Thomas doesn’t regret transfer

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Sept. 29, 1999 | 9:47 a.m.

What if?

Jason Thomas admits that thought ran through his mind late Saturday night when he found out the player he was competing for the starting quarterback job at USC with, Carson Palmer, suffered a broken collarbone late in the first half of the Trojans' 33-30 triple overtime loss to Oregon.

Thomas, regarded by some scouts as the best athlete to come out of Southern California in the past 20 years, left USC last spring because he felt Trojan head coach Paul Hackett didn't live up to an earlier promise to let him battle Palmer for the starting job. Had he stayed at Troy, he likely would be taking reps with the first team this week in preparation for USC's Pac-10 game against Oregon State on Saturday.

"Hey, I'm human," the 6-4, 230-pound Thomas, who must redshirt this season per NCAA transfer rules, said before heading out to quarterback UNLV's scout team on Tuesday night at Rebel Park. "I thought, 'What if?' and 'What could have been?' That's just human nature to think I could be playing there now."

But Thomas, who also found himself playing some wide receiver and returning punts against his wishes in one spring practice, said he has no regrets about following the coach who recruited him to USC, John Robinson, to UNLV.

"I'm looking forward to doing bigger and better things here with Coach Robinson," Thomas said. "I heard (the Los Angeles Times) wrote that I regretted my decision and that is not it at all. I've got to live my life and keep moving forward. I can't think about decisions I made in the past."

Thomas said he was "amazed" when he first heard of Palmer's injury, which is expected to keep him out between six and eight weeks.

"I didn't believe it at first," he said. "I was kind of in shock, really. I'm really hoping he returns fast. It's unfortunate it happened."

Although they competed on the practice field, Thomas and Palmer became good friends off it.

"We're real good friends," Thomas said. "We left on good terms. I tried to get in contact with him through (USC offensive coordinator Hue Jackson). They told me they'd give him my number and hopefully he'll call me. But I'm going to keep trying this week to try and catch him."

* FIGHTIN' WORDS: Nevada-Reno running back Chris Lemon, who rushed for 190 yards and one touchdown in the Wolf Pack's 31-20 victory over UNLV last year at Sam Boyd Stadium, didn't exactly mince words about this week's Fremont Cannon rematch at Mackay Stadium.

"Screw Vegas," Lemon told a Wolf Pack booster luncheon according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I'm tired of losing. We'll get after those guys, I'll promise you. I won't promise a win, but I promise we'll get after them."

Then Lemon, who has rushed for 388 yards on 91 carries this season, seemed to promise a win.

"We'll keep the Fremont Cannon," he said.

* WARE PRACTICES: UNLV wide receiver Len Ware, who was on crutches on Monday with a sprained ankle and bruised knee, was back on the practice field on Tuesday night doing some light running.

"He'll play Saturday," Robinson promised.

Robinson said the injury wasn't as serious as the crutches might seem to indicate.

"We just wanted him to keep off it so the blood wouldn't settle in there as much," he said.

* MORE WOLF PACK WOES: Nevada-Reno (0-4) could be missing three key offensive starters on Saturday.

Tight end Darin Higgins, who was second in the nation in receiving yards by a tight end in 1998, quit football recently after suffering his third concussion in a year.

Then starting wide receiver David Burr quit the team Monday.

Burr was upset that a true freshman, Aaron Carter, was sent in for him during a key fourth down situation in the Wolf Pack's loss to Fresno State last weekend.

And another starting wideout, senior Cle Brooks, missed last week's game with a broken left hand suffered in Reno's 72-10 loss at Oregon. He is expected to try and play Saturday.