UNLV Rebels place kicker Daniel Gutierrez (32) kicks a field goal during the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Idaho State Bengals at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, in Las Vegas. UNLV Rebels punter Charlton Butt (46) is at left.
Friday, Nov. 25, 2022 | 1:37 p.m.
It’s a good thing Daniel Gutierrez listened to his mother and kept playing football.
The UNLV kicker wanted to quit three different times — twice as a walk-on freshman and again his junior year. He just felt like football wasn’t for him anymore.
Gutierrez kept with it, with the support of his family, and had one of the more prolific careers in Rebel football history.
The super senior will play his final game when UNLV looks to win back the Fremont Cannon against UNR at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday (3 p.m., MW Network).
“Of course I’d love to end it with a win,” Gutierrez said. “This week, it could be my last time putting on pads. So, I’m just trying to enjoy it as best I can.”
The most accurate kicker in UNLV history, Gutierrez will be one of 10 super seniors — those who have played more than four years — honored on Senior Day.
Through a journey that spanned six years, two head coaches and two wins against UNR, Gutierrez couldn’t be prouder of his college career.
The Los Angeles native joined the Rebels in 2017 as a walk-on from Granada Hills Charter High School. He was a three-time all-city selection but didn’t garner any interest from other programs.
Gutierrez appeared in five games in his first run without a scholarship, making five of six field goal attempts.
After redshirting in 2018, he was named a full-time starter in 2019. He went 11 of 14 with his field goals, including a 50-yarder in the fourth quarter against UNR. That was the last time UNLV won the cannon.
“He was in situations where when we needed to score, we scored,” coach Marcus Arroyo said. “That’s the bottom line.”
When the game ends Saturday, Gutierrez will end his collegiate career as the most accurate kicker in program history by a wide margin.
Entering Saturday, Gutierrez has made 85.5% of his field goals.
One more field goal will surpass Nick Garritano’s school record of 53 (1991-94).
“For me, honest, I don’t like to think about that,” Gutierrez said of the records. “It just comes with what I do. I don’t think about that record. I just think about that kick.”
Gutierrez, playing in his sixth cannon game, is 2-3 in his career against UNR. Unfortunately, the cannon will be the only trophy he has played for.
The Rebels missed out on bowl eligibility for the ninth straight year this season, despite starting 4-1.
Following their sixth straight loss, 31-25 to Hawaii last week, Arroyo said Monday the foundation has been laid for the future. That includes quarterback Doug Brumfield returning for his junior season.
No quarterback in the Mountain West got off to a better start this season than Brumfield. He averaged 245 passing yards per game and had eight touchdowns to two interceptions.
Then a concussion he suffered Oct. 7 at San Jose State disrupted all momentum for Brumfield and UNLV.
After averaging 38 points per game during their 4-1 start, the Rebels have averaged 16.6 per game during this losing streak.
“There’s a handful things that hit us in that six-game stretch, whether it be physically, roster-wise, emotionally like this last game,” Arroyo said.
Brumfield returned Nov. 5 against San Diego State but has looked nothing like the quarterback who was named Mountain West Player of the Week in Week 1. He’s thrown two touchdowns to three interceptions in his last three starts.
While things may have unraveled for UNLV down the stretch, UNR has been off the rails almost all season. The Wolfpack enter Saturday on a seven-game losing streak after starting 2-0.
UNR has allowed at least 31 points five times and has averaged 20.4 points per game.
It’s not often UNLV is the clear-cut favorite to win back the cannon. It might not be the ultimate trophy Gutierrez wants to win, but he still wants to go out on top.
“I’ve seen a lot of things change around here. Reno the past few years has had a better record than us,” he said. “Rivalries are about who’s the best team that day."
