UNLV hosts Nevada in battle for Fremont Cannon

Thursday, Oct. 3, 2002 | 7:22 a.m.

LAS VEGAS AP) - Nevada is trying to remember. UNLV is trying to forget.

While the Wolf Pack is using memories of last year's loss to the Rebels as motivation for Saturday's intrastate matchup, UNLV Coach John Robinson is hoping his team can put the past behind it and concentrate only on the future.

"I'm a guy that's just watched my team get the hell kicked out of them two weeks in a row," Robinson said at his weekly Quarterback Club luncheon. "So there is no history."

Robinson said he told his team this week that the past is irrelevant, including his own success at the University of Southern California.

"It's necessary for anybody who wants to achieve anything to say, `How good a job am I doing today?' That's been kind of our theme. 'Don't tell me about yesterday. Who are you today?'" Robinson said. "The thing that strikes at the core of us is we're just not playing worth a damn. We are caught up in what looks like a numbness I almost have never seen before," he said.

Robinson said he can't put his finger on what's wrong, so there's no simple solution.

Saturday's contest between UNLV (1 (3)- and Nevada 2 (2)- at 7 p.m. at Sam Boyd Stadium is critical for both teams.

"It is always going to be a must-win as long as I am coaching here," said Wolf Pack Coach Chris Tormey, in his third year at UNR.

"Every year we play the Rebels, it is the biggest game of the year for us and we need to find a way to win it."

To date, Tormey hasn't found a way to win it as the Rebels have held possession of the Fremont Cannon for the past two years. He said that fact is more the reason for labeling the game a must-win than others, such as the UNLV fans and players breaking the cannon during a post-game celebration two years ago at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Or that Rebels quarterback Jason Thomas punched in a last-minute touchdown in UNLV's 28-12 win at Reno last year.

"We are not interested in any vendettas. We are interested in winning a football game. That is just one play," Tormey said.

The Pack players agree the main focus is winning but they do remember the two losses and the events of those games.

"It is disrespect toward us," wideout Tim Fleming told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "We are a Division I school, too, and we want to show that to them."

Linebacker Logan Carter was redshirting last year and had to watch helplessly as UNLV came from behind to win and score the late touchdown.

"I had to sit in the crowd last year and watch that happen to us, watch Jason Thomas run in the extra touchdown," said Carter, now a starter. "That personally just hurt."

Fleming, a junior, said that for the first time in his career at Nevada, he has a grasp of what the rivalry means.

"This is the game that kind of determines our season," he said.

"When I got here, it was just our rival team. It didn't mean anything more. ... Now, there is definitely a grudge."

Despite the rivalry, both teams offer glowing reports on their opposition this week.

"I have so much respect for Reno," UNLV linebacker Adam Seward said. "They beat BYU and they should have beaten Colorado State. They are a better team than Colorado State is. They have been playing so well this year that you have to respect them.

"But even if they were winless right now, you still respect them because they are Reno and this is the rivalry game and they want the cannon and you know they will be pumped up for this game."

Nevada players, while admittedly disappointed after two consecutive losses in a series that the Wolf Pack leads 15-12, said UNLV is not to be overlooked despite the Rebels' slump.

"They have a lot of talent on that team," Nevada tight end Erick Streelman said. "They have a lot of athletes. So we are going to have to be ready to play. We have a lot of confidence and they have confidence because they beat us the last two years. It is going to be a war on Saturday, definitely."

Tormey said UNLV played well early in the season.

"They have fallen off a bit lately, but they have had two weeks to get refocused and we are expecting their best effort this Saturday," he said.

"They have got a very good run defense and they also are very physical on the offensive side of the ball and they run the ball well. They run the ball and they stop the run and that is the strength of the Rebels this year."

Robinson said he has been impressed with the Pack's offense, which is averaging nearly 450 yards a game.

Nevada "is playing very well," he said. "I think they have made remarkable improvement over the years."

Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal