Another ex-Wash. State star to join Rebels

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2000 | 10:28 a.m.

It worked once, so why not again?

Washington State running back Deon Burnett, following in the footsteps of current Rebel star Kevin Brown, has decided to leave Pullman and said he will enroll at UNLV in January.

The 5-11, 202-pound Burnett must redshirt next season but will still have two years of eligibility remaining after that.

Like Brown, who has rushed for 798 yards this season for the Rebels and combined with fellow senior Jeremi Rudolph to form the best 1-2 running back combination in the Mountain West Conference this year, Burnett comes with a lot of talent but also his share of baggage.

While Brown was expelled from Washington State for his part in a campus dorm theft, Burnett flat-out quit the team during halftime of the Cougars' season-ending 51-3 Apple Cup thumping against Rose Bowl-bound Washington on Nov. 18.

Angered that he hadn't played in the first half of the contest, Burnett took off his pads and left the locker room cursing about the Washington State program despite attempts from several Cougars, including his brother Anthony, a walk-on, to stop him.

Burnett, one of the Pac-10's top backs in 1999 when he rushed for a school freshman rushing record 974 yards and 12 touchdowns, was granted his release a few days later by Washington State coach Mike Price.

"I regret the way it happened," Burnett told the Tacoma News Tribune on Tuesday. "It was just frustration. I could have handled it better. I could have been a lot more mature. Obviously, I was wrong. I regret the way it happened, but I don't regret my decision (to leave)."

Burnett, who was criticized by coaches, players and media for his unaggressive running style, lost his starting job midway through the Cougars' 4-7 season to JC transfer David Minnich (6-0, 210), an ex-Marine who seemed to adapt to Price's one-back offensive style better. He finished with 353 yards on just 93 carries and scored one touchdown this past season.

"It wasn't a good fit," Burnett said of the Cougs' one-back offense. "I'm not as good at that. What I do best is run behind somebody and get outside where I can make something happen."

Burnett was one of California's most recruited running backs his senior year at Claremont (Calif.) High School after rushing for 2,557 yards en route to Player of the Year honors by the Inland Valley Bulletin. He gained 5,130 yards and scored 61 touchdowns in his prep career and garnered five votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's prestigious Best in the West poll of college coaches. Only six running backs on the West Coast -- Washington's Paul Arnold (10), Texas A&M's Joe Weber (9), Arizona's Larry Croom (8), UCLA's Akil Harris (8), Oregon's Onterrio Smith (8) and Iowa State's Mike Wagner (6) -- garnered more votes in that poll.

Burnett picked the Cougars over Oregon and Arizona out of high school. After getting his release last month, he was also offered scholarships from Colorado State, UTEP, San Diego State and Utah State but picked the Rebels because of Robinson's running back tradition and the fact Las Vegas is only about a three-hour drive from his home in Upland, Calif.

"He runs a lot," Burnett told the News Tribune. "I think it's a perfect fit for me."

NCAA rules prohibit Robinson from commenting on Burnett until after he signs a letter of intent today.

UNLV also is expected to sign two linemen during the early junior college signing period this week.

Matt Williams, a 6-5, 280-pound offensive tackle from Pasadena City College, is expected to pick the Rebels over San Diego State while defensive tackle Garrett Brassington (6-2, 285) of Grossmont College in San Diego reportedly has chosen UNLV over Colorado State and Baylor.