Rebels snubbed in MWC all-league selections

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 1999 | 10:28 a.m.

The Mountain West Conference released its first all-conference team on Tuesday.

Don't squint too hard trying to find out which UNLV players made the first team because, somewhat surprisingly, none of them did.

Sophomore cornerback Kevin Thomas, who set a school record with 24 pass breakups to go along with five interceptions and a game-winning 100-yard fumble return at Baylor, and junior punter Ray Cheetany, who led the conference in punting with an average of 45.38 yards and also was an excellent kickoff man, both were selected to the second team.

"I thought (Thomas) should have been on the first team," UNLV coach John Robinson said. "In fact, I think he deserves some national honors. But the four players who made the first team were all seniors. Kevin, being a sophomore, is kind of a new player. I think making the second team as a sophomore puts him in good position to move up next season if he plays well again."

New Mexico safety Brian Urlacher, who was also named the conference's player of the year, San Diego State safety Rico Curtis, Colorado State safety Erik Olson and BYU corner Brian Gray were the first-team defensive backs picked by the coaches.

"It's a start," Thomas said when told of making the second team. "I'll just have to keep working harder so I can hopefully make the first team next year."

Cheetany was passed over on the first team for Colorado State's Deone Horinek despite the fact Cheetany easily outpunted his Ram rival all season. Horinekd had a 43.0 average, including just 37.5 yards in Saturday's finale at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"Once again I think it was a case of a kid being a senior getting the vote," Robinson said. "Everybody thought (Horinek) was a great competitor, too."

Colorado State running back Kevin McDougal was voted offensive player of the year over BYU quarterback Kevin Feterik while Utah defensive end John Frank edged BYU linebacker Rob Morris for defensive player of the year honors. BYU running back Luke Staley was named freshman of the year while Colorado State's Sonny Lubick was named coach of the year.

* BYU LEFT AT THE ALTAR? As of late Tuesday night, the Motor City Bowl in Detroit still had not tendered an official invitation to BYU to play the winner of this weekend's Marshall-Western Michigan game in its bowl game.

Apparently, BYU and Mountain West Conference officials jumped the gun on Monday by announcing that a deal had been swung with the Motor City Bowl to invite BYU.

According to today's edition of the Salt Lake Tribune, Motor City Bowl officials contacted BYU on Tuesday morning and told the school to stop telling people that the school had been invited to play in their game.

"We're just kind of blown away by the way the whole thing has been handled," BYU associate athletic director Duff Tittle said.

Motor City Bowl selection chairman Ken Hoffman acknowledged that BYU "was still prominent" on its list of teams to invite, but that an invitation for the Cougs may not be extended until Saturday.

The Motor City Bowl wants to wait to make sure that defending national champ Tennessee gets the BCS's second at-large berth before making a decision. Michigan received the first at-large berth on Tuesday to play in the Orange Bowl. The other one is expected to go to either the Vols or Kansas State.

If Kansas State gets the invite, that would bump Tennessee into a non-BCS bowl and start a domino effect with other bowl-bound SEC teams ending with Kentucky possibly getting knocked out of the Music City Bowl. And if that happens, the Motor City Bowl, which is having to make financial allowances to entice BYU to play in its game, could switch and take Hal Mumme's Wildcats.

BYU athletic director Val Hale, who thought his team's future in Detroit was a done deal on Monday, was perplexed by Tuesday's sudden turn of events.

"All I know is (Monday) after I talked with Ken Hoffman at the Motor City Bowl, he told me BYU was in the game with one possible exception, and that was if Tennessee was not included in the BCS," Hale said. "Then they said they might consider Kentucky."

Hale also said he was told by MAC commissioner Rick Christ that "the deal was done and BYU was in the game."

Hale said that ESPN, a major player in the behind-the-scenes placing of Mountain West bowl teams, "still wants BYU in (the Motor City Bowl)."

Despite the latest setback, Hale said he still would like the Cougars to play in the Dec. 27 contest in the Pontiac Silverdome.

"But I don't know how much longer I can say that," he said.

If BYU does get passed over by the Motor City Bowl, it would be a major embarrassment for the new Mountain West Conference as well as commissioner Craig Thompson. The tri-champion Cougars (8-3, 5-2), besides being the MWC's most marketable team, are the conference's only squad to be rated in the Top 25 and also own the Mountain West's top BCS rating (No. 25).

* WE'RE NO. 100: While on the subject of BCS ratings, UNLV ranks 100th out of 114 Division I teams in this week's poll.

The Rebels edged in-state rival Nevada-Reno for the final spot in the top 100.

BYU (No. 25) was the top-rated MWC team, followed by Colorado State (No. 27), Utah (No. 33), Wyoming (No. 48), San Diego State (No. 52), Air Force (No. 60) and New Mexico (No. 85).

Las Vegas Bowl-bound Fresno State is rated No. 59.