Confident Nantkes set to guide Rebels

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

For Kurt Nantkes, the waiting was the hardest part.

A 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior from Aurora, Colo., Nantkes has spent three years at UNLV after playing minor-league baseball for two years in the Oakland Athletics' organization. He redshirted for one season and then backed up incumbent Jason Thomas for the past two.

And even though Nantkes knew what he was getting into when he picked the Rebels over schools including Nebraska and Air Force, it didn't make standing on the sideline any easier, especially when UNLV struggled to back-to-back losing seasons behind the talented but erratic Thomas.

"There were times when I wondered if the players had lost faith in me," Nantkes said. "I wondered if the coaches had lost faith in me.

"I wondered if I had lost faith in myself."

Even though it was Thomas who was on the field hearing most of the jeers as the Rebels struggled to a disappointing 5-7 finish, Nantkes also was hurting inside.

"Being in the wings of JT the whole year while he was struggling in some games, you begin to second-guess yourself a little," Nantkes said. "You think, 'Why aren't I playing?' I didn't want to spark a controversy or anything, so I didn't say anything to the media or even the coaches. I always supported Jason. When he was at his best, he was the best quarterback in the conference. But down inside you think maybe you could help the team if you got a chance. Then when you're not playing you wonder if maybe you're not that good."

Kurt Nantkes has no such fears as he enters tonight's start of fall practice as the clearcut No. 1 quarterback for the Rebels.

"That all changed after Colorado State," he said.

And for good reason.

Nantkes took over for the injured Thomas just minutes before kickoff in the 2002 season finale at Mountain West champion Colorado State in Fort Collins. Sonny Lubick's Rams entered the contest as 17-point favorites and were ranked 13th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.

But behind the running of tailback Larry Croom, who rushed for 222 yards on 20 carries, and the steady play of Nantkes, who completed 16 of 26 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 29-yard strike to tight end DeJhown Mandley with 46 seconds left, the Rebels defeated a ranked team for only the second time in school history.

Nantkes has had more than eight months to savor that dream ending to the 2002 season.

"I couldn't sleep for about a week after that game," he said. "I was just so excited. What made it even more special is I had a bunch of friends and family at the game, about 65 to 70 of them. They all came even though they thought I would just be standing on the sidelines holding a clipboard."

But when Thomas couldn't play because of a sore foot that had been stepped on two nights earlier by tailback Joe Haro in a passing drill, Nantkes found himself making only the second start of his college career.

"We had three of our top seniors out for that game ... Jason, Tony Terrell and (Ahmad) Briggs," Nantkes said. "Most of the guys who played in that game are all back. That's what makes it so exciting. It shows the kind of ability we have on this team, to fight back from a 19-7 deficit on the road against the big dogs of the conference. We're not going to live off the Colorado State game anymore, but we hope to roll that momentum into this season."

Nantkes also started a game at New Mexico in 2001 when Thomas was a late scratch with the flu. The Rebels lost that one, 27-17.

"We try not to remember that game," Nantkes joked. "That was a long night. I really wasn't prepared to play."

That won't happen again. Nantkes has spent the off-season preparing for his new starting quarterback role with a zeal that has impressed teammates and coaches alike.

"My mind has been focused 110 percent on football since that Colorado State game," Nantkes said. "I feel sorry for my wife (Mande) and son (Connor, age 4). I've been at school just about every day watching film or lifting weights or throwing to the guys."

"Nobody is going to outwork him," quarterbacks coach Vince Alcalde said simply.

Nantkes said he spent his summer devoting one week of film-watching to each of the Rebels' non-conference opponents.

"I've watched every tape I can get my hands on," he said. "I've been focusing on Toledo the last two weeks. When we play them (Aug. 29 at Sam Boyd Stadium), I want to know what each one of their players is doing on every play. I want to be as prepared as I can for that game and every game we play this season."

Even if that means losing a little more sleep.

"You can ask Mande," Nantkes said. "Every night I go to bed and I'm staring straight up in the sky for about an hour and a half going over plays for Toledo. The wait is over and I can't wait for the season to get started. I bet I'm one of the few players who can't wait for the start of training camp."