UNLV Rebel Football Weblog...and more

Rebels Tear Down Lumberjacks

abelmares08 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:41:36 +0000

For the second straight game the Rebels were given a scare by their opponent after holding a huge lead in the first half. This time the scare came from Northern Arizona as UNLV’s 22 point lead early in the second half dwindled to 8 with a little over 26 seconds to go in the game. Unfortunately for the lumberjacks they had to deal with the presence of Joe Darger, the third best free throw shooter in the Mountain West (Darger is shooting 86% from the line) as the Rebels were able to hold off and win 83-74.Coming off a huge pick up win on Saturday over UTEP, the UNLV was looking to carry that momentum on the road. Led by Wink Adams who finally found his shooting touch the Rebels were able to muster a 45-28 lead. Using their pressure defense the Rebels forced turnovers and bad shots by the Lumberjacks who were unable to get any good looks at the basket. The second half however was a bit different.After being frustrated in the first half, the Lumberjacks were able to get into the paint mustering 22 points in the second half from the block. The Lumberjacks also held UNLV without a field goal for the final 6:33 of the game. This contributed to the Rebels being outscored in the second half for the the third time this season. Two of those times UNLV has been defeated.

UNLV held on thanks to excellent free throw shooting as junior Joe Darger, sophomore Matt Shaw, and Adams would convert crucial free throws as the game wound down. Adams however stole the show notching 16 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Adams, the lone returning starter from last year’s squad, has struggled to find his shooting mark this season. Yet Wednesday we would finish 5-8 from the field. Senior Curtis Terry would once again prove his off-season work has paid dividends also tallying 16 points along with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Rebels also debuted freshman point guard Kendall Wallace who had been sidelined with a stress fracture since training camp. Wallace would play 12 minutes and notch nine points, four of which came on a four-point play on his first shot.

UNLV will host Fresno State this Saturday at the Orleans Arena at 7pm. The game was moved due to the Rodeo occupying the Thomas & Mack. Currently the Rebels are 6-2 and sit in fourth place in the Mountain West.

Northern Arizona’s Josh Wilson brings the ball up as UNLV’s Marcus Lawrence defends during the Rebels’ win Wednesday in Flagstaff, Ariz.
*Photo Courtesy of the Las Vegas Review Journal.

UNLV Hoops Off and Running

abelmares08 — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:00:03 +0000

The Rebels are set to do battle tonight against Northern Arizona, the team is off to a 5-2 start yet has struggled to find itself at times giving up leads like they did against Louisville and UC Santa Barbara. Partially due to the different line ups that have been used to replace the departure of five seniors from last seasons squad. This is a link that will give us a bit of insight as to what Coach Kruger plans to do. The clips are taken after UNLV’s win over UTEP as I caught up with Coach Kruger at the end of the game. This is a much friendlier and a bit more warming podcast as opposed to the one I had on the books after the UC Santa Barbara game.

BBall podcast.mp3

Rebels Earn Awards

abelmares08 — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 09:11:59 +0000

Joining Beau Belle on the Mountain West Conference Award lists were four more Rebels. Senior cornerback Mil’Von James was voted to the Second Team-All Mountain West Conference after leading the nation with 19 pass deflections. He would finish his career at UNLV with 45 tackles, two force fumbles and one interception. Despite a struggling defense James would be part of the reason that would help land UNLV with the 23rd best best pass defense in the nation.Earning honorable mentions from the Mountain West were sophomore wide receiver Ryan Wolfe, junior Frank Summers, and freshmen offensive lineman Matt Murphy. Wolfe led the Rebels with 66 receptions on the year while notching 784 yards and two touchdowns. Summers who became known for his smash-mouth style fell just short of the 1,000 yard mark with 928. He rushed for six touchdowns and caught four becoming the first player in school history to lead the team in both rushing and receiving touchdowns. Murphy earned the recognition after being a rare true freshman starter and becoming UNLV’s most reliable lineman of the season.The following is a complete list of the awards given out by the Moutain West Conference:

*Media’s selection and consensus choice nationally

2007 MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL AWARDS
Offensive Player of the Year
Chad Hall, Sr., RB/WR, Air Force

