Nantkes’ leg injury came in QB’s finest half of the season

Steve Guiremand

Monday, Nov. 3, 2003 | 9:51 a.m.

Kurt Nantkes was walking with a noticeable limp at practice on Sunday night at Rebel Park.

Still, that was a major improvement for UNLV's junior quarterback compared to how he felt just 24 hours earlier during the Rebels' 37-35 upset of New Mexico.

"I felt like I got shot right in my groin," Nantkes said of the second quarter injury which happened during a sack by Lobos defensive end Zach Rupp. "I stood up and thought I was going to be able to keep going. But then after the next play it felt like I had a 100-pound weight at the end of my leg."

Nantkes had to be helped back to the locker room by two UNLV trainers. He eventually had to use a cart to make the final part of the trip.

But after a day's worth of therapy and some anti-inflamatory medication, Nantkes joined his teammates for Sunday night's brief practice and even did some non-running conditioning exercises.

"It's better than I thought it was going to be," Nantkes said. "It's still very stiff. But anything would be better than the way it felt (Saturday) night. I'm walking better now. I still have a limp. But (Saturday night) I was just dragging my leg around."

The timing of the injury couldn't have come at a worse time for Nantkes, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior from Aurora, Colo. He was in the midst of his finest half of the season throwing the ball, completing 12 of 18 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns in helping the Rebels build an early 24-14 lead.

"We were throwing the ball well and moving the ball as an offense well," Nantkes said.

Nantkes said he has been bothered by a nagging groin injury for about five months. But the pain was nothing compared to what he felt on Saturday night.

"It was very painful," he said. "I still can go forward and backward. I just can't go side-to-side right now. That makes getting out from under center even more difficult."

The Rebels take today off and aren't back on the practice field until Tuesday night. Nantkes said if he continues to make improvement before then he could possibly play against San Diego State on Saturday.

"I think there's a chance that I could get in that game and take some snaps," he said. "That is unless the coaches won't let me go out there."

The Rebels have a bye the following week. If Nantkes does sit out against the Aztecs, that would give him almost three weeks to recuperate from the injury before UNLV's final home game against Colorado State on Nov. 22.