Rebels Volunteer for prime time in Tennessee

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 9:20 a.m.

UNLV's season-opening game against perennial Southeastern Conference power Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., has been moved to Sunday night, Sept. 5, so that it can be nationally televised by ESPN2.

The University of Tennessee was expected today to officially announce the date switch from Saturday, Sept. 4. The game will kick off at 5 p.m. PST, which means it will be shown during prime time on the East Coast.

"The only other football game ESPN has that day is Louisville against Kentucky at (11:30 a.m. PST)," UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick said. "Then we're on. Talk about your prime exposure. You're talking about Sunday night on Labor Day weekend, which is great."

The only other competition for the Rebels and Vols in college football that day is a 4 p.m. game on Fox featuring Western Athletic Conference heavyweight Fresno State at Washington.

ESPN is showing a major league baseball game opposite the UNLV-Tennessee contest. The National Football League doesn't begin its regular season until the following weekend, a situation that opened its normal Sunday night slot for the Rebels and Vols.

The only sticking point to the switch initially involved the city of Knoxville's annual Boomsday fireworks show, which had been scheduled for Sunday night on the riverfront. However, the city is expected to switch that event to Saturday night in place of the football game. There also had been brief discussions about moving the game to Monday night.

Hamrick said UNLV will wear its red home uniforms for the game. Tennessee is going to wear a special white throwback uniform.

The date change means UNLV will have one less day of game preparation before turning around and flying to the midwest six days later for its Sept. 11 game at Wisconsin. Hamrick is hopeful that ESPN will also pick up that game for broadcast but said details are still being worked out in that area.

This will be only the second meeting between UNLV and Tennessee. The Rebels lost to the Peyton Manning-led Vols, 62-3, in their 1996 season opener in Knoxville.