UNLV treating showdown with Lobos as ‘a playoff game’

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Nov. 10, 2000 | 10:21 a.m.

Go ahead and roll out all the cliches.

Backs to the wall. Do or die. No tomorrow.

For the UNLV Rebels (4-5, 2-3), they all apply to their bowl game hopes entering Saturday's home finale against New Mexico (5-5, 3-2) at Sam Boyd Stadium.

The loser will be scratched from bowl contention. The winner stays alive for another week.

"If we don't win this game," senior offensive tackle John Greer said, "then we don't get to accomplish our main goal. That's a winning season and a bowl berth."

"These two teams have a window of opportunity in front of them," UNLV coach John Robinson said. "One of them needs to find a way to crawl through it."

"It's like a playoff game," added running back Jeremi Rudolph. "It's one of the biggest games of our lives, of our careers. We just want to find a way to come out on top."

And unless UNLV can find a way to defeat the Lobos and also win their final two games at San Diego State and Hawaii to earn a probable Las Vegas Bowl berth, it will be the last time seniors such as Rudolph, safety Randy Black, fullback James Wofford, cornerback Amar Brisco, linebacker Tyler Brickell and Greer get to play on their home field.

"Right now I'm not trying to think about the fact that this could be my final home game," Rudolph said after practice on Thursday at chilly and windy Rebel Park. "I think it's going to be real emotional. A lot of the seniors are going to want to go out on top. I think everybody will be a lot more focused than we were last week (a 38-16 loss at Utah)."

The Rebels will also have another big plus over last week -- the services of star quarterback Jason Thomas.

Thomas, who missed the Utah debacle with a sore right foot, practiced all week and threw the ball well. He will start.

Meanwhile, senior wide receiver Nate Turner, sidelined most of the week with a sprained right ankle, practiced Thursday and will also play even though he says he will be only "about 70 percent.

"I can run straight ahead pretty well, but it hurts to try and cut on it," Turner said. "I've just got to be aware out there and not try to cut too hard off of it."

Still, this game, like most big games, figures to come down to who can win the battle in the trenches.

Rocky Long's Lobos are No. 1 in the Mountain West Conference in run defense, yielding just 105.4 yards per game. They also lead the MWC in pass efficiency defense and in sacks with 45.

Meanwhile, UNLV will counter with a rushing attack led by Rudolph, Thomas and senior Kevin Brown that ranks second only to option-oriented Air Force and 13th nationally with an average of 225.7 yards per game. And Thomas is second in the MWC in passing efficiency with a 148.7 rating.

"They have a good defense," Rudolph said. "They've been kind of like us in a lot of ways ... up and down. Like us, they're coming in down after a loss (17-16 to San Diego State). But one of us will be up again after Saturday. It wouldn't surprise me if the game came down to whoever had the ball last."

A four-year starter and former walk-on from Apple Valley (Calif.) High School, Greer was one of five linemen on the 24-man squad, which was chosen through a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America. Greer holds a 3.54 grade point average majoring in managerial science and has been named academic all-conference every season he has been eligible.

UNLV's district is made up of universities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

All fans who bring a canned food item will receive a raffle ticket for one of several prizes to be drawn at halftime. The prizes include show tickets to Mystere at Treasure Island.