Horton returns home, hopes to stop SMU

You might say that UNLV head coach Jeff Horton has gone full circle when he steps on the field at the Cotton Bowl for Saturday afternoon's game against SMU.

It was as a fifth-grader back in 1969 that Horton, who grew up in the Dallas suburb of Arlington and went on to star at Sam Houston High School, saw his first college football game.

The home team? SMU. The site? The Cotton Bowl.

"It was a long time ago," Horton said when asked about his memories of the game. "I remember all the excitement of being there, the band and all the fans. I was playing elementary school football. I remember how big all the players seemed at the time."

Horton would watch a lot of games at the Cotton Bowl during his youth.

"My best friend's dad played at SMU and we used to watch them play a bunch," Horton said. "And my uncle used to always get me and my brother a ticket to the Cotton Bowl. I remember watching Texas beat Notre Dame in (the 1970) Cotton Bowl for the national championship. That was like the best Christmas present I ever got.

"I also remember watching the Dallas Cowboys play there before they moved to Texas Stadium. There's a lot of tradition and stuff in that stadium."

Now Horton returns home with a UNLV team that has lost its last 12 games and hasn't walked off the field with a victory in more than a year.

He says a lot of family and friends will be in the Cotton Bowl stands --- "probably 30 or 35" --- including his mother, Vivian Bills; his sister, Sharon Strum; and his brother, Jim.

"Whenever you have a chance to go home, it's always a good deal," Horton said.

"(Playing in the Cotton Bowl) will be exciting. I still gets chills and bumps and stuff like that thinking about playing there. If I didn't, I think it would be time for me to get out of the profession."

Because of the Rebels' tight schedule --- they arrive this afternoon, have a walk through at the Cotton Bowl and then have team meetings back at their hotel tonight -- Horton won't have a whole lot of time to spend with his family.

"It's still a business trip," he said. "Hopefully, we'll have a lot of nice things to talk about after the game. Getting a win, that's the most important thing. But it would make it more special, obviously, if it came down there."

Rebel notes

The Rebels will be without two key starters on the trip, left tackle Brian Hart and wide receiver Len Ware, who leads the team with 30 receptions for 353 yards and one touchdown. Hart, filling in for the injured John Greer (back), broke a bone in his left wrist in practice Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season. Junior Glenn Pilarowski (6-3, 310), who has bounced around from right guard to right tackle, will become UNLV's third starter at left tackle this season. Meanwhile, Ware flew home to attend the funeral of his uncle and won't make the trip. ... Also staying home will be starting safety Randy Black (shoulder) and linebacker A.C. Smith (dental surgery) as well as starting defensive tackle Troy Kirkpatrick (knee). ... Two players slowed by injuries this week but who will make the trip and play are starting center Bubba Gonzalez (ankle) and linebacker Greg Gales (knee). ... This is only the second meeting between the two schools. In 1984, No. 10 SMU defeated the Randall Cunningham-led Rebels 38-21 at Sam Boyd Stadium. ... It also will be a homecoming for two Rebels making the trip, starting quarterback Chad Reed (Lubbock) and defensive end Roderick Jones (Kendleton).

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