Columnist Dean Juipe: Red-hot Rebels catch break

Dean Juipe

Monday, Sept. 22, 2003 | 8:56 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

One fire is out, but another still burns.

And no one was hurt and everyone is happy.

That's what UNLV fans who took in Friday night's game with Hawaii at Sam Boyd Stadium may still be thinking as they once again picture the setting. The 80-acre fire in a wetlands behind the stadium that sent heavy smoke billowing over the valley a day earlier may have been extinguished, yet the one within the Rebels is still alive and running rampant.

What could be better?

The affected grass is black but should bounce back nice and healthy, while the Warriors and their color-coordinated fans left Las Vegas green with envy. A pivotal game that had "could go either way" written on it from the moment it was scheduled went to the Rebels by a 33-22 count, leaving them a better-than-anticipated 3-1 to open the season and entitled to consider greater achievements in the final two-thirds of the regular season.

And what an ideal time for a bye week in UNLV's schedule. After a four-hour, pass-and-chase marathon with Hawaii, an extra week's rest before going to Nevada-Reno will come in handy.

If you were there, you may be as exhausted as the players.

Hawaii is just relentless with its passing game, with quarterback Timmy Chang owning a strong, durable -- and sometimes erratic -- arm. The Warriors' philosophy isn't so much to keep the defense guessing as it is to keep the defenders gasping, and they do it by having Chang wing the ball around the field on almost every play.

But for all of Hawaii's trickery and Chang's 61-pass resiliency, UNLV is a team with a notable strength of its own -- one that offset the islanders' passing fancy. The Rebels have exceptional team speed, particularly on defense, and it was especially evident as the linebacking corps was able to not only keep pace but to flag down backs and receivers before they could wiggle free on the outside.

Of course the Warriors had their self-destructive tendencies, turning the ball over six times and committing a horde of penalties that left head coach June Jones alternately scolding his players and shaking his head. They didn't play well, thanks not only to UNLV's determined effort but also because they played a tough game at Southern Cal last week and then spent the ensuing days camped on the mainland.

It was a bad trip for Hawaii, losing twice in seven days on national TV and disappointing its many followers who see Las Vegas as a second home.

But it has been a great couple of weeks for the Rebels, winning consecutive games that many thought they would lose and erasing the pile of doubts that existed after a terrible loss in Week 2.

Suddenly, this is a team that has to be taken seriously. Its defense has put in two solid weeks, its kicking game -- which once was a huge question mark -- now looks good and its offense is satisfactory if not quite clicking.

Quarterback Kurt Nantkes had an OK game, just as he did a week earlier at Wisconsin, and didn't do anything to get the Rebels beat. If anything, head coach John Robinson may have gotten caught up in Hawaii's passing frenzy and called too many passing plays of his own, but Nantkes held up well despite a few fitful moments.

Runners Dominique Dorsey and Larry Croom are performing well and the offensive line is as good or better than UNLV fans have seen in some time.

But it's defense that wins games and the Rebels won this one because their defense was certainly better than Hawaii's. Jamaal Brimmer is having an All-American season and fellow defensive back Ruschard Dodd-Masters is involved in tons of plays, as is a linebacking unit led by local product Adam Seward.

So enjoy your week off, boys. And keep the fire burning.