In the Rebels’ backfield, if the ‘Thunder’ doesn’t get you, then the ‘Lightning’ will

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2000 | 10:20 a.m.

The New York Giants have given the nickname of "Thunder and Lightning" to their productive running back duo of Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber.

It might not be a bad moniker for UNLV's talented pair of senior tailbacks Kevin Brown and Jeremi Rudolph as well.

Like 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Dayne, the 6-1, 230-pound Brown is a power runner with deceptive speed. Like Barber, the 5-10, 175-pound Rudolph gets by with nifty moves and good speed, but isn't afraid to mix it up inside, too.

Both are in the midst of excellent seasons for the Rebels.

Brown, a k a Thunder, is a transfer from Washington State who took over the team rushing lead with his 17-carry, 134-yard performance in UNLV's 20-19 loss at Colorado State on Saturday night.

He leads the Mountain West Conference with a 6.2 yards per carry average.

Rudolph, the Lightning half of the duo, is seventh in the MWC in rushing with an average of just less than 60 yards per game.

He also leads the team in kickoff returns with a 22.8 average.

Brown and Rudolph have combined to rush for 766 yards in six games, an average of 128 yards per contest from the tailback position.

"They would have done pretty well," UNLV run game coordinator John Jackson, who helped tutor Charles White and Marcus Allen to a pair of Heisman Trophies, said when asked how the duo would have fared playing behind USC's talented offensive lines of the '70s. "I'm impressed with both of them. I think they're both very good backs. In my opinion, they would have fit into that group."

Not a bad group to fit in with.

Jackson said he has been as impressed with the attitude of Brown and Rudolph as much as with their running abilities.

"They really work together," he said. "They talk to each other. They try and help each other. There's not one iota of jealousy when one of them gets more carries in a game than the other."

In fact, Jackson said both know their roles so well that he doesn't need to tell which one to go into the game.

"They pretty much handle their substitutions themselves," Jackson said. "They alternate series. That's worked out well. One guy may go in and have an eight-play series while the other may go in there for only a four-play series. But it always seems to balance out.

"Those guys are more worried about the team winning," Jackson continued. "Who has the most carries really doesn't faze them.

"I don't think they even know. They don't ask for the stats or anything like that. I'm very impressed with how they're working together and how hard both play."

Although they have different physiques, UNLV coach John Robinson said they both basically run the same plays when they're in the game.

"We don't call plays differently depending on who is in there," Robinson said.

"We're probably starting to think of Kevin more as a power back, but both pick up yardage inside the interior line. I just don't think Jeremi can knock a pile back as well as Kevin can."

Says Jackson: "I think they're both difficult to tackle and bring down, but for different reasons. Jeremi keeps his legs going and has kind of a unique ability to make people miss him. Kevin is stronger and deceptively fast. He can run over people.

"What's impressive to us about both of them is that when you think you have them stopped, they get another five yards. That first contact doesn't mean that the yardage stops."

Robinson said at his weekly football luncheon earlier on Monday that he would audition another placekicker for PAT duty in practice this week. Cheetany, who has had problems getting his kicks up high off the ground, has made just 13 of 18 PATs this season, three of which were blocked.

"We'll look at another kicker," Robinson said. "We have a freshman kicker ... I don't know his name."

His name is Dillon Pieffer, a walk-on from Colorado Springs who impressed the coaches with his placekicking earlier in the year and actually made the trip to Fort Collins.

Both will work out at tonight's practice.

One possibility is that Pieffer will handle PATs and short field goals while Cheetany, who earlier this year booted a 48-yard field goal, will still handle long field goals.

The team also had backup Jason Vaughan as the starter on its depth chart with Thomas put in the No. 2 slot.

"We certainly feel Jason (Thomas) can get close to playing (by Saturday)," Robinson said. "But I've never played a player who is injured."