Ishii’s toss sparks Rebels to late run

By Brett Okamoto (contact)

Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 | 1:50 a.m.

The player who provides the spark that changes a football game isn't usually the third-string quarterback. Or the punter. But what if it's both?

With the Rebels trailing 14-9 near the end of the third quarter and facing fourth-and-2 at midfield, UNLV coach Mike Sanford called for a fake punt. Rebels punter Dack Ishii, who is also the third-string quarterback, delivered a 19-yard strike to Jerriman Robinson and the Rebels' offense went on to score a touchdown on the drive. The big play led to more than just a score -- the Rebels carried the momentum into the fourth quarter with two interceptions and a recovered fumble to lock up a 22-14 win and keep their bowl hopes alive.

"Dack did a nice job. It was a little hairy because he kind of bobbled the ball, but he did a nice job," Sanford said. "You got to take chances to win games like this. No matter what anyone says, this was an even-up game. You got to go for it, you got to be aggressive and that's what we were doing tonight."

It was another chance for the senior to run the play after an unsuccessful attempt at BYU in October. The Rebels had actually called for the fake on the previous drive but Ishii called it off because of the coverage. When Sanford made the call again, Ishii delivered.

"The punt before we had it called and I checked out of it because I didn't like the way it looked," Ishii said. "Thank God coach called it again. I'd like to think [the team got a spark] from it. Coach is always talking about the offense feeding off the defense and the defense feeding off the special teams. The offense scored and the defense got a pick right after it, so I'd like to think so."

After settling for three field goals and giving up two touchdowns before the play, the Rebels looked like a different team after Ishii's throw. Big plays were the theme of the night as Rusty Worthen set up the second Rebels touchdown by returning an interception to the Wyoming 24-yard line. Quinton Pointer followed with a touchdown-saving interception in the Rebels' end zone and Terrance Lee ended any hopes of a Wyoming comeback when he ripped the ball away from Cowboys punt returner Brandon Stewart with less than two minutes to play.

"The big plays were huge," running back Frank Summers said. "The defense is doing a great job now. All year the defense has had a lot of opportunities for turnovers and for some reason it didn't happen. But the last two games their turnovers have been critical, and more critical ones tonight helped us win a football game."

The Rebels hope they've created momentum for their final game against San Diego State. They'll look for more sparks wherever they can find them as they push forward for a bowl game appearance.

"Football is a big momentum game," Ishii said. "If you can get big plays like that -- the fake punt, an interception -- it helps build momentum for the team. As you can see it helped us to victory tonight."