Vaughan set to lead the way

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Sept. 1, 1999 | 10:09 a.m.

Finally on Thursday night, after four years and three different colleges, Jason Vaughan will get to throw his first Division I pass.

The 6-4, 205-pound junior, who began his career at Mississippi, spent an injury-shortened year at Division I-AA power Valdosta State before moving on yet again to Middle Georgia College as a sophomore, will be the starting quarterback for UNLV when it begins the John Robinson era against North Texas University.

For Vaughan, who departed Mississippi as a freshman despite working his way up to No. 2 on the depth chart, it has been a long time coming.

"I can't wait to step on the field at North Texas," Vaughan said. "The excitement of our program is sky-high right now. I'm probably more anxious than anybody. I'm ready to get on the field, get it under way, get a win under our belts, and get on to better things."

The road from prep All-American to the SEC to Division 1-AA to junior college and back to Division I-A with the Rebels has taught Vaughan to appreciate his opportunity more.

"Definitely," he said after a recent practice at Rebel Park. "Maturity kind of gets the best of me sometimes. Those decisions you make when you're 18 years old, you don't really know what to do. You're cocky and arrogant and don't realize what you have in front of you sometimes. You want things a little too fast. I think that was the case for me."

Most freshmen would be elated to be No. 2 on a depth chart for a SEC team such as Mississippi. But the impatient Vaughan felt he should have been starting and wound up taking a much longer journey to finally achieve his goal.

"Going the route I have has been so much better for me than if I had stayed there," Vaughan said. "I learned the humbling aspect of the game, the entire picture that I didn't see before. Now I see it."

UNLV head coach John Robinson is hoping that if Vaughan has learned one thing over the years it's to be patient.

"He needs to learn to be efficient and not to try and win the game by himself," Robinson said. "Like most quarterbacks, he has always been the focus of the team. And with that comes a kind of responsibility or desire to win the game. I think as you step up levels, you must learn before you win or make the big play to win, you must make the steady, solid, efficient play time after time. Then you put yourself in the opportunity for the chance at the big play."

In other words, don't look for Vaughan to come out firing long bombs on Thursday night.

"(Quarterbacks coach) Gene Dahlquist and Coach Robinson have been trying to stress being efficient," Vaughan said. "They want me to take what the defense gives you and keep punching and keep punching and then go for the big blow. That's our philosophy. I've kind of settled myself down a little bit and have done what they've asked me to do."

"We've really been pleased with the kind of guy he is and his dedication," Robinson said of Vaughan.

* GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Defensive coordinator Jeff McInerney said that defensive end Saeed Abdul-Malik will make the trip to North Texas today after the school received a transcript confirming that Abdul-Malik had obtained his associate of arts degree.

The news for freshman defensive tackle Dietrich Canterberry isn't as good, however.

Canterberry, a 6-4, 295-pounder from Lynwood, Calif., High School, who along with fellow freshman Kawika Sagapolu of Cimarron-Memorial High school was expected to provide valuable depth on the defensive line, did not make the trip because he has not been OK'd for participation by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

According to McInerney, Canterberry had an 870 SAT score which meant on the NCAA's sliding scale for freshman eligibility he needed a GPA of 2.375 in core classes. Canterberry's GPA is 2.370.

The school is appealing Canterberry's eligibility with the NCAA but may not learn anything for another week or two.

"There is a precedent in these kind of cases," McInerney said. "Hopefully, they'll rule in Deitrich's favor."

If not, UNLV will likely bring Canterberry in as a partial qualifier and redshirt him this year.

* UP, UP AND AWAY: UNLV flew to Dallas this morning. The team then bused to Denton for a one-hour walk-through at Fouts Field. UNLV FOOTBALL