Rebels set sights on new season

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, March 21, 2001 | 9:57 a.m.

Spring is in the air at UNLV's Rebel Park.

Spring football, that is.

Three months after easily defeating Arkansas, 31-14, in the Las Vegas Bowl for the school's biggest victory in two decades, John Robinson's Rebels turn their attention to the 2001 season with the start of spring football practice on Thursday afternoon.

The Rebels have 13 practices scheduled between now and April 14. UNLV, which finished with an 8-5 overall record and 4-3 mark in the Mountain West Conference last season, has a number of key issues to address in spring ball. Among them:

The Mountain West Newcomer of the Year still isn't 100 percent after having the foot placed in a cast for six weeks in January when it was determined he had a slight fracture of the second metatarsal bone.

"He's got approval to go," Robinson said of his franchise player. "He went through all the tests and the doctors say he's well."

Turner was Thomas' go-to guy in crunch time and caught 66 passes and scored 10 touchdowns en route to second-team all-MWC honors. Look for junior Troy Mason, senior Bobby Nero, sophomore Michael Johnson and senior Charles James to get chances to step into Turner's starring role.

Jeremi Rudolph and Kevin Brown combined for more than 1,800 yards on the ground a year ago and formed one of the best one-two punches in the nation. University of Washington transfer Jabari Johnson, who carried 19 times for just 70 yards last season, and hard-nosed junior Joe Haro will get most of the snaps in the spring. A couple of talented recruits, Dominique Dorsey of Tulare, Calif., and Bishop Gorman's Dyante Perkins, are also being counted on to battle for playing time in the fall.

The Rebels lose two key starters in their defensive backfield in strong safety Randy Black and corner Amar Brisco. Junior Jamal Wynn, who saw extensive action as a backup last year, will have to hold off strong challenges from redshirt freshmen Joe Hunter and Ruschard Dodd-Masters for Brisco's starting cornerback spot, while sophomore Derek Olsen, former Durango star Jamaal Brimmer and two juniors from Cimarron, Toby Smeltzer and Ross Dalton, will battle for Black's strong safety spot.