A few things about spring

Steve Guiremand

Friday, April 11, 2003 | 11:04 a.m.

IF YOU GO

UNLV holds its annual spring scrimmage at 11 a.m. Saturday at Rebel Park. If fifth-year head coach John Robinson is lucky, he might get the answers to a few key questions about his 2003 squad.

Those who have attended the previous four spring games know what to expect Saturday: Robinson, with a wireless microphone, doing a pretty fair David Letterman impression, interviewing star players between plays, cracking jokes and pointing out up-and-coming players to the crowd after an impressive play.

It's a loose, fun atmosphere for the fans who attend. But for Robinson and the players, the 80-play scrimmage could prove to be the most important of the team's 15 spring practices.

Coming off of back-to-back losing seasons, this is a key season for Robinson. He is tinkering with both his offense, which will be without marquee quarterback Jason Thomas for the first time in four years, as well as a defense that appears to be one of the fastest he has had since his Rose Bowl days at Southern Cal.

Can the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl champs make it back into a bowl game in 2003? That depends on the a variety of questions, some of which already have been answered and some that will carry over into fall practice.