Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2003 | 9:35 a.m.
Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4088.
Perhaps UNLV should make singer/songwriter Sting its spokesman, because a message in a bottle has played a role in the Rebels' early-season football success.
Actually, it's a message and a bottle that the UNLV coaching staff is using as a psychological ploy to keep players focused.
Give the Rebels high marks for originality. This year, they have set up a "virus" bottle, with the idea being to keep crippling agents inside, or bottled up, as it were.
"The virus got out at Kansas and it killed us," Rebels coach John Robinson said of a 46-24 loss to the Jayhawks, the only blemish on UNLV's 3-1 record. "As long as we keep the virus in the bottle, we're going to be OK."
Robinson said there's a place for players to leave a message when they feel a virulent germ is in danger of spreading. For instance, he said after the Kansas game, strong safety Jamaal Brimmer wrote "lazy attitude" while linebacker Adam Seward added "panic," which is what the Rebels did after throwing away a halftime lead.
Forget two aspirin and a phone call to the doctor in the morning. The following week, the Rebels discovered their true panacea -- a 23-5 victory at then-No. 14 Wisconsin.
But Monday's Quarterback Club luncheon was nearly 15 minutes old before the Wolf Pack even was mentioned.
UNLV coach John Robinson made a few cursory remarks about UNR's worthiness as an opponent and then instructed Rebels fans to leave their scalpels at home.
"Some people want to twist a competitive rivalry into something resembling the Civil War, and that's not good for anybody," he said.
"Anybody who hates or gets drunk should stay home and quite screwing up a good deal."
Now that I'm doing my part for water conservation, my lawn looks sadder than the Notre Dame offense. But compared to the Foothill High football field just around the corner from my place, it looks downright verdant. ... Give credit to Jamaal Brimmer, UNLV's stalwart defensive back, for telling it like it is, or at least how it probably will be. During his remarks at Monday's Quarterback Club luncheon, Brimmer said the Rebels would probably a lose or game or two down the line. "We want to go to the Liberty Bowl, but we'll accept any of them," he said of a postseason invitation which will probably be forthcoming should UNLV win three more games. ... No matter how many games it loses, BYU is still the football program by which the rest of the Mountain West measures itself. "So far, we're having one of those BYU-type years, where they went 11-1," Brimmer said Monday. ... Here it is, almost October, and Air Force, which beat BYU 24-10 in Provo Saturday, is 5-0 again. ! Its soft schedule notwithstanding, the fact the Falcons win eight or nine games every year with small, smart guys that nobody else wants is testimony to Fisher DeBerry's coaching brilliance an occasional crack-back block. ...
Although insiders say the Pac-10 isn't exactly overjoyed with its bowl affiliations (one BCS slot, plus Holiday, Sun, Insight, Silicon Valley and Las Vegas booby prizes), commissioner Tom Hansen said all the right things after his conference and the Mountain West announced a two-year extension to their Las Vegas Bowl contract Monday. Where's Jamaal Brimmer when you need him? ... If you're wondering what's in a name, how about a job in the NFL covering punts and kickoffs? Rod "He Hate Me" Smart, perhaps the most memorable remnant of the XFL, is in his second year as one of the leaders of the Carolina Panthers' special teams. Always the eccentric one, Smart is sporting a king-sized Afro that could block out the sun. ... According to the NFLplayers.com website, there are only three native Las Vegans on NFL rosters -- Ravens linebacker Ed Hartwell, Tampa Bay cornerback Brian Kelly and Packers center Grey Ruegamer.
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