Apology accepted

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2001 | 10:13 a.m.

The theme for UNLV's football team heading into this weekend's game at Wyoming could be "United We Stand."

Although Rebel head coach John Robinson made no secret of his anger over comments that starting quarterback Jason Thomas directed at wide receiver Bobby Nero after Saturday's tough 26-24 loss to Colorado State, Thomas and Nero say they have put the incident behind them.

Nero couldn't hold on to a 60-yard bomb from Thomas that would have given UNLV a first down at the Colorado State 15-yard line with about 20 seconds to go. Had Nero made the catch, the Rebels likely would have had a chance at a game-winning field goal try.

"We need people out there to make plays," Thomas said after the game. "The play could've been made."

After UNLV's practice on Tuesday night at Rebel Park, Nero finally told his side of the story.

"I really didn't know what had happened," he said. "(Thomas) came up to me and talked to me Sunday after our films. He apologized. We put it behind (us). You know, it was in the heat of the battle, emotions were high, and I didn't take it personally. There were no hard feelings.

"I knew he was a little hot after the game, a little frustrated. Heck, I was too. I felt I could have made the play and I didn't. I'm here to make plays. It was crunch time and it was when it counts the most. So I can understand his anger. It's no big deal, no big deal at all."

Said Thomas: "I think it was looked at as more than it really was. I was just frustrated. I was emotional. I made a mistake. It was one of the first times I had ever done that."

Thomas said he apologized to Nero on his own even before getting heat from Robinson.

"I apologized to Bobby before Coach Rob talked to me about it because I knew what I did was wrong," Thomas said. "Stuff like that happens sometimes on football teams. You just have to accept it, apologize, and move on."

Besides, as far as football family squabbles go, this was peanuts compared to last year's main event between Thomas and wide receiver Nate Turner at halftime of UNLV's game against New Mexico. The two had to be separated by players and coaches in the locker room, but then pulled together on the field in the second half to rally the Rebels to an 18-14 win over the Lobos. That victory started UNLV on its season-ending four-game winning streak.

"We said, hey, in order to win these last four ball games and get to a bowl game we have to work together," Nero said. "We can't be having any disputes (with) one another, so we put it behind us. I think this team is definitely unified going into these last four games."

Thomas agreed.

"I think we are a united group," he said. "There hasn't been any second-guessing the coaches or any of that stuff going on in the locker room. We know we have to win these last four games if we want to have a chance to go to a bowl game. And to do that, we have to stay together."

Senior defensive end Anton Palepoi, who sat out the last two games with a sprained knee, practiced with the aid of a knee brace and said he will play in Saturday's game at Wyoming.

"I got out there and got some reps," the 6-foot-4, 275-pound Palepoi said. "It felt pretty good. There was no serious pain. I'd say I'm about 90 percent."

Is that good enough to play?

"I'm playing this game," Palepoi said matter-of-factly. "I feel I'm good enough to go out there and contribute to the team. So I'm definitely going to go out there and play."

Standing on the sidelines during Saturday's loss to Colorado State wasn't easy for the first-team all-Mountain West choice.

"It's been awful," he said. "But sometimes you have to sit out so that your body can heal."