Rebels aim to finish turnaround

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Dec. 21, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

While his teammates raced off the field after a short workout at Sam Boyd Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, UNLV senior strong safety Randy Black took his time heading for the locker room.

The Clark High product was the last player to leave the field. He even stopped and glanced around the empty stadium. It was as if he wanted to savor every moment of his final practice as a Rebel football player.

"It doesn't seem that long ago that we walked off this field as losers -- 0-11 -- and Coach (Jeff Horton) had just been fired," Black said referring to a season-ending 41-18 loss to TCU and LaDainian Tomlinson in 1998. "We weren't anything. We weren't going to amount to anything and a lot of players were thinking of transferring. Now two years later here we go ... the beginning of a dynasty.

"It's scary, huh?"

Whether UNLV (7-5) can go on from here to earn that "dynasty" label remains to be seen. But win or lose in tonight's Las Vegas Bowl IX against tradition-rich Arkansas (6-5) of the mighty SEC, it's safe to say Black and the rest of the Rebels' senior class can walk off the field knowing they started an impressive turnaround during the John Robinson Era.

"I think this senior class is going to be remembered as some of the best men I've ever coached," Robinson said. "And also as men who more than met the challenge. To get from where they were to where they are now is a far piece. I'll always have great affection for them."

"I did what I could," said Black, who finished third on the squad with 61 tackles and tied for the Mountain West Conference lead in forced fumbles with three. "There were some things I could have done better."

Playing in pain wasn't one of them.

Black had surgery on both hands during the season to have screws and metal plates inserted to help repair broken bones. He injured the left hand early in fall practice and was just getting over that injury when he broke two bones in his right hand midway through the season.

Still, the 6-0, 210-pounder started all but one of UNLV's 12 games. He'll leave campus as the school's career leader in tackles. He has 294 entering tonight's game.

"I'm just happy to see this program getting what it deserves," Black said. "I think there were a lot of players in the past who put a lot of blood, sweat and tears on this field and never really got to reap the benefits of it. I just want to come out and not just play (tonight's) game for myself but also for all those guys who weren't fortunate to be here right now."

It has been a senior year to remember for Black and company.

"It's been awesome," Black said. "It's been a fun ride. I just wish I had another ticket for next year."

* REBEL NOTES: Tonight's game will not be televised locally because it will come up far short of a sellout of 36,800 needed to lift the blackout. The rest of the nation will be able to catch it on ESPN2 cable. ... Shades of 1999: Once again the Sam Boyd Stadium grounds crew has failed in the most basic of tasks -- growing grass. There are a number of spots on the field where the grass has died and the sandy soil has been painted green to cover up for the gaffes. ... UNLV is a perfect 5-0 at Sam Boyd Stadium this year and is 2-0 in bowl games. ... UNLV officials announced late Wednesday that they will not have a ticket booth on the south end zone side of Sam Boyd Stadium today as originally planned. ... If the Rebels can defeat the Hogs tonight, they will have won four straight games in a season for the first time since 1984. ... As expected, UNLV received the signed letters of intent of JC line recruits Matt Williams (6-5, 280, OT) of Pasadena (Calif.) City College and Garrett Brassington (6-2, 285, DT) of Grossmont College in La Mesa, Calif., on Wednesday. ... Oops Dept.: Washington State transfer Deon Burnett may have jumped the gun a bit when he told the Tacoma News Tribune on Tuesday that he would enroll at UNLV in January. The Rebels had only two scholarships available for mid-year transfers and they went to Williams and Brassington. That means Burnett will likely have to wait until next fall to get a scholarship.