Football date with BYU hits the spot for Brimmer

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 9:24 a.m.

It seemed only appropriate that Jamaal Brimmer should be one of the guest speakers before this week's BYU game at the UNLV Rebel Football Foundation luncheon on Monday afternoon.

It was almost a year to the day after Brimmer, a junior safety from Durango High, had what some consider his coming out party against the Cougars in Provo en route to collecting Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year honors.

It was Brimmer's crushing sack of BYU quarterback Matt Berry, who was making his first college start in that Oct. 19, 2002 contest, that was the defensive play of the year in the conference and has become known simply as "The Hit."

UNLV was clinging to a 9-3 lead with 10 minutes remaining when Brimmer nailed Berry with a vicious tackle on a blindside blitz that sent Berry's mouthpiece flying one way and the ball the other. In a matter of a split-second, Brimmer alertly scooped up the ball and raced 27 yards for the game-clinching touchdown to lead the Rebels to their first win in Provo since 1981, 24-3.

"It was my first college touchdown, so it was special," said Brimmer, who added another touchdown to his resume earlier this season with a 55-yard fumble return in UNLV's 23-5 upset of Wisconsin. "I'll always remember it."

Brimmer leads the Mountain West Conference with three interceptions and is coming off another solid outing in Saturday's 28-10 loss to MWC leader Utah. He had seven tackles in the loss, including a quarterback sack, and also forced a fumble.

Berry has since claimed the reason his mouthpiece went flying on Brimmer's hit was because he had it tucked inside his facemask, not in his mouth.

"I don't know about that," Brimmer said with a smile.

"I guess that play was a big one for my career. A lot of people looked at it as a turnaround for me. Hopefully I'll have some more of those to come. I don't know if that was the highpoint of my career or not. As long as we win then I guess it is a highpoint."

Brimmer said he has not talked with Berry since "The Hit." They'll get a chance to reacquaint with each other Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium when the Cougars (3-5, 2-3) face the Rebels (4-3, 0-2).

Berry, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, will be making his second start since breaking a bone in his throwing hand in the Cougars' 10-7 win Sept. 13 at New Mexico. Although he says he still is having trouble gripping the ball, he completed 21 of 34 passes for 225 yards and two interceptions in BYU's 13-10 loss Saturday at Wyoming.

"I still can't throw like I want to," Berry told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I knew going into the game I had to be better on the reads because I wouldn't have my normal velocity, or even my accuracy."

With another week of practice under his belt, Berry should be close to 100 perc ent by the time the Cougars arrive in town to play the Rebels. And when he does, Brimmer will be waiting.

"We need to bounce back and get this two-game losing streak out of here," Brimmer said. "We need to get back on track and get to a bowl game."