Rebels slip to 0-4
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Monday, September 27, 2004
The Rebel Yell (ryunlv.com)
A palpable sense of despair has set in over the 2004 UNLV football team.
As the Rebels left the field Saturday night after their 31-21 defeat at the hands of Utah State, the Aggies and their fans celebrated what may be one of the biggest disappointments in coach John Robinson's career at UNLV.
"I don't have an explanation," Robinson said. "I've never been through anything like this, and it's very frustrating."
Considering these words come from a coach who has won a national title, has been named national coach of the year, coached two teams to the NFC championship game, and won eight of nine college bowl appearances, they take on extra weight.
Starting 0-3 after losing to two teams ranked in the top 20 and a tough conference foe, Utah State was a team the Rebels, it was widely believed, should handle easily. The Aggies won only three games last season, had lost nine consecutive road games and lost last week to Utah 48-6 after trailing 41-0 at halftime.
However, Utah State took advantage of five UNLV turnovers and 105 yards of Rebels' penalties to give the Rebels their worst start since 1998, the season before Robinson's arrival. Utah State committed only four penalties for 51 yards and had no turnovers. It was the second game in a row that the Rebels had not forced any turnovers.
"We made the penalties and they made almost no penalties," Robinson said. "It's the second week in a row, I don't think they had a turnover. All those things seem to be just hitting us right in the face."
Robinson's promise last week to the local media of opening up the offense and involving more people was kept, with UNLV out gaining the Aggies 550-291 on offense.While Dominique Dorsey lead UNLV with 189 yards on 18 carries, JaJa Riley and Dyante Perkins got nine carries each, while Erick Jackson had five carries.
The Rebels' diversified running attack also allowed more players to get involved in the passing game with catches by seven different receivers. Earvin Johnson led UNLV with six catches for 90 yards before being injured midway through the third quarter. He did not return the rest of the game.
If Johnson's injury proves to be serious, it will be another blow to a receiving corps already decimated with injuries. Donell Wheaton has been hampered by a bad back, while tight end Greg Estandia and wide receivers Terry Furlow and Tremayne Kirkland all did not play because of injuries.
"We've lost just about the entire receiving corps," Robinson said. "We have guys in there playing who practiced on the opponent most of the week."
After Utah State took an early 3-0 lead, the Rebels marched 80 yards on seven plays capped off by Dyante Perkins 1-yard touchdown run. It was the first time this season UNLV had scored a first quarter touchdown.
Utah State scored on its next two possessions to take a 13-7 lead early in the second quarter. The Rebels answered with Dorsey's 53-yard touchdown run and went into the locker room leading 14-13, their first halftime lead of the season. UNLV had committed only one turnover at this point, a Dorsey fumble.
On the Rebels' first possession of the second half, they marched down to the Utah State 9-yard line and looked ready to take control of the game. On second-and-goal, quarterback Kurt Nantkes rolled right looking for a receiver down field. What he found was Aggie linebacker Robert Watts at the 10-yard line. Watts then took the ball 90 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion gave Utah State a 21-14 lead.
The Rebels answered right back by driving 69 yards on eight plays capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Shelvion Williams from Nantkes. Following Nantkes' second interception of the quarter, by Watts again, the Aggies took a 24-21 lead on a 25-yard field goal as the quarter expired. Nantkes then threw his third interception on the ensuing possession.
"Certainly the interceptions in the second half were disastrous to us," Robinson said.
Nantkes completed 20 of 35 passes for 283 yards.
UNLV put the game in the hands of their defense with 5:59 left to go and Utah State backed up its own 18. After holding the Aggies to only three yards on their first two plays, the Rebels were seemingly in a great position to get the ball back with over four minutes left.
Up to this point, Utah State had converted four of 14 third down attempts and quarterback Travis Cox had completed only 11 of 25 passes for 98 yards. When Cox rolled to his right and looked down field he found Tony Perryman down the sideline. When the Rebels defender misjudged the ball, Perryman was able to run 79 yards untouched for a touchdown and the final margin.
With 57 returning upperclassmen for 2004, 0-4 was not the beginning UNLV was expecting.
"What seems to be a cloud, I don't know, I thought we'd be out from under it," Robinson said. "Somebody told me we made 530 yards of offense and had the ball 71 times. That's what we were hoping for and we did and we still kept ourselves from winning."
The announce attendance of 19,116 was the lowest home game attendance since 17,081 attended the New Mexico game in Nov. of 2000.
The loss was the Rebels sixth consecutive at home.
Dorsey rushed for over 100 yards for the seventh time in his UNLV career. His 189 yards is his personal best and the most by a Rebels back since 2002.
Johnson's 90 receiving yards moved him into fifth on the Mountain West Conference receiving yards leader.
Adam Seward's four tackles gives him 348 and adds to his lead as the conference's all-time foremost tackler.
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