Plaque, Cannon high on Rebels’ weekend wish list

By Ryan Greene

Friday, Sept. 26, 2008 | 7:42 p.m.

If you're visiting Rebel Park for the first time, it looks like the forgotten wall.

Along that wall, just to the left when you walk through the red gates and enter a garden-like corner in front of the UNLV practice fields, four plaques hang, tucked in the top-right corner. There's plenty of space for more.

Atop each is the score of the UNLV-UNR football meetings from 2001-04 -- all of which the Rebels won. Underneath, etched in are the names of the seniors from each of those teams.

John Robinson -- the coach who led the Rebels to those four wins -- is long gone from the program, but the tradition is far from dead.

"There's been a long drought of being able to put the seniors up in that area, and that's a huge honor," said coach Mike Sanford, who is looking Saturday for his first win against the in-state rival Wolf Pack. "It means a lot because of the seniors. This is a senior class that, they've grown up with me, and I've gotten a little bit wiser with them over time.

"It would mean a lot to me to get them up in that area."

The seniors share that sentiment, especially the handful of them who were here to remember the last time the Fremont Cannon resided in Las Vegas.

"When I was a true freshman here, redshirting, seeing the cannon here every day, you start to take it for granted," said fifth-year senior wideout Casey Flair. "It not being there anymore, you start to miss it. We need it back in our locker room and our weight room.

"I want my name on one of those plaques," he continued. "Those plaques are a big deal. Any senior who has his name on a plaque will tell you that the first thing he looks at when he steps out at Rebel Park is those plaques. He says 'My name's right there.' He sees Earvin Johnson, Jamaal Brimmer, Dominique Dorsey, those guys' names."

Flair & Co. can do all three of those guys one better -- none of them ever made it to a bowl game while lettering from 2001-04. And while the plaque, the Cannon and the bragging rights would be nice for the 3-1 Rebels, taking another step closer to bowl eligibility is the bigger prize.

On the UNR side, a 1-2 start has put Chris Ault's club in almost a must-win situation, as a 1-3 record might be too big of a hole for the Wolf Pack to fulfill bowl hopes of their own.

That said, one of the biggest keys for the Rebels this weekend will be discipline. Last week, when Iowa State tried to draw UNLV into a game of 'Who can earn more 15-yard penalties,' the Rebels didn't take the bait. This week's game could be even more emotional.

The other focus for UNLV is on containing the run -- namely UNR sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The 6-foot-6, dual-threat in the backfield leads the Wolf Pack in rushing with 214 yards, while Vai Taua has played the role of super sub at tailback with 213 yards. Taua was forced into the starting tailback role with injuries to last year's 1,400-yard rusher Luke Lippincott (torn ACL) and backup Brandon Fragger (shoulder).

But while Kaepernick is getting plenty of press for the Wolf Pack, UNLV's Omar Clayton is well on his way to tearing down several single-season school passing records. The schedule is only one-third complete, and no one's more aware of that than the sophomore quarterback himself.

"I just remind myself that the preparation is what makes me successful," Clayton said. "Anytime I start to think about 'I haven't thrown a pick in 139 attempts,' I just try to block that out because what I do during the week and the preparation, that's what gets me ready to play on Saturdays and make no mistakes."

Clayton said that before the season's first two games he couldn't bring himself to eat, saying his body simply wouldn't let him. But starting with the overtime win at Arizona State two weeks ago, he's become far more relaxed, and the gameday routine is setting in.

Now comes his biggest test: being the emotional stabilizer on offense in the season's most heated contest. The stands will be loud and filled with hatred, and both teams are playing with plenty on the line.

"I think the best thing for me to do is to leave the emotion at the door," he said. "I'll save the emotion for after the game, if we win. That's when I'll show my emotion. Play smart, be calm, just try to be a good leader for this team."