Rebels wary of pass-happy Aztecs

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2002 | 9:07 a.m.

UNLV's secondary earned rave reviews for its play in last Saturday night's 24-3 victory at BYU ... and for good reason.

Safety Ruschard Dodd-Masters and cornerback Chameion Sutton intercepted passes with Sutton returning his 38 yards for a touchdown. And safety Jamaal Brimmer scored the pivotal touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter after he forced Cougar quarterback Matt Berry to fumble with a vicious, blind-side hit. The unit was instrumental in holding BYU to its lowest home point total since 1971.

But the Rebel secondary can't afford to rest on its laurels. Not with a game on Saturday afternoon at pass-happy San Diego State.

The Aztecs (2-5, 2-0 Mountain West) feature not one but two of the nation's top wide receivers in seniors J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Tolver leads the nation with 152.1 receiving yards per game. He is second in receptions with an average of 10 per contest, including 16 two weeks ago in the Aztecs' 36-17 upset of Utah.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Osgood, a former Division I-AA All-American at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is third nationally in both catches (8.57 per game) and receiving yards (128.3 per game). He had 14 catches for 178 yards at Colorado.

Together, the duo averages 18.57 receptions and 280.4 receiving yards per game. By comparison, UNLV as a team averages 13.57 receptions and 182.4 receiving yards.

"They're really good players," UNLV coach John Robinson said. "They feature them and they work to get them open. They're obviously their go-to guys. They're right there with any receivers we've seen."

"They're both tall and have good hands," Utah coach Ron McBride said. "They're not speed guys, but they're quick and athletic."

Wyoming coach Vic Koenning, whose squad played Tennessee (Kelley Washington) and Washington (Reggie Williams) earlier this year, said the Aztec receivers "are the best we've seen."

"I've got an All-American nomination in my hand," Koenning said during last week's Mountain West Conference coaches' teleconference, "and I'm filling it out with them on there."

Tolver caught seven passes in San Diego State's 24-20 victory over the Cowboys in Laramie last Saturday to pass Will Blackwell and become the school's all-time leader in receptions with 204. Blackwell had 197 catches from 1994-96.

"J.R. just stepped into rare company," said San Diego State coach Tom Craft, who was the offensive coordinator for the Aztecs when Blackwell set the record. "That was kind of special in that we have a guy with a lot of character who's just a class person --- and that means more to me than anything. J.R.'s going to have a lot more catches, and he'll put some distance in that record book with the rest of the season."

Tolver's parents, Greg and Brenda, hadn't planned on attending the game in Laramie but spent about $1,000 in last-minute travel so they could see their son set the record.

"I'm excited about it," Tolver said. "To be on the same list as those guys as Will Blackwell and Darnay Scott and Az Hakim, that's exciting to me as a person and as a fan of San Diego State football. I'm very excited to have the record, but I'm more excited about this win because now we're rolling."

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore from Durango High had nine tackles, a sack and forced two fumbles, including one on BYU quarterback Matt Berry that he returned 27 yards for a touchdown that sealed the victory.

Brimmer continues to lead the MWC in tackles for loss with 12.

Nantkes played two series in the second quarter of the Rebels' victory at BYU. Thomas, however, received the game ball after completing 10 of 13 passes for 139 yards while also rushing for 47 yards on nine carries and scoring what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on a six-yard run.

"We're going to get ready for both (to play) and try and get Kurt in for a couple of series," Robinson said.