Columnist Steve Guiremand: Robinson gets job done in big/rivalry games

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Oct. 1, 1999 | 9:36 a.m.

Steve Guiremand covers college football for the Sun. Reach him at 259-2324 or steveg@lasvegassun.com

It's big game week in Nevada with the famed Fremont Cannon on the line when UNLV travels to Nevada-Reno on Saturday.

If history means anything, Rebel fans should be optimistic that their team may finally win a game in Reno for the first time since 1979.

UNLV coach John Robinson has always had a way of getting the most out of his teams in big games.

Consider:

* Robinson is 7-1 in bowl games during his career, including a perfect 4-0 in the Rose Bowl. His teams were lower ranked in three of those four games in Pasadena.

* Robinson was 8-3-1 against Notre Dame while at USC, including a dramatic 27-20 overtime win over the Irish in 1996 that snapped the school's 13-game winless string against ND. He was 6-1 against the Fighting Irish from 1976 to 1982 when beating Notre Dame actually meant something.

* He was 5-2 against crosstown rival UCLA during his first coaching stint at USC, including a perfect 3-0 when the Rose Bowl was on the line for both schools.

Although he was 0-5 against the Bruins in his second tenure at USC, Robinson was a LaVale Woods fumble away in the final minutes of regulation in 1996 of scoring a win over Cade McNown and company.

In 1993, Rob Johnson's three-yard, third-down pass with 56 seconds left to play to Tyler Cashman was intercepted in the end zone by Bruin Marvin Goodwin to preserve UCLA's 27-21 victory.

Still, anybody who watched USC's lethargic 34-17 loss to UCLA last year will tell you that the Trojans at least showed up for their annual battle with the Bruins when Robinson was in charge.

Robinson's secret?

"Just focus in on practice on what we're supposed to be doing and not get too caught up in all the other stuff," he said.

Simple enough. No fancy game plans. No emotional pregame pep talks. Just go out and do what you practiced all week.

According to offshore books, Nevada-Reno is an 11-point favorite on Saturday.

Once around the MWC

* AIR FORCE: Defensive tackle Brandon Sokoroa will be out for up to four weeks after undergoing surgery on his left knee.

* BYU: Butkus Award candidate Rob Morris is listed as doubtful for tonight's game at Utah State with a strained lower abdominal muscle which also caused him to miss the Cougs' 45-40 loss to Virginia last week.

* COLORADO STATE: Rams (2-1), who host New Mexico State on Saturday, are 5-0 under Sonny Lubick following byes.

* NEW MEXICO: What halftime adjustments? Lobos (1-3) haven't scored in the third quarter in their last eight games.

* SAN DIEGO STATE: Aztecs (2-2, 0-0), who host Air Force (2-1, 0-1) in a key Mountain West game Saturday night on ESPN2, are allowing just 68.8 yards per game on the ground and haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher this season.

* UTAH: Efficient Utes have been in the red zone (inside opponents' 20-yard line) 15 times this season and have scored 12 touchdowns and two field goals.

* UNLV: Senior wideout Len Ware leads the conference and is fourth nationally in kickoff returns with a 35.1 average.

* WYOMING: Six new inductees into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame will be honored at halftime of Saturday's game against Idaho.

Once around the nation

* ACC: With his 210-yard rushing performance at BYU, Virginia running back Thomas Jones became only the fifth back in conference history to compile three 200-yard rushing games. The others were North Carolina's Amos Lawrence, Natrone Means and Mike Voight along with Maryland's Charlie Wysocki.

* BIG EAST: Since joining the conference as a charter member in 1991, Temple (0-4), which travels to Pitt on Saturday, has won just six conference games.

* BIG TEN: Key to Michigan State's 4-0 start? Try run defense. Spartans, 10th in Big Ten rush defense a year ago, ranks first this year and fourth nationally, allowing just 51.8 yards per game. Only Notre Dame (108) has broken the 100-yard barrier against Nick Saban and company.

* BIG 12: No. 23 Oklahoma (3-0), which travels to Notre Dame (1-3) on Saturday, is ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 this week for the first time since 1995. Sooners lead the nation in scoring (44.0 ppg), passing (399.7 yards per game) and total offense (536.0).

* BIG WEST: Only the fourth sellout (30,257) in Romney Stadium history is expected tonight when Utah State hosts in-state rival BYU in a rare Friday night game. The contest was moved up a day because of an LDS Church weekend conference in Salt Lake City.

* CONFERENCE USA: Tulane (2-1), which travels to Syracuse on Saturday, has scored 40 or more points in 12 of its last 16 games.

* INDEPENDENTS: Counting 1998 season-ending losses to USC and Georgia Tech, Notre Dame (1-3) has won just once in its last six games entering Saturday's contest against No. 23 Oklahoma (3-0).

* MAC: Miami of Ohio LB Dustin Cohen tied an NCAA record for linebackers when he returned his fourth interception for a touchdown last week against Central Michigan.

* PAC-10: USC (2-1) tied a conference record with 21 penalties in its 33-30 triple overtime loss at Oregon, including 14 after intermission. The offensive line was guilty of nine penalties, including six false starts. Trojans are averaging 15 penalties per game.

* SEC: South Carolina (0-4) carries the nation's longest losing streak (14 games) into Saturday night's home game against Mississippi. "What can you do about it? It's our turn. Tag, you're it," Gamecocks coach Lou Holtz said.

* WAC: Hawaii (3-1), which ended a 24-game WAC road losing streak with a 20-0 win at SMU last week, has won three consecutive games for the first time since 1992.