WILL SOUTH EVER RISE AGAIN?: UNR quells Rebel uprising - Sports

PRINT THIS Popular

Sep. 28, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WILL SOUTH EVER RISE AGAIN?: UNR quells Rebel uprising

Despite strong start, UNLV can't end in-state rival's reign

By MARK ANDERSON
REVIEW-JOURNAL

UNLV Football

UNR -- 49
UNLV -- 27
KEY: UNR quarterback Colin Kaepernick rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 176 yards and two TDs.

NEXT: UNLV at Colorado State, 11 a.m. PDT, Saturday

ON THE WEB

View the slideshow

UNR quarterback Colin Kaepernick gashed the UNLV defense for 240 yards rushing and three touchdowns and threw for 176 yards and two scores in the Wolf Pack's 49-27 victory Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Photo by Jerry Henkel/Review-Journal

UNLV wide receiver Ryan Wolfe hauls in a pass between two UNR players. Wolfe finished with eight catches for 167 yards and a TD.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.

UNLV's Ryan Wolfe catches a touchdown pass in the third quarter of the Rebels' 49-27 loss to rival UNR.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Mike Sanford has coached UNLV to its best start in five years, but one major hole remains on his resume.

He still can't beat UNR and Chris Ault.

Most Popular Stories

Pacquiao ready for bigger fight

ED GRANEY: Cotto hopes to cement belief he is best welterweight in world

QUIET AND CONFIDENT: Cotto ready to let fists do the talking

Rabbi no novelty act on MGM undercard

COLORADO STATE CRUSHED: Rebels easily clear hurdle

LV's native son Andre Agassi opens up in book about tennis, life

UNLV BASKETBALL: Versatile Hawkins has a shot

ED GRANEY: UNLV fighting for survival

Ex-QB likes new vantage point

PRO BULL RIDING: 'Country boy' a city star

Or, on Saturday, Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

He beat the Rebels almost by himself, combining for 416 yards and five touchdowns running and passing to overwhelm UNLV 49-27 before an announced crowd of 33,078 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

So the Fremont Cannon remains blue and in the north, and maybe Sanford will come up with a different approach next season rather than trying to decide whether to refer to the Wolf Pack as "the team up north" or "Nevada, Reno."

Nothing for Sanford has worked in this rivalry, and UNR has beaten the Rebels twice in close games and twice in blowouts to win four in a row against UNLV. All four have been under Sanford's watch.

That looks worse when considering the Rebels had beaten UNR five times in a row before Sanford took over.

But all is not lost this season for UNLV (3-2), no matter how painful and embarrassing this defeat felt. The Rebels enter Mountain West Conference play full time Saturday at Colorado State.

"This is a big game, but there's a lot of football ahead of us, and we've got a lot of opportunities ahead of us," Sanford said.

UNLV will have to play better defense than it did against UNR (2-2), especially Kaepernick. He rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns, including a 66-yarder, on 18 carries. Kaepernick also completed 11 of 16 passes for 176 yards and two scores, including a 70-yard completion to wide receiver Chris Wellington.

UNR totaled 620 yards, including 444 on the ground. Tailback Vai Taua had 123 yards and a touchdown on 19 rushes.

"Obviously they ran the ball well, and obviously Colin Kaepernick had a tremendous game," Sanford said. "Obviously we did not do a good job defending the option."

It was as if UNLV's defense was standing still.

Same for Rebels quarterback Omar Clayton's pass protection. After UNLV jumped to a 17-7 first-quarter lead, the Wolf Pack turned up the defensive pressure, and Clayton found himself repeatedly facing pass rushers.

The Rebels still moved the ball at times, but their offense wasn't the same after the momentum shifted. UNR outscored the Rebels 42-10 after that.

Kaepernick's scramble to his left and 40-yard touchdown pass to wide-open tight end Virgil Green with 12:49 left in the second quarter put the Wolf Pack in front for good at 21-17.

Clayton finished 18-for-38 for 327 yards, three touchdowns and his first interception of the season. He also rushed for 47 yards on 12 attempts.

Not bad statistics, but he had 142 yards passing and 31 rushing in the first quarter.

He also wasn't helped by the lack of a running game. Tailback Frank Summers, who had consecutive 100-yard games before this one, gained just 20 yards on nine carries.

It was a combination of a staunch Wolf Pack defense and a bruised knee that probably was worse than Sanford let on during the week.

UNLV did have some highlights.

Wide receiver Ryan Wolfe caught eight passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. Casey Flair had five receptions for 84 yards and a TD.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.

