Sour taste still eating at Rebels

It doesn't taste any better nearly two weeks later. It's still month-old milk.

It's a whole different level of sour.

Bobby Hauck one day hopes to look back and laugh at it all, or at least be convinced it was merely one awful result in a journey that eventually discovers consistent success.

But for now, Southern Utah lingers like the mother-in-law overstaying her welcome.

"It was good for us to have to sit there for a week and stew in it," Hauck said. "Generally, I would say it's better to have another game immediately after a loss like that. But we had a good week of practice. We went heavy."

I sort of held out a few fingers flimsily to Hauck on Tuesday, assuming the bone-crushing handshake guy still was irked by his UNLV football team's inexcusable blowout loss to a lower-level program from Cedar City and hadn't completely let out all his frustration.

The same Southern Utah that lost to mighty North Dakota on Saturday.

I'm guessing the Fighting Sioux quarterback didn't check out of a run play on first-and-goal from the 1.

There is no way to explain a 41-16 defeat to the Thunderbirds, no acceptable reason for what happened to the Rebels the last time we saw them, which might be the last time we see three pick-sixes thrown in a college game for the next gazillion seasons.

What little juice the Rebels owned for local support after beating Hawaii the previous week vanished. Truth is, it might not return this season.

UNLV will spend 35 days between games at Sam Boyd Stadium, a stretch that includes its rivalry matchup Saturday at UNR.

The Rebels also travel to Wyoming and have another bye week before returning home to meet Colorado State on Oct. 29. But by then, first-year basketball coach Dave Rice and a team that could flirt with a top-25 ranking early in its season will be days from opening.

This is a basketball school in a basketball town, and rarely is much excitement by fans reserved for anything else once Halloween arrives.

The football game against Colorado State kicks off at 3 p.m.

I can only imagine the crowd count -- meaning the real one, not the number announced -- should the Rebels return 1-5.

The lack of support "might be in the back of your mind, but you can't worry or think about it," Hauck said. "Any momentum we gained by beating Hawaii went out the window against (Southern Utah). It's a dang shame. There is nothing we can do but win. Winning games is the one thing that makes people excited about a team. That's not unique to Las Vegas. It would be big for us to get a win this week. Huge."

This is where UNLV sits as it prepares to play UNR for the right to paint the Fremont Cannon, which has remained blue for six years now and last saw red when John Robinson was roaming a sideline: The Rebels are coming off a bye and the Wolf Pack a stretch of four road games to begin the season, including ones against Oregon, Texas Tech and last week against Boise State.

And still, UNR is favored by almost three touchdowns.

Hauck has a young team whose roster includes 29 players from Nevada, meaning 70 or so didn't grow up hearing much about the rivalry. It doesn't hold the same national prestige as The Big Game or the Holy War or the Border War or the Iron Bowl.

Simply, it's bigger than Palo Verde-Bishop Gorman but not in the same stratosphere as Alabama-Auburn.

Bottom line: They aren't killing any 150-year-old trees over a cannon's color.

But there might not be a better opponent for UNLV this week, more so for the sake of focus than having to contest an angry UNR team playing its home opener and one that has dominated the Rebels for some time now.

How you respond to adversity is one thing. How you respond to 44-16 against the team that couldn't get past North Dakota is an entirely different matter.

"Obviously, our guys know this is an important game," Hauck said. "It would be if we were just going up there and it was their first home game and everyone was stirred up because of that. But it's our rival. It's a really big deal.

"We were three-touchdown underdogs to Hawaii and won and were probably multiple-touchdown favorites against (Southern Utah) and blew it. But all that stuff in this game, considering who it's against, doesn't mean much."

They need to play again, no matter the opponent or outcome.

It's the only way to try to make things taste better.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday on "Monsters of the Midday," Fox Sports Radio 920 AM. Follow him on Twitter: @edgraney.