Monday, Sept. 26, 2005 | 9:58 a.m.
LOGAN, Utah -- After they lost a very winnable game for the second consecutive week to a WAC bottom-feeder, this time a 31-24 loss to Utah State, it might seem easy to write off the rest of the season for the struggling UNLV Rebels (1-3).
After all, starting quarterback Shane Steichen broke his left ring finger on the second play from scrimmage at Romney Stadium. His right (throwing) hand was also swollen courtesy of a hard landing on a fourth-quarter sack. And the schedule, which features road games at Wyoming, Air Force and TCU as well as home dates against old rivals Utah and BYU, gets a whole lot harder now.
But after stepping out into the cool, crisp autumn air outside of the Rebels' locker room here Saturday night, senior defensive end Leon Moore started to let off a little steam when asked by a reporter what he would think if long-suffering Rebel fans started writing off the 2005 season because of the disappointing start.
"Anybody who writes us off now is a fool," Moore said simply.
The Rebels, who have had a chance to either win or tie every game so far in the fouth quarter this season, are on the verge of turning things around, according to the 6-foot-5, 300-pound senior from Rancho High School.
"We have so much talent on this team, and it's coming together," Moore continued. "We're making plays now that against New Mexico (a season-opening 24-22 setback) we couldn't make. ... For anybody to write this team off, it's a big mistake.
"It's going to come back and bite you in the butt."
The way Moore, who had seven tackles (two for loss) and a pass break-up, sees it, UNLV could easily have been 4-0 heading into Saturday afternoon's Mountain West Conference game at red-hot Wyoming (3-1, 1-0).
"We should have put these guys away," Moore said of the Aggies, who overcame a 24-16 third quarter deficit to hand UNLV its 17th loss in 22 games dating back to the middle of the 2003 season.
"We should have put New Mexico away. We should be 4-0 right now. We just need to go back and learn how to put people away."
Or at least slow them down.
Once again UNLV's defense struggled badly against the pass, this time allowing Utah State quarterback Leon Jackson to complete 19 of 25 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Jackson, like Nevada-Reno's Jeff Rowe, Idaho's famed Steven Wichman and New Mexico's Kole McKamey, picked apart UNLV's defense down the stretch, going a perfect 8-of-8 for an even 100 yards on Utah State's final two scoring drives. He hit a wide-open Kevin Robinson with a 15-yard touchdown pass with 9:31 remaining for the game-winning touchdown.
"Our defense has got to make critical stops at critical times in the game," UNLV coach Mike Sanford said. It shouldn't come as a surprise that UNLV ranks last in the MWC and 103rd nationally in pass defense, allowing an average of 291.25 yards per game. The Rebels are even worse in pass efficiency defense, coing in at 111th out 119 Division I teams nationally with a 163.91 rating.
Moore has done more than his part up front. He continues to lead the MWC in both sacks (0.75 per game) and tackles for loss (2 per game).
"It wasn't a good game for me," Moore said. "We lost. I don't care if I had 106 tackles and 50 sacks. We lost. And at the end of the day there's an 'L' going on the board." Special teams also played a major role in the loss here. Utah State averaged 43.8 yards on four kickoff returns, including a 92-yard touchdown by Tony Pennyman that tied the game, 7-7.
The Rebels also had a 45-yard field goal by Sergio Aguayo blocked. And Aguayo had the distance on another 51-yarder that sailed wide to the left.
"We've got to get better on special teams," Sanford said. "I was disappointed in our special teams tonight."
But Sanford, like Moore, isn't ready to throw in the towel yet despite the slower than expected start.
"To me we've got a lot of football to play," he said. "We've just got to find a way to get them going and win. We've just got to find a way."
REBELS NOTES: Sanford said Steichen would see a hand specialist this morning who will determine whether surgery is necessary to help repair the broken ring finger on his non-throwing hand. "It could go either way," Sanford said. Steichen broke a knuckle on the finger when it got pinched between two helmets. "Our quarterback situation (for Wyoming) is undetermined at this point," Sanford said. ... Starting guard Marco Guerra will miss two to four weeks after chipping a bone in his right ankle. Guerra suffered the injury in the first half and was replaced by former starting center Tim Goins. Goins, however, was yanked in the fourth quarter after giving up a pair of sacks and was replaced by former left tackle Brandon Gray. Gray hadn't practiced at guard this season until last Thursday.
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