Rebels made good on Robinson’s pledge against UNR

John Robinson had coached in the NFL and at Southern California, so he understood the intensity of big games and heated rivalries.

He never, however, had experienced anything like his first trip to UNR's Mackay Stadium. Wolf Pack fans hurled batteries and epithets at UNLV's sideline in that 1999 game, a 26-12 UNR victory.

Robinson went into the locker room afterward and told his players they were done losing to the Wolf Pack.

"We were damn sure going to be ready from now on," Robinson said this week.

He followed through on his pledge, winning the next five meetings before retiring after the 2004 season.

UNLV longs for such success against its top rival. The Rebels (1-5, 1-0 Mountain West Conference) haven't beaten UNR since Robinson stepped aside, losing seven games in a row entering Saturday's noon meeting with the Wolf Pack (5-1, 2-0) at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Robinson personalized the rivalry, and his players fed off it.

"Are you asking me, did he build a hate for Reno?" Randy Black, who was a standout Rebels safety, asked while laughing. "Yeah, he built a hate. Remember, this guy's a legend, and we go to Reno his first year, and they're throwing batteries at him, too.

"Yeah, I think he grew a hate for Reno after that game. He really understood how serious it was. USC-UCLA may be a bigger game on a bigger stage, but the hatred for the two teams that play in Nevada is, I think, a lot bigger."

Kevin Thomas, the star cornerback who will be inducted into UNLV's Hall of Fame tonight, felt the enmity from UNR before Robinson's arrival.

He and his teammates were ready to make a statement in 2000. UNLV took confidence and momentum into that meeting at Sam Boyd, coming off a 34-13 victory over Air Force to improve to 2-2.

"We had high expectations for our team," Thomas said. "We thought we could've won the conference. That's how our confidence was."

UNLV dominated the Wolf Pack in that early October night, winning 38-7 to snap a five-game skid to UNR.

"I think we knew going into Reno week that we were going to win that game," Black said. "We played some really good teams and held our own. We just felt we were the better team than Reno that year, so we wanted to come out and prove it."

Someone in the stands gave Black a can of red spray paint, and he headed for the Fremont Cannon after victory was secured. He helped paint the cannon as fans celebrated around him.

The series clearly turned that night, and the Rebels were determined to assert themselves.

The following year when the game was played in Reno, Robinson and his players faced ugly treatment from the fans again - and did something about it.

UNLV led 20-12 late in the game, had the ball at UNR's 3-yard line and needed quarterback Jason Thomas only to take a knee. But he ran a sweep around the right end with eight seconds left for a touchdown, giving Wolf Pack fans something to think about after a 27-12 loss.

The message, though, apparently wasn't received. A UNR fan hit Robinson in the head with an empty plastic beer bottle two years later in Reno.

"I always thought winning up there was a lot of fun because we all got treated badly up there," Robinson said.

Robinson's final game against the Wolf Pack was a 48-13 rout in 2004 in Las Vegas. He said his memory is hazy on what made his teams so effective against UNR but added that it probably was as simple as having better players.

Those Rebels teams, though, also had confidence.

It's something the current team needs to re-create history and begin beating its main rival again.

"I think what they can learn from us is anything's possible," Kevin Thomas said. "I don't know their team personally, but I can tell you with our team, we always fought. We'd never give up. And we always knew we were going to win the game no matter what the spread was."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.