Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2004 | 10:08 a.m.
Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4088.
So far, so (mostly) good for the Mountain West Conference as it tries to make an end run into the nation's college football consciousness.
The MWC picked up a couple of impressive victories against big-time BCS programs on opening weekend as well as some style points for competitive losses against teams that have been recognizable since the days of the Prudential College Football Scoreboard.
Give the MWC credit for putting its best foot forward on national TV.
In started Thursday night, when Utah's domination of Texas A&M (Angst and Mediocrity) was so thorough that the ESPN broadcast crew spent much of the second half speculating when the Utes would join the Pac-10. The final score was 41-21 in a game that wasn't nearly that close.
On Saturday night, the BYU defense manhandled Notre Dame (11 yards rushing and 11 punts) and the Cougars did just enough on offense to win 20-17 and nudge Ty Willingham (10 losses in the past 15 games) one step closer to the unemployment line.
If Sonny Lubick, Colorado State's sage coach and soothsayer, had taken a halftime refresher course on clock management, the Rams would have beaten those serial buttocks fondlers from Colorado earlier Saturday. CSU, which rallied from a 17-0 deficit, had a first-and-goal at the 1 in the last minute but couldn't punch it in and came up short, 27-24.
New Mexico also had a solid 17-7 lead against Washington State, just two years removed from the Rose Bowl, in the fourth quarter Friday before Kole McKamey, its young quarterback, made a couple of bad throws that enabled the Cougars to pull out a 21-17 victory.
Mistake-plagued UNLV could not capitalize on the momentum generated by its conference brethren in a 42-17 loss at No. 14 Tennessee, but at least it wasn't 62-3, which is what happened the last time the Rebels made the mistake of going to Knoxville for their season opener.
Maybe they didn't shake up the world, or whatever Ali did when he beat Sonny Liston. But at least Mountain West teams didn't give the world a chance to dismiss the conference after just one week.
Even Air Force, one of the few MWC members to hold its own against the big boys over the years, did its part.
Sure, the Falcons lost 56-14 to No. 16 Cal. But at least they had the good sense not to do it on TV.
Maybe it's because he looks and talks like an extra from those "Smokey and the Bandit" movies instead of a football coach. But Tennessee's Phil Fulmer deserves much more credit for having his two freshman quarterbacks ready to play against UNLV than he received in the postgame rehash.
Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge had never played a down of college football before Sunday night. But by identifying where Jamaal Brimmer and the other UNLV blitzers were lining up and executing audibles sent in from the sideline, the youngsters were able to neutralize the Rebels' pass rush and exploit their leaky man-to-man pass coverage.
I've seen teams that couldn't get one play into the game with cue cards and a bullhorn, much less two. Amazingly, not once were the Vols called for delay of game.
"Anytime you have two freshman quarterbacks that can come out and make the right checks and get people in the right place, you know the coaches had them prepared," UNLV linebacker Ryan Claridge said.
Remember that song "Wrap It Up" by the Fabulous Thunderbirds? That's OK, neither do the Rebels.
The UNLV defense set an unofficial record for missed tackles Sunday. But it should be noted that it's hard to tackle a locomotive disguised as a running back.
Of course, as the Tennessee defense showed, it's also hard to tackle a gnat disguised as a running back.
Against a defense that seldom gives them up, little Dominique Dorsey of UNLV had a 100-yard game and then some, rushing for 121 yards on 18 carries.
If you're a Rebels fan, you can only hope 155-pound Dorsey (the media guide is like TV in that it makes you look 10 pounds heavier) will get 18 carries against the likes of San Diego State and Wyoming. And that he makes it that far without being crushed.
If there was one play that summed up Sunday's UNLV-Tennessee game it was just before halftime, when the guys in nostalgic orange were punting from their end zone. After All-American Justin Colquitt aired out his right foot and the Rebels' special teams were through mishandling the ball and blocking players from behind, UNLV took possession on its own 9.
It was an 85-yard flip-flop that would have done John Kerry proud.
Anybody who doesn't think NASCAR fans -- or at least a decent percentage of them -- go to the races for the crashes should check out the photo of Las Vegan Brendan Gaughan's run-in with J.J. Yeley at California Speedway Sunday. Taken from the infield, it shows a few fans reacting to the mishap from the top of their campers, with two rejoicing to the sound of grinding sheet metal and the potential for bodily harm with their arms held high in the air in celebration.
If you look closely, you can see the glint of metallic objects, the kind used to hold 12 liquid ounces, in their hands.
You can bet it wasn't Red Bull.
Jimmy Smith, his former pass-catching sidekick in Jacksonville, used to refer to former UNLV star Keenan McCardell as "Alligator Arms" because when it came to spending money, McCardell always had trouble reaching for his wallet.
Perhaps that's why McCardell, an astute man who doesn't run with a "posse," is prepared to sit out the entire NFL season amid a contract dispute with the Tampa Bay Bucs, for whom he caught 84 passes last season.
McCardell, 34, is scheduled to be paid $2.5 million this year and $2.75 million next. That's not exactly chump change but it's not Tim Dwight money, either.
Last year, Dwight caught a total of 14 passes for the Chargers. But he makes more money than McCardell, who wants to be paid closer to the NFL average salary for No. 1 receivers, which last year was $4.4 million.
"I've played hurt, done my job, don't say much -- and this is how they treat you?" McCardell told ESPN The Magazine. "It is blatantly disrespectful. In any other company in America, increased responsibility comes with a promotion and pay raise."
McCardell can now relate to being in Bob Cratchit's shoes on Christmas Eve. With the NFL season kicking off Thursday, he appears to be totally Scrooged.
Around the horn
Dressing in provocative tennis outfits is supposed to be for those who can't play. Anna Kournikova, for instance. You would think the Williams sisters would let their game -- instead of knee-high "ace-me" boots -- make whatever statement is necessary at the U.S. Open. The last time I saw footwear like that was on the box cover of my "Pretty Woman" video. ... Other than taking perverse pleasure in listening to Lee Corso trying to pronounce the names of Utah's Samoan linemen, the opening weekend of the college football season was like a gigantic intersquad scrimmage. Ranked teams went 17-0. ... Note to Kevin Brown: Ever hear of racquetball? It's a wonderful way to release pent-up aggression. ... With many of the team's good players now in the NFL, out of eligibility or doing time for armed robbery, Chris Ault picked a bad year to launch his -- what, third? - - return as Nevada-Reno head football coach. The Wolfpack looked slow and overmatched in a 38-21 defeat at middling Louisiana Tech Monday.
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