HOW THEY SCORED

UNR -- 49
UNLV -- 28
UNR 7 21 7 14 -- 49
UNLV 17 3 7 0 -- 27

FIRST QUARTER
UNLV 3, UNR 0, 13:01 -- FG Ben Jaekle 47. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 1:59. Key play: Rebels quarterback Omar Clayton completes a pass down the left sideline to wide receiver Ryan Wolfe for a 46-yard gain to the UNR 25-yard line.
UNLV 10, UNR 0,
9:56 -- Phillip Payne 7 pass from Clayton (Kyle Watson kick). Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 2:20. Key play: UNLV safety Terrance Lee forces a fumble by Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and linebacker Jason Beauchamp recovers at the UNR 49.
UNLV 10, UNR 7,
6:58 -- Chris Wellington 70 pass from Kaepernick (Brett Jaekle kick). Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:58. Key play: Kaepernick throws down the middle to Wellington, who catches the pass in stride and beats UNLV cornerback Lorenzo Bursey Jr. for the score.
UNLV 17, UNR 7, 5:12 -- Casey Flair 41 pass from Clayton (Watson kick). Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards,
1:39. Key plays: The Rebels go with an empty set on all four plays and take advantage of the man-to-man matchups.

SECOND QUARTER
UNLV 17, UNR 14,
13:43 -- Kaepernick 4 run (Brett Jaekle kick). Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:12. Key play: Wellington rushes for 10 yards, and Wolf Pack gets an extra 14 yards because of face-mask penalty on Rebels linebacker Nate Carter, moving the ball to the UNLV 14.
UNR 21, UNLV 17,
12:49 -- Virgil Green 40 pass from Kaepernick (Brett Jaekle kick). Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 0:27. Key play: UNR blitzes Clayton, who is hit by defensive end Daryll Hill, forcing a fumble. Wolf Pack linebacker Mike Bethea recovers at the UNLV 40.
UNR 28, UNLV 17, 6:33 -- Courtney Randall 7 run (Brett Jaekle kick). Drive: 9 plays, 82 yards, 4:39. Key plays: Kaepernick twice rushes for 16 yards.
UNR 28, UNLV 20, 0:43 -- FG Ben Jaekle 52. Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 0:27. Key play: The Rebels convert a third-and-20 when wide receiver Ryan Wolfe makes an outstanding diving catch between two defenders for a 26-yard gain to the UNR 33.

THIRD QUARTER
UNR 35, UNLV 20,
14:42 -- Kaepernick 66 run (Brett Jaekle kick). Drive: 1 play, 66 yards, 0:12. Key play: Kaepernick fakes a handoff to tailback Vai Taua and runs around right end to open field.
UNR 35, UNLV 27,
7:25 -- Wolfe 7 pass from Clayton (Watson kick). Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 2:47. Key play: Clayton converts a fourth-and-1 with a 4-yard sneak to the the Wolf Pack 28.

FOURTH QUARTER
UNR 42, UNLV 27, 11:37 -- Taua 4 run (Brett Jaekle kick). Drive: 12 plays, 82 yards, 4:32. Key play: Kaepernick converts a third-and-4 with a 7-yard completion to wide receiver Art King Jr.
UNR 49, UNLV 27,
8:41 -- Kaepernick 28 run (Brett Jaekle kick). Drive: 3 plays, 35 yards, 1:28. Key play: Wolf Pack safety Mo Harvey intercepts Clayton to give UNR possession at UNLV's 35.
A -- 33,078.

TEAM STATISTICS

	UNR	UNLV
First downs	27	18
Rushes-yards	58-444	23-54
Passing	176	327
Comp-Att-Int	11-16-0	18-38-1
Return Yards	22	0
Punts-Avg.	3-50.0	5-42.8
Fumbles-Lost	1-1	4-1
Penalties-Yards	9-66	9-58
Time of poss.	36:19	23:41

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- UNR, Kaepernick 18-240, Taua 19-123, Randall 11-49, Lampford 7-26, Wellington 1-10, Team 2-(-4). UNLV, Clayton 12-47, Summers 9-20, Wolfe 1-(-6), Johnson 1-(-7).

PASSING -- UNR, Kaepernick 11-16-0 176. UNLV, Clayton 18-38-1 327.

RECEIVING -- UNR, McCoy 3-26, Wellington 2-77, Taua 2-12, Green 1-40, Puloka Jr. 1-9, King Jr. 1-7, Mitchell 1-5. UNLV, Wolfe 8-167, Flair 5-84, Robinson 2-46, Payne 2-28, Anthony 1-2.