Defensive Player of the Year
Beau Bell, Sr., LB, UNLV

Freshman of the Year
Harvey Unga, RB, BYU

Coach of the Year
Troy Calhoun, Air Force

2007 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
FIRST TEAM
Offense
POS PLAYER CL SCHOOL
QB Max Hall So. BYU
WR Travis Brown Sr. New Mexico
WR Marcus Smith Sr. New Mexico
RB Chad Hall Sr. Air Force
RB Rodney Ferguson Jr. New Mexico
TE Dennis Pitta So. BYU
OL Blaine Guenther Sr. Air Force
OL Ray Feinga Jr. BYU
OL Dallas Reynolds Jr. BYU
OL Devin Clark Sr. New Mexico
OL Vince Natali Sr. New Mexico
PK John Sullivan Sr. New Mexico
PR/KR Brian Bonner Sr. TCU

Defense
POS PLAYER CL SCHOOL
DL Jan Jorgensen So. BYU
DL Tyler Donaldson Sr. New Mexico
DL Chase Ortiz Sr. TCU
DL Martail Burnett Sr. Utah
LB Jon Rabold Sr. Air Force
LB Bryan Kehl Sr. BYU
LB Beau Bell Sr. UNLV
DB Carson Bird Sr. Air Force
DB DeAndre Wright Jr. New Mexico
DB Steve Tate Sr. Utah
DB Julius Stinson Sr. Wyoming
P Louie Sakoda Jr. Utah

SECOND TEAM
Offense
POS PLAYER CL SCHOOL
QB Kevin O’Connell Sr. San Diego State
WR Austin Collie So. BYU
WR Brett Swain Sr. San Diego State
RB Harvey Unga Fr. BYU
RB Darrell Mack Jr. Utah
TE Wade Betschart Sr. Wyoming
OL Nick Charles So. Air Force
OL Nick Allotta Sr. Colorado State
OL Blake Schlueter Jr. TCU
OL Zane Beadles So. Utah
OL Robert Conley Jr. Utah
PK Louie Sakoda Sr. Utah
PR/KR Derrek Richards Sr. Utah

Defense
POS PLAYER CL SCHOOL
DL Jesse Nading Sr. Colorado State
DL Michael Tuohy Sr. New Mexico
DL Gabe Long Sr. Utah
DL John Fletcher So. Wyoming
LB Drew Fowler Sr. Air Force
LB Kelly Poppinga Sr. BYU
LB Jason Phillips Jr. TCU
DB Stephen Hodge Jr. TCU
DB David Roach Sr. TCU
DB Mil’Von James Sr. UNLV
DB Brice McCain Jr. Utah
P Michael Hughes Sr. San Diego State

ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force: Shaun Carney, Sr., QB; Travis Dekker, Jr., TE; Ryan Kemp, Jr.,
DL; Chris Thomas, So., DB.
BYU: Austin Collie, So., KR; Quinn Gooch, Sr., DB.
Colorado State: Jeff Horinek, Jr., LB; Gartrell Johnson, Jr., RB; Jimmie
Kaylor, Sr., P; Damon Morton, Sr., WR; Eric Sandie, Sr., DL; LB; Darryl Williams, Sr., DB.
New Mexico: Glover Quin, Jr., DB; Jordan Scott, Sr., P; O.J. Swift, Sr.,
DB.
San Diego State: Russell Allen, Jr., LB; Ray Bass, Sr., DB; Mike Kravtez,
Sr., OL; Nick Osborn, Sr., DL; Will Robinson, Sr., OL.
TCU: Robert Henson, Jr., LB; Chris Manfredini, Sr., PK; Marshall
Newhouse, So., OL; Rafael Priest, So., DB; Derek Wash, Sr., P.
UNLV: Matt Murphy, Fr., OL; Frank Summers, Jr., RB; Ryan Wolfe, So.,
WR.
Utah: Robert Johnson, So., DB; Paul Kruger, Fr., DL; Derrek Richards,
Sr., WR; Stevenson Sylvester, So., LB.
Wyoming: Ward Dobbs, Jr., LB; Kyle Howard, Jr., OL; Mitch Unrein, So.,
DL; Billy Vinnedge, Sr., P..