When it comes to rivals, Robinson gets it

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 | 10:30 a.m.

Coach John Robinson's career records in his chief rivalry games while coaching at USC and UNLV:

At Southern Cal

Notre Dame...8-2-1

UCLA...* 5-7

At UNLV

UNR...4-1

Total...17-10-1

* Note: Robinson was 5-1 vs. UCLA when a Rose Bowl berth was on the line for at least one of the teams.

UNLV coach John Robinson has played for the jeweled Shillelagh Trophy against Notre Dame in South Bend.

He has faced off against crosstown rival UCLA for the Victory Bell.

And Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium, Robinson will coach in his final college rivalry game when the Rebels (0-4) host UNR (2-2) in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon.

Robinson has been at his best in rivalry games over the years, winning four in a row against the Wolf Pack after Nevada had won 10 of the previous 11 meetings. He also was 8-2-1 against Notre Dame during his two coaching stints at USC, including a dramatic 27-20 overtime victory in 1996 that snapped the school's 13-year winless streak against the Fighting Irish.

His only blemish is a 5-7 mark against UCLA, but he was 3-1 when the Rose Bowl was on the line for both schools and 5-1 when the Rose Bowl was on the line for at least one school.

So what's Robinson's secret for getting his teams to play so well in rivalry contests?

"I try to keep it on the field and not let the players get too distracted," Robinson said. "I tried to keep it as much about football as you could and not get them ready to play too early. Those kinds of things."

And, unlike some coaches, emphasize the fun of playing against your rival on a big stage instead of making it out to be World War III.

"I learned a lot from (former USC coach) John McKay," Robinson said. "Especially when we're playing a team like Notre Dame and, boy, isn't it great to play them, particularly back there? It's just great to be in the rivalry. You remember it forever. And you never talk negative about the other guy. Never."

Robinson said he felt USC-Notre Dame --- which former Trojans assistant Marv Goux used to bill as "Big Man vs. Big Man" and which has been called by some football observers college football's greatest intersectional rivalry -- was "probably the biggest rivalry I've coached in."

As for his favorite rivalry victory, Robinson pointed to his first USC-UCLA game at the Coliseum in 1976.

The Trojans entered that game 8-1 and ranked third in the nation while UCLA, under first-year coach Terry Donahue, was unbeaten and ranked No. 2 in the country. And the Rose Bowl was on the line for both teams.

Robinson had drawn some criticism for staying with a quarterback named Vince Evans, one of the few black quarterbacks in college football at the time. But behind the passing and running of Evans and the power running of tailback Ricky Bell, the Trojans jumped out to a 24-0 lead en route to an easy 24-14 victory.

"It was for the Rose Bowl and everything," Robinson said. "We led 24-0 and they scored a pair of touchdowns in the final few minutes. But it was a great win for us."

Robinson lost his first Fremont Cannon battle, 26-12, in Reno in 1999. But the Rebels turned the tide with a 38-7 win the following year at Sam Boyd Stadium and have tied a school record with four consecutive victories in the series.

As an extra source of motivation, UNLV players point to plaques on a wall at the entrance to the Rebel Park practice fields that list the score of each winning game and the senior players who took part in it.

"That was my idea," Robinson said. "It's just something after the fact that I think kind of builds a deep-seeded thing."

It worked.

"I want to make sure I get my name on that plaque," senior All-American safety Jamaal Brimmer said. "That's huge coming into this game. That's a big thing for the seniors."

Robinson, who missed Wednesday's practice so he could join wife Linda at the hospital for her surgery, was back at Thursday's workout. However, offensive line coach Jonathan Himebauch was absent. He had a good excuse. Wife Jessica gave birth to a baby boy, Walker, earlier in the day. ... Saturday's halftime will feature a "This One's for the Girls" show in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with 400-500 youth dancers ages 5-16 years old participating. The show is sponsored by Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.