Thomas savors shot at UNR

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000 | 10:35 a.m.

UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas, named the Mountain West Conference's offensive player of the week for his 316 yards in total offense in the Rebels' 34-13 upset of previously unbeaten Air Force on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium, showed Monday he is equally adept with his wit as he is with his arm and feet.

Speaking before an overflow crowd at the Rebel Football Foundation's weekly luncheon at Big Dog's Cafe, the 6-4, 230-pound sophomore was asked about Saturday night's Battle for the Fremont Cannon against in-state rival Nevada-Reno.

"This is my first year of being a part of it," Thomas said. "When I was at (USC), I got a little bit of the UCLA rivalry. I know it's going to be a war.

"Man, I heard how (Nevada-Reno fans) did us bad when we went up there, pouring beer on us and spitting on us. So I hope you guys can bring your beer to the game. Have one to drink and one to pour on those guys."

The crowd roared with laughter as Thomas delivered a large smile.

"But seriously, though," Thomas continued, "we have a lot of young guys on the team who build off that support from the fans. ... We need your support on Saturday night."

And it looks like Thomas and company will get it.

Terry Cottle, associate athletics director for sports marketing at UNLV, said early forecasts are for a crowd of about 25,000 although he is hopeful that number could go as high as 30,000 with a big week of ticket sales.

"The phones are going good," Cottle said. "People are excited (about the Air Force win). No question about it. We expect a big week (of ticket sales). There's a lot of excitement about the team."

Junior cornerback Kevin Thomas, who had an interception, three pass breakups and three tackles while holding Falcon wide receiving star Ryan Fleming to just three catches for 43 yards, was named the Mountain West's defensive player of the week.

Colorado State's Pete Rebstock, who returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown in the Rams' 45-14 win over Nevada, took special teams honors.

The Rebels learned Monday that their Oct. 14 game at Colorado State will be shown nationally on ESPN2 cable.

The game, originally scheduled to start at 3 p.m. PDT, has been moved to a 6:30 p.m. start to accommodate television. It will be UNLV's first appearance on ESPN2.

"If we keep playing good and showing the country what we can do, I don't see why we can't get on TV a lot more," Jason Thomas said. "I mean, Minnesota and Illinois were on ESPN. Why can't we be, too? We're an exciting team that has everything you need to have to be on there."

Wyoming head coach Vic Koenning was expecially bitter about how the Wolf Pack made late subs in his team's 35-28 loss two weeks ago in Laramie and complained loudly about the fact on last week's Mountain West Conference coaches' teleconference call.

"They were allowed to break the huddle, run guys off the field and run guys on the field," Koenning said. "That's supposed to be intent to deceive, and that's supposed to be against the rules. We were led to believe that wasn't something that was going to be allowed this year.

"They were allowed to run two tight ends off (the field) and two wide receivers on. We were limited the second half with their ability to do that. It limited our ability to pressure the quarterback."

Koenning complained during the game to the Western Athletic Conference officials but to no avail. He was so upset that he even tipped archrival Colorado State to the problem the next day before the Rams' game at Reno.

Colorado State defensive coordinator Larry Kerr said he saw clear evidence of the violation on at least two plays on the tape.

"Wyoming complained," Kerr told the Denver Post, "but the officials didn't see it as a deceptive move. I can see how Vic would be upset."

However, the Rams didn't have any problems with the rule during their 45-14 crunching of the Wolf Pack last Saturday. That game was officiated by a Mountain West Conference crew. Saturday night's UNLV-UNR matchup will once again feature WAC officials.

"It doesn't concern us," Robinson said. "They have certain rules they have to abide by. My assumption is the officials will make them follow those rules. We'll practice for it. It's not an issue."

UNLV recruiting coordinator Joe Hubbard said he received phone calls from more than a dozen recruits in Southern California after the contest who had watched the game on TV and expressed strong interest in visiting UNLV.

The 6-3, 235-pound Seward drew praise from Robinson for his play in fall camp. But Seward just recently turned 18 and felt it would be beneficial to wait an extra year before playing his freshman season.