Robinson revved for a run at 2004

Steve Guiremand

Monday, Aug. 9, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

UNLV head coach John Robinson begins his sixth season with the Rebels on Thursday with the opening of preseason practice. And if anybody had any doubts about whether the 69-year-old future Hall of Famer still has the competitive juices flowing, they should have listened to him talking last week in Lied Athletic Complex office.

You might say that Robinson, coming off a 6-6 season that was arguably the most trying on and off the field of his 26-year head coaching career, already has his game face on.

When asked to talk about how far his program has evolved since he inherited an 0-11 squad that had lost 16 straight games in December of 1998, Robinson would have none of it.

"This isn't a time for perspective," Robinson said. "It's a time to get ready for the season."

A season that could very well be his last pacing the sidelines at Sam Boyd Stadium. And one that could establish his legacy as UNLV's eighth head football coach.

"This team has fewer weaknesses than any team I've had here," Robinson said. "But we have to curb some of the potential into reality.

"We've come from basically a zero team to a .500 team. But we've let three or four games get away from us in the last two years that could have made us a .700 team. That's the part I think we need to get done ... to win the close games in our conference."

There's no disputing the Rebels have come a long way during the past five years under Robinson.

The season before Robinson took over for Jeff Horton, the Rebels were hammered, 52-7, at Wisconsin in a game that really wasn't even that close. This year it's the Badgers who have a Sept. 11 matchup in Madison circled after getting stunned, 23-5, by UNLV at Camp Randall Stadium last season on national TV.

And the Rebels have a better overall record (11-13) over the past two seasons than BYU (9-15), something that would have been incomprehensible five years ago.

But other than a 2000 season that was capped by a 31-14 trouncing of Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl, the Rebels have not finished above .500 in MWC play. With 14 starters returning, including All-America safety Jamaal Brimmer, this would appear to be UNLV's best chance to make a run at a MWC title since Robinson's arrival.

Robinson, who had to deal with wife Linda's health problems last year as well as a heart attack of his own, still has two seasons remaining on his contract. He says he plans to take it year-by-year when considering how much longer he'll continue to coach.

"I think the proper time to evaluate whether I finish out that contract or retire is at the end of this year," Robinson said. "My intentions right now are to fill out the contract and coach. I feel great. I want to recruit and continue to build this program."

To make a run at a bowl game or an MWC title, the Rebels must improve an offense that struggled badly at times in 2003. UNLV ranked 89th of 117 Division I-A teams in scoring offense (21.3 ppg) and was 106th in total offense with an average of just 309.2 yards per game.

Robinson shuffled his staff after the season and turned over the offensive coordinator duties to Bruce Snyder, the 1996 national coach of the year at Arizona State known for producing tough, hard-nosed offenses as well as a pretty fair quarterback named Jake Plummer. He also brought in up-and-coming assistant Brad Otton, who quarterbacked USC to a Rose Bowl win against Northwestern, to help tutor senior quarterback Kurt Nantkes and promising sophomore Shane Steichen.

Here are a few areas the Rebels figure to focus on during fall practice before heading to Knoxville, Tenn., for their nationally televised Sept. 5 season opener against SEC powerhouse Tennessee.

"Kurt is the starter," Robinson said of the 24-year-old senior from Aurora, Colo. "He had a lot of problems last year with injuries and an environment that just didn't work as well as he would have liked. I think he's worked really hard to get back. He really wants to have a great senior year.

"Shane Steichen has come on to be very competitive. So we have two quarterbacks now. I've told each of them not to compete against the other guy but to compete against yourself and I'll play the best guy. ... I envision playing both of them this year."

Senior Dominique Dorsey enters the fall as the starter and has drawn high marks for his offseason commitment in the weight room. An exciting 5-foot-7 senior from Tulare, Calif., Dorsey weighed just 153 pounds as a freshman at UNLV but is now up to a solid 165 pounds.

A lot of eyes will be focused on junior JaJa Riley, a powerfully built 6-foot-2, 210-pound transfer from Ohio State who was rated one of the top running backs on the West Coast his senior year at Mission Bay (Calif.) High School. And versatile senior Dyante Perkins from Bishop Gorman could play as many as three offensive positions including tailback.

Junior Alvin Marshall, who drew Marshall Faulk comparisons after a standout junior college career at Compton (Calif.) College, also figures to see plenty of action after sitting out the 2003 season with foot problems.

Marshall and Perkins also figure to play key roles in the passing game, as does 6-foot-8 senior tight end Greg Estandia, who was slowed much of last season by a "turf toe" injury but is still attracting the attention of NFL scouts.

"We have more people to throw the ball to this year," Robinson said.

"Howie may be the most improved player on our team," Robinson said. "He's up to 335 pounds and is a load in the middle. And this may be a breakout year for Leon Moore."