Rebels look to end one more streak

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2000 | 10:27 a.m.

The UNLV football team put an end to a couple of ugly losing streaks during John Robinson's first year as head coach.

Thanks to a season-opening 26-3 win at North Texas, the Rebels ended a 16-game overall losing streak and a 26-game road losing streak.

But as UNLV (0-1) gets ready to host the Mean Green (0-2) in a rematch Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium, there's still one more streak Robinson & Co. would like to end.

The Rebels bring a 12-game home losing streak into the game.

UNLV has not won at Sam Boyd Stadium since a 21-19 victory over TCU on Oct. 11, 1997.

"It's in the back of our minds," senior safety Randy Black said. "But one thing the players who played here last year realize is that the streak doesn't mean anything unless you're focused on the game."

Robinson agrees.

"It would be nice (to end the streak)," he said. "But it's winning the game that counts. All those other things come afterward. Win the game is the main focus."

And winning a game is something neither team has done in a while. UNLV will bring a six-game losing streak into the contest while North Texas has dropped its last seven games.

"I told him, 'Jason, I've got a new house and I've got grandchildren I've to put through school, so play your (rump) off.' "

He was kidding of course.

"No, at that time I thought it was important for him to just take a deep breath," Robinson said. "You don't want to start yelling at him or stuff. ... You want to settle him down."

Whatever was said, it seemed to work. Thomas bounced back to throw two long touchdown passes to Nate Turner in the second half.

The 5-10, 318-pound Kennedy, a former Dallas-area defensive player of the year at Terrell High School, also averaged 22.0 points per game as a senior point guard in basketball.

Pity the fool who tried to step in and take a charge on Kennedy.

"He can dunk a basketball, if you can imagine that," senior middle linebacker Jeff Rodgers said. "You won't believe how quick he is off the line of scrimmage. Sometimes you wonder, "Did he know the snap count?' "

Kennedy, whose older brother Kenroy was a free safety at Arkansas and is now with the Seattle Seahawks, has seven tackles and a sack in his first two college games.

"Nobody can block him," Rodgers said. "You don't usually see people that big move that fast. And he's so powerful."

Black either stubbed the toe or had it stepped on by a Cyclones player in the first quarter. Still, he remained in the game and finished with nine tackles and an interception.

Black spent Monday afternoon meeting with team doctors, who were contemplating surgically removing the cracked toenail in a procedure similar to having an ingrown toenail fixed. That could have sidelined the 6-0, 200-pound senior from Clark High for at least a couple of days of practice. But upon closer inspection, it was decided Black could keep the toenail and return to practice tonight.

"It's more like he suffered a cut on the end of the toe," trainer Kyle Wilson said Monday night. "We didn't think he needed to have the nail removed. He should be able to practice (tonight)."