Columnist Ron Kantowski: Rebels must take look at Wishbone

RON KANTOWSKI is the Las Vegas Sun sports editor.

IT SEEMS hard to believe that a 4-7 record once got a guy (Wayne Nunnely, who had three such seasons in a row in the late '80s) fired as UNLV head football coach. Because in the jetsam of UNLV's humbling 52-10 defeat to Air Force, it is obvious that four wins is a modest goal this Rebel team simply cannot achieve this season.

Or perhaps in any season to come.

Midway through the third quarter Saturday, when the Air Force scrubs were putting the Rebels' first-team defense through the wringer, it not-so-suddenly was confirmed that there is a new Rice or Iowa State in the college football laundry room, and UNLV is it.

Check that: Rice almost beat Purdue Saturday and Iowa State did beat Iowa, proving that every dog does, indeed, have its day.

Too bad the Rebels play a lot of their games at night.

Only three of the past 14 seasons have resulted in the Rebels winning more games than they lost. And if you think Roger Maris deserved an asterisk for his 61 home runs, then hit the shift key on your keyboard and affix the character of your choice to UNLV's three most recent winning seasons.

For starters, the Rebels were just barely winners in those campaigns, going 6-5, 6-5 and 7-5.

In 1986, UNLV beat a mediocre Wisconsin team along with Portland State, Cal State Fullerton, North Texas State, New Mexico State and Long Beach State. Two of those six (Fullerton and Long Beach) don't even play football any more.

In 1992, the Rebels were 6-5 under Jim Strong, with three of the wins coming over lame duck Fullerton and Division I-AA lightweights Northern Arizona and Montana State.

In 1994, UNLV went 7-5 and won the Las Vegas Bowl by thumping Central Michigan in Horton's first season. That also was the last time the Rebels beat Nevada-Reno, which might impress the folks in Elko and Winnemucca, but couldn't get Lee Corso to bat a bushy eyebrow.

And when you break it down, that wasn't a very good team, either. It was outscored 305-263 and yielded 48 points to Idaho. Repeating what was said then, all Jeff Horton proved was that he could coach Jim Strong's players better than Jim Strong did.

So where do the Rebels go from here?

Dropping the program is out, not with $18 million in stadium improvements coming next year and not enough motocross races to justify the expenditure.

So after watching physically- and talent-challenged Air Force execute its triple-option offense to near perfection Saturday, I would suggest that Horton sign up for Fisher DeBerry's summer coaching clinic and take copious notes.

I'm convinced that UNLV's only option is a literal one -- adopt the Wishbone offense (or a variation of it).

The triple option is the reason Air Force wins, and gives Army and Navy a fighting chance. As hard as it is to execute, it's even harder to defend. If the Rebels need further proof, they can ask Notre Dame. Or look in the mirror.

Sure, it'll take a couple of more 2-9 seasons to get it down. But unless the Rebels install a gimmicky offense, it appears their future is looking every bit as bleak as their past.

Unless they can schedule Michigan.

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