Followers of UNM football might remember the University of Nevada at Las Vegas' win over the Lobos last year, which crushed the team's postseason hopes.
UNM went to Las Vegas carrying a 5-5 record and with its bowl hopes still alive, while the Rebