker A.C. Smith, a Green Valley High product, left practice with his right arm in a sling after seperating his shoulder slightly during a seven-against-seven drill. ... In an effort to snap his team's losing streak, coach Jeff Horton sat in the middle of the plane with his players instead of his customary front seat on the trip to Madison, Wis., and back. "A couple of more losses and I'll probably be sitting in the baggage compartment," Horton joked.