Rebels ponder what could have been

Steve Guiremand

Monday, Dec. 1, 2003 | 9:41 a.m.

LARAMIE, Wyo. --- As they left chilly War Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon following a 35-24 come-from-behind victory against Wyoming, several UNLV players celebrated by throwing snowballs at each other.

Others just made a beeline to some of their senior teammates to give them one last victory hug. Still others rushed to the locker room to get out of the windy 40-degree temperatures.

But most played a game called, "What if?"

What if the Rebels hadn't missed two first-half field goals (one was blocked) at Air Force and also given the Falcons a cheap touchdown on a special teams mishap to start the second half to fall hopelessly behind, 17-0?

What if Kurt Nantkes hadn't fumbled a routine quarterback snap on his own 6 line that gave BYU, trailing 13-0 at the time, second life? And what if normally dependable senior placekicker Dillon Pieffer hadn't missed a simple 24-yard field goal in what would turn out to be a devastating 27-20 overtime loss to the Cougars?

What if Nantkes, badly hobbled by a painful groin injury, hadn't overthrown wide open tight end Greg Estandia in the end zone of an eventual 7-0 loss to San Diego State?

What if Pieffer hadn't missed a 23-yard field goal with 2:38 to go that would have put UNLV up by nine points and all but clinched a win against Colorado State?

What if UNLV's defense, so stellar in victories against Wisconsin, Toledo, Hawaii and New Mexico, hadn't folded on late drives in losses to both BYU and Colorado State?

The answer, of course, is that the Rebels would be making plans for bowl practices today.

Instead, UNLV has to settle for a 6-6 overall record and the satisfication of knowing that this was just the third time in 11 years that the Rebels are actually bowl eligible with a non-losing record.

"Of course you think about what might have been," Nantkes, who finished his season with a flourish by completing 8 of 19 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns, said. "I hang out with (senior center) Dom Furio and every day we look back and it's like, 'If we didn't fumble this snap here or fumble this carry there or made a field goal here ... we're looking at three or four more wins this season.'

"Sure it's depressing but these are the kind of things that make a team lose ... errors in crucial situations. Look at teams like Air Force who always have a winning record. They aren't doing that kind of stuff. So that's something we have to work on."

Still, it may show just how far the program has come in the past five years that the Rebels can point to a handful of plays from being 9-3 or maybe even 10-2. And walking away from a 6-6 season that included road wins at Wisconsin, New Mexico, Nevada-Reno and Wyoming and calling it a disappointing season.

"We know we're probably three, four plays from having the best record that UNLV's probably had since going Division I and playing in a major bowl game," Nantkes said. "But that's something we're going to have to reflect on and work on."

"You could look at it that it was one play here or one play there," junior running back Dyante Perkins, who scored three touchdowns Saturday, said. "But we're not going to look at it like that. We had our chances this season. Now we have to get ready for next year."

The Rebels return seven starters on both sides of the line next season as well as All-American punting candidate Gary Cook. Perhaps more important, they'll have not one but two quarterbacks with starting experience in Nantkes and sophomore-to-be Shane Steichen. And there may not be a better pair of returning inside linebackers in the conference than Adam Seward and Ryan Claridge.

Toss in Ohio State transfer Ja Ja Riley and 2002 junior college All-American Alvin Marshall to go with Dominque Dorsey at tailback, the improving Perkins at fullback and wide receiver Earvin Johnson and tight end Greg Estandia back for their senior years and the Rebel offense should be much more explosive.

"I think next year's team will be much more exciting with the players we have coming back and the type of plays we can make as a defense," safety Jamaal Brimmer, who could make a run at the Jim Thorpe Award, said. "I think we have the potential to have a great team next year."

"There won't be any excuses," Perkins added. "We're going to go out and put in a good off-season in the weight room. And we're going to come out and prove what we can do."