Rebels may get stuck playing in the snow

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003 | 9:39 a.m.

UNLV coach John Robinson has an idea on how the Rebels can survive what could be very cold and snowy conditions during Saturday's season finale at Wyoming.

"We're all going to bring our mittens," Robinson joked.

Early weather forecasts for Saturday's contest, which can change by the minute in the unpredictable Front Range, call for high temperatures in the low 30's and a 25-percent chance of snow at War Memorial Stadium.

That's actually a heat wave for this time of year in Laramie. The temperature for last week's New Mexico-Wyoming game at kickoff was 9 degrees with a wind-chill of minus-five.

"I hope it does snow," junior defensive back Ruschard Dodd-Masters said. "I think that would be a lot of fun."

Robinson has a different perspective, however.

"It's miserable for the coaches and it's miserable for the people standing and watching," Robinson said. "But I think for the players it's kind of fun.

"I don't know that it's a negative issue. Of course I say that now but when I step out on the field I may try and get up in the pressbox or someplace."

Robinson has some not-so-fond memories of the last time he coached a game in the snow.

"It was Soldier Field (in Chicago) in the NFC Championship Game," he said. "The winner got to go to the Super Bowl. And we lost (24-0). It was a bitter day, windy and cold. And they had such a great defense."

The Bears, led by the famed "46" Defense and quarterback Jim McMahon, shuffled their way to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots two weeks later.

However, now the game must be shown on a taped delay basis at 4 p.m. because members of Wyoming's new athletic administration refused to budge from the original noon kickoff unless they received $20,000 from SportsWest Productions, which owns the broadcast rights to the contest.

That backed Channel 8 into a corner because it already was committed to showing the Florida State-Florida game later that afternoon. So now Channel 8 will show a tape of the Rebel-Cowboy contest after the Gator-Seminoles battle.

"He'll be back for sure," Robinson said at his weekly Rebel Football Foundation luncheon. "He needs to knock about a tenth of a second off his forty time. Jamaal, Earvin Johnson and Adam Seward need to spend time in the off-season working with (Rebel track and field and cross country coach) Barbara Edmundson. She's one of the best spring coaches around."

Brimmer, the 2002 Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, leads the MWC and is ninth nationally with five interceptions. He currently runs the forty in the 4.65 range.