Bickering Rebels don’t put up much of a fight

Steve Guiremand

Monday, Nov. 15, 2004 | 9:18 a.m.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. --- Before the kickoff of Saturday's game at Colorado State, retiring UNLV coach John Robinson was introduced to the Hughes Stadium crowd and given a plaque with a golden Ram on it in recognition for his contribution to Mountain West Conference football.

Immediately afterward, Carol Jo Lubick, wife of Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick, stopped by the entrance to the Rebels' locker room to give Robinson another going away present.

So you might say UNLV's trip to chilly Colorado wasn't a total loss. ... off the field anyway.

On the field it was an entirely different matter.

The Rebels (2-8, 1-5), perhaps bothered by a 9 a.m. (PST) kickoff, the mid-30s temperatures or, as some might speculate, just ready to pack it in, couldn't have been any flatter in a 45-10 loss to the Rams (4-6, 3-3) in a game that really wasn't even that close.

UNLV trailed, 28-0, after the first quarter and 38-3 at halftime before Sunny Lubick, in perhaps his nicest gift of all, called off the dogs.

"We just came out really flat," senior guard Joe Critchfield said. "It seemed like everybody was too cold or something. It just wasn't us."

"Anytime we broke down they took advantage," added senior linebacker Reggie Butler. "They just jumped on us and put us in a hole. Its hard to fight out of any hole, especially one that was that big."

Maybe we should have seen this coming.

The trip got off to a rocky start as the team boarded the bus for the airport on Friday morning. A number of players were upset over criticial comments made by senior linebacker Adam Seward in a newspaper article about Robinson's voluntary summer workout program. Seward also seemed to point fingers at the team's offensive shortcomings for the Rebels' disappointing record.

Seward appeared to get the cold shoulder from his teammates both on the bench in the locker room after Saturday's loss. He apologized to Robinson for the comments, started the game and finished with a team-high 10 tackles. However, he was beaten badly by Rams tight end Joel Dreessen for a 34-yard touchdown pass on the Rams' first offensive play of the game.

"They were upset obviously," Seward said of his teammates. "You know, by coming out and saying something like that you always make yourself vulnerable. I probably shouldn't have said that at the time. Obviously, I was frustrated."

"I think it's a little selfish," linebacker Ryan Claridge, one of the Rebels' few defensive bright spots with his Mountain West Conference-leading ninth sack as well as three tackles for loss, said of Seward's comments. "You don't put down a legend, especially when all coach Robinson has done is give him praise and promoted him the way they have. It's just a slap in the face."

Added Butler: "Of course you hear those comments and you're a little shocked. ... Everybody is entitled to their opinions, but I think if you have a problem with somebody like that, you need to say it in-house. But everybody is different, right?"

"It wasn't the most positive thing obviously," said safety Joe Miklos. "A lot of guys were talking about it."

When asked if Seward had apologized to his teammates for his comments, Claridge teed off on his linebacking partner.

"No, he didn't say anything to anybody," Claridge said. "He's in it for himself and that's the way he is. He's been like that since he's been here. It isn't the first time he said something stupid in the paper."

Now the Rebels say they'll try and put aside their differences and focus on ending the season and Robinson's career with a victory Saturday at San Diego State (3-7, 1-5).

"We need to go out on a winning note for the guys next year, all the seniors and coach Robinson," Claridge said. "We need to get that guy a win. We need to win that game. We're going to do everything we can as a team to get that win for him."

Running back JaJa Riley (torn MCL) and wide receiver Tremayne Kirkland (shoulder ligaments) both finally underwent their surgeries on Friday and are also facing rehabs in the two to three month range.

The starting time for Saturday's game at San Diego State will be announced today.