Share & Save

Leave Your Comment	39 Reader Comments
Terms & Conditions The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor. Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Report abuse BB wrote on October 01, 2008 08:29 AM: Regardless if you are a Rebels fan or UNR fan both schools will never reach the top 25 in the future so shut up!! Outside of NV this game is baseless. With that said UNLV football is s plague that drains the school of money they could be placing in their school of basket weaving (joke). Seriousy, UNLV football is a joke, has been a joke and always will be a joke. How much does Sanford need? He had a large home crowd show up, a two game winning streak and the intensity of the in state rivalry. UNLV football is a sad joke and has been for many, many years with nothing changing anytime soon (except more losses). Report abuse RebCam wrote on September 29, 2008 03:27 PM: No one has made an excuse. Where do you see that? Rebel fans are going to point out their own flaws, that's what fans do. No one has said we should've won if this...or if that....Stupid typical trash. Keep in mind, you'll have to deal with us when we beat you in basketball again. So don't talk too much. Now go back to the trailer park freaks. Report abuse Pack Fan wrote on September 29, 2008 03:11 PM: Colin Kaepernick killed your whole team. It doesn't matter though. You guys beat Iowa State (Whoa) and Arizona State. We keep the cannon for yet another year. Report abuse UNR wrote on September 29, 2008 03:06 PM: CANNON!!! CANNON!!! CANNON!!! CANNON!!! CANNON!!! CANNON!!! Listen, UNLV sucks, and this is nothing new. You guys do need a new coach. But I love the excuses that you have made. We killed you, and that's that. I hope you enjoyed the game as much as we did! Report abuse RebCam wrote on September 29, 2008 02:31 PM: Go Rebs, once again we are at odds. Come on man, you are smarter than the comments you just made. Read what unlvalum wrote and then read my take again, it will make more sense. My response to unlvalum was based on this years team alone. There is no comparison between this year's team and team's of the past 4 seasons. We lost to reno last year by only a touchdown in the last minute, does that make last year's team better or did we just not play to our capabilities Satuday? Omar Clayton was not around for all but one of those two win seasons, that in which he only started 3 times as a freshman, so you can't lump him into your broad attack on UNLV'S records. "A long way away from being a premiere quaterback". What the hell did he due wrong besides throw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. He did have a pick that was tipped by his own player and wasn't as effective in the last drive. You agree that we should crusify him for that? And be honest, would the Rebels have won at any overrated team's house at any point in the past before this year? Wouldn't they have wilted in overtime against anyone after blowing a big lead? Come on man, you've gotta give credit where credit is due. They won those games and they weren't against Grambling or Idaho State. Once again, you'll change your tune, again, after we win some more ball games. I say again cuz I've read your comments after wins this year and you flip flop too much. Gonna start calling you John Kerry. Report abuse trixie541xx wrote on September 29, 2008 01:36 PM: One thing is for sure...The university wasted alot of money on rent a cops that did nothing. THey stopped nobody. THey again aloud Reno to show how classless their fans are. I just have to pose this question...Why would Reno drunk fans want to sit in the mist of the UNLV section. THat is what caused the one fight and almost another one that was by us. I don't have to like that Reno won as a Rebel fan I should be supporting my team but I can ditest all those who ran onto OUR field and disrected it!!! I stayed to the very end and was very disappointed in Metro, the university police and the rent a cops... Report abuse jbruce wrote on September 29, 2008 12:40 PM: I like that the UNR fans are asking for a contract extension for Sanford. LOL That should tell us something. No bowl this year = New coach next year . . . hopefully. Report abuse Go Rebels wrote on September 29, 2008 12:35 PM: Uh, it's not just one game. It's 0-4 vs. our rival and 6 wins in the last 3 years before this season. Sorry but one win vs. an over rated Pac 10 school (terrible conference this season) doesn't make up for all that. ISU is terrible and we almost blew a 21 point lead in that game. Fire Sanford. Don't need a million dollar coach, just someone else. He's had his chance and could not cut it. Report abuse RebCam wrote on September 29, 2008 11:17 AM: IT'S ONE GAME!! How can you make that kind of diagnosis after one game. It sounds like you just jumped on the bandwagon and haven't watched all season. Well I have, and this was the first time since that bad 3rd quarter at Utah that there was a lack of killer instinct. THINK BEFORE YOU COMMENT!!! Otherwise you sound like you have brain damage. As for Summers, he is injured and reno gave us the pass. What do you want? Besides, as bad as we were in the trenches I don't think it would have mattered. I'm all for pointing out what went wrong and what we did wrong, but firing a coach when he is 3-2 and in midseason with no budget is drastic. I'm not shocked though with this react before you think society. Report abuse unlvalum wrote on September 29, 2008 10:59 AM: The offensive coordinator needs to utilize his personnel. One of the best runners in the conference watched from the sideline most of the game. Omar C. is a long way from being a premier QB and it appears Sanford is still riding the wave after the Arizona State game. On defense, lets get back to basics, tackling and pursuing the runner. There is no "killer" instinct with this team, they don't know how to shut the door!! Read All Comments