Finally, a win for UNLV

DENTON, Texas -- As the final seconds ticked off the clock at Fouts Field here Thursday night, UNLV safety Randy Black excitedly began screaming at his teammates, "Sixteen straight what? Twenty-six straight what? ... The streaks are dead!"

Yes, for the first time since Oct. 1, 1994 -- a span of 26 games -- the Rebels boarded the plane for the flight home with a road victory in their pockets. And for the first time since Oct. 11, 1997 -- a streak of 16 contests -- UNLV won a football game, period.

"We did it, baby," fifth-year senior wide receiver Len Ware said following UNLV's 26-3 win over North Texas before an announced crowd of 19,011 at Fouts Field. "We finally did it."

Nearby, starting center Danny Pacheco wiped away tears.

"Hey, my record now is (5-30) since I've been here," Pacheco said. "To get one good one -- especially the first one -- I think it's a good start to the season. It shows us that hard work does pay off."

Nearby, junior right tackle John Greer, who along with Pacheco helped anchor a Rebel offensive line that seemed to wear North Texas down in the fourth quarter, thought about the prospect of what it would be like to finally enjoy a flight home.

"I've never won an away game, ever," Greer said. "Even in high school. I was 0-38 going into this. This was my first away game that I've ever won. I mean, in high school my freshman team even went 0-10. So I have no clue what this is like."

OK, so maybe mistake-prone North Texas will never be confused with Florida State. And UNLV is probably still a ways away from being the kind of Top 25 program that bowl games court.

But the main thing is that John Robinson and company left this small, northern Texas town with a 1-0 record.

"Obviously, it was a great win for us in terms of finishing off the past," Robinson said. "This football team is 1-0. There are no streaks. It's a winning streak we're on right now.

"We said before the game that regardless of what happened we were going to come home ... and start getting ready to be a better football team. And that's what we're going to do. There's not an unbelievable hue and cry in our locker room. We expected to win the game. We worked hard enough to come down here and do the job."

Although UNLV president Dr. Carol Harter got the game ball from Robinson in the cramped and steamy Fouts Field locker room afterward, there were a number of Rebels who could have gotten them on this night:

* Junior tailback Jeremi Rudolph, showing why he was considered the top running back prospect in Florida five years ago at Apopka High in Orlando, carried 20 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

* Junior quarterback Jason Vaughan's first Division I start was an efficient one. The transfer from Middle Georgia College completed 16 of 19 passes for 127 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

* Junior wide receiver Nate Turner had a game-high six receptions for 59 yards while Ware added five grabs for 40 yards.

* The offensive line, considered one of the big weaknesses on the squad entering fall practice, wore down North Texas in the second half when the Rebels gained 92 of their 166 rushing yards and controlled the ball for almost 20 of the half's 30 minutes.

* UNLV's defense, led by cornerbacks Kevin Thomas (5 tackles, 49-yard interception return for a touchdown) and Andre Hilliard (9 tackles, two deflections), limited the Mean Green to just four first downs after intermission. The three points were the fewest allowed by a Rebels' defense since Sept. 3, 1994, when UNLV defeated Eastern Michigan 17-3 in ex-coach Jeff Horton's debut.

"No way," defensive coordinator Jeff McInerney said when asked if he thought before the game his unit could hold North Texas to just a field goal.

"But we held up inside and didn't give up any big plays. I told them to go out there and play fast and they did. The players are the ones who made it happen."

The Rebel defense made a nine-yard second quarter touchdown run by Rudolph stand up until early in the fourth quarter when a costly running into the kicker penalty seemed to take the wind out of North Texas.

Tim O'Reilly had kicked a 23-yard field goal with 10:39 left to up UNLV's lead to 9-3. However, Mean Green senior tackle Zeb Cornist charged into O'Reilly at the end of the play and was flagged.

"I was watching the ball going through the posts when two or three guys crashed into me," O'Reilly said. "I wasn't surprised they threw the flag. I needed a flag on that play."

Robinson elected to take the three points off the board and take a first-and-goal at the North Texas three. On the following play, Rudolph, lined up in a Power I behind fullbacks Tim Dombrowski and James Wofford, cruised into the end zone off right tackle to give the Rebels a 13-3 advantage.

"We would have only been ahead by six," Robinson said of his decision. "We had to do that. That was clear. You go up by six and then they score and kick (a PAT) -- they wouldn't let me fly home with the team."

Sophomore cornerback Kevin Thomas sealed the victory a few minutes later when he cut in front of North Texas receiver LaDarrin McLane to intercept a Jason Attaway pass and sprinted 49 yards untouched for a touchdown.

"Coach Mac (McInerney) said someone needed to step up and make a big play," Thomas said. "I saw the play and just jumped at it. If I hadn't jumped, I would have regretted it."

On this night, however, other than a few blown PAT attempts, there was little for UNLV players to regret.

"I think our kids played like winners tonight," Robinson said. "How talented are we? Hell, I don't begin to know. But I felt like we did not look like a team that had lost 100 million in a row. I'm really proud of them for that. I think this is just one more step forward."

* REBEL NOTES: This was the first time since 1981 that UNLV has opened a season with a road victory. ... A couple of true freshmen from state champion Cimarron-Memorial High School, defensive tackle Kawika Sagapolu (3 tackles) and walk-on safety Ross Dalton (2 tackles), made contributions. ... There were no serious injuries to report. ... Highlights of Thursday night's win as well as locker room footage of Robinson's pregame speech can be seen on "Gametime with John Robinson" on Sunday at 4:30 on Channel 8. ... The Rebels travel to Baylor next Saturday night.

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