Cool hand Luke

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Sept. 27, 2001 | 11:02 a.m.

UNLV defensive end Anton Palepoi doesn't mince words when he's asked about BYU's all-Mountain West junior running back Luke Staley.

"An animal," Palepoi said. "He's hard to bring down."

Palepoi and the Rebels should know. Last year the 6-foot-2, 218-pound Staley almost single-handedly led BYU to a hard-fought 10-7 victory over UNLV in chilly Provo, rushing for a career-high 167 yards on 28 carries.

The bad news for the Rebels? Staley, who was plagued by injuries most of the 2000 campaign, is healthy and better than ever.

Staley leads the nation with an eye-popping 10.8 yards per carry. He has gained 313 yards on just 29 attempts and scored six touchdowns despite spending most of the second half of BYU's first three games on the bench because the outcome had been long decided.

"He's as good as any back we'll face this year," UNLV defensive coordinator Mike Bradeson said. "And Brian McDonald (Staley's backup) is good, too."

For UNLV (0-3) to have any chance of slowing down the high-scoring Cougars (3-0) when they meet on Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium, it'll have to find a way to do something it couldn't do last year -- contain Staley.

That's easier said than done.

"Most likely he'll break the first tackle," Palepoi said. "At least that's what we've seen. On film he doesn't look that fast. But when you play against him you realize he can get around the corner pretty quick. And he's definitely not easy to bring down."

"He's an awesome running back," senior safety Sam Brandon said. "He's always looking to cut back on you. He's strong. If he decides not to cut back, he can run you over. He's one of the best backs I've faced in my college career."

Staley earned second team all-MWC honors last year despite being limited to 130 carries and 479 yards (he also caught 28 passes for 327 yards) because of a concussion suffered in the Cougars' season-opening loss at Florida State and mid-season knee surgery.

"For me it was one of my toughest years," he said. "But I feel 100 percent now. We've had 21 days off, so I should be healthy."

And thanks to a rigorous off-season conditioning program, Staley is also stronger and faster than last year when he trampled through UNLV's defense.

"I lowered my 40 (yard dash speed) to 4.38 from 4.48," he said. "I've added about 50 pounds to my bench (press) and cut my body fat down to about six or seven percent.

"We'd go into the weight room and work out for about two hours and then do some hard running for another hour. We'd do it three or four days a week. It was really hard work, but it's paying off now."

Staley says conditioning is only one reason for his quick start.

"I think this is the best offensive line we've had since I've been here," he said. "And Coach (Gary) Crowton's offense has been fun to play in except I only usually get to play about a half. There's still a lot left that we haven't shown yet and we keep adding to it by the week."

Thirty players are married, including starting quarterback Brandon Doman, star wide receiver Reno Mahe and all-MWC linebacker Justin Ena.

Following Tuesday night's practice, the team boarded two buses and went to the high-priced The Palm Restaurant for a steak dinner. The restaurant is one of several highly acclaimed eateries in town that help sponsor the Training Table Assistance program put together by the UNLV Rebel Football Foundation.