Saturday’s matchup: UNLV (5-6, 1-5) at Wyoming (4-7, 2-4)

Friday, Nov. 28, 2003 | 10:30 a.m.

WHEN UNLV HAS THE BALL

UNLV run offense vs. Wyoming run defense You would think that Rebel tailbacks Larry Croom and Dominique Dorsey have had this game circled for a while. That's because both of them broke the 100-yard barrier in last year's wild 49-48 overtime victory over the Cowboys at Sam Boyd Stadium as UNLV racked up 313 yards on 47 carries. Croom had 108 yards on 13 carries while Dorsey finished with 101 yards on seven carries, including a 73-yard touchdown run. Granted, that was against a Vic Koenning coached team but the Cowboys have struggled to stop the run again this year under first-year coach Joe Glenn. Wyoming ranks 115th out of 117 Division 1-A teams against the run allowing 230 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry. New Mexico rolled up 336 rushing yards against the Pokes in last week's 26-3 win in Laramie. UNLV, meanwhile, is coming of f a solid 168-yard rushing performance against Colorado State.

Edge: UNLV.

UNLV pass offense vs. Wyoming pass defense Wyoming has been good against the pass this year ranking 53rd nationally and allowing just 216.0 yards through the air. UNLV's passing attack seemed to be revitalized with the play of true freshman quarterback Shane Steichen in last week's tough 24-23 loss to Colorado State. Steichen completed 12 of 26 passes for 172 yards and no interceptions and he is expected to at least split time Saturday with junior Kurt Nantkes, a Colorado native who might be better equipped to handle the frigid conditions. A year ago Jason Thomas picked apart the Cowboy secondary completing 20 of 25 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns.

Edge: Wyoming.

WHEN WYOMING HAS THE BALL

Wyoming run offense vs. UNLV run defense UNLV held the Cowboys to just 59 yards on 29 attempts in last year's win and the Pokes don't appear to be much better at running the ball this year. Wyoming is averaging a pitiful 2.9 yards per rush attempt and just 85.4 yards per game on the ground. That ranks the Pokes last in the Mountain West Conference and 115th nationally. And starting tailback Derek Armah, the team's top runner, left last week's loss to New Mexico after just three carries with a dislocated right shoulder and will miss this week's game. Armah ranks 10th in the conference in rushing with 631 yards on 158 carries and five touchdowns. UNLV's defense, led by linebackers Adam Seward and Ryan Claridge, has been solid against the run allowing just 143.7 yards per game.

Edge: UNLV.

Wyoming pass offense vs. UNLV pass defense Cowboy senior quarterback Casey Bramlet has an NFL arm and is one of the most underrated players in the nation. He shredded UNLV's defense a year ago by completing 33 of 55 passes for 453 yards yards and five touchdowns. New Wyoming coach Joe Glenn has simplified the Cowboy offense this year to include more high percentage passes which has helped Bramlet cut down on his biggest problem, interceptions. Bramlet has completed 214 of 381 passes for 2,716 yards, 20 touchdowns and just nine interceptions and leads the Mountain West Conference in passing. He has a trio of talented receivers to throw to in dependable senior Ryan McGuffey, 6-foot-6 senior Malcolm Floyd and explosive sophomore Jovon Bouknight, all of whom rank in the top eight in the conference in receiving yards. UNLV's pass defense rank s seventh in the conference and has been prone to the big play, especially in crunch time.

Edge: Wyoming.

SPECIAL TEAMS Big news here. The Rebels have moved all the way up to 115th nationally in kickoff returns with an average of 15.9 yards per return. Wyoming, meanwhile, has really excelled in this area and ranks 22nd in the nation with a 23.1 average. UNLV, behind freshman Tremayne Kirkland (13.2 avg.), leads the MWC in punt returns but the Cowboys and Josh Barge (10.8) are right behind them in second. Dillon Pieffer leads the MWC with 18 field goals but will be trying to rebound from the biggest miss of his career against Colorado State. Wyoming's Deric Yaussi has connected on 11 of his 14 tries with a long of just 43 yards. UNLV punter Gary Cook (43.4 avg.) gets the edge over Wyoming's Luke Donovan (42.0 avg.) and could be a key player if the weather is bad.

Edge: UNLV.

INTANGIBLES

Neither team really has anything to play for although the Rebels could technically say they'd be bowl eligible with a 6-6 record with a win. UNLV is 4-0 against the Cowboys under John Robinson and scored one of the biggest upsets in school history at War Memorial Stadium four years ago when they pulled off a 35-32 upset of Dana Dimel's squad as 24-point underdogs. Bad weather might actually favor the Rebels who, like New Mexico last week, have the much better ground game. The Rebels have won their final road game in each of the last three seasons under Robinson, including last year's 36-33 upset of 13th ranked Colorado State down the road in Fort Collins.

Edge: UNLV.

COACHING

A key stop here or a key field goal there and this would have gone down as one of John Robinson's better coaching jobs. But the Rebels have lacked a killer instinct in MWC play and have developed a nasty tendency for finding a way to lose games at the end. Wyoming has overachieved this year under energetic Joe Glenn who has shown why he won three lower level national titles before coming to Laramie.

Edge: Wyoming

KEYS TO VICTORY

To win, UNLV must ... 1. Forget about last week. The Colorado State loss was a crushing one that ended the Rebels' bowl hopes.Can they put that bitter defeat behind them and play with passion?

2. Run, run, run. With poor weather and windy conditions a probability, the Rebels need to grind it out much like New Mexico did last week in Laramie.

3. Pressure the quarterback. Whether it's Casey Bramlet or younger brother Corey, the Rebel defense needs to put on a strong pass rush to cover for a still suspect secondary.

To win, Wyoming must ... 1. Make big plays. Without much of a running game, the Cowboys will likely live and die with the pass and hope the defense can come up with some timely turnovers.

2. Stop the run. Allowing over 300 yards on the ground again is a recipe for disaster.

3. Get an early lead. The Rebels haven't shown that they can play catch-up this year and could pack it in if they find themselves in a big hole early.

THE PICK UNLV 24, Wyoming 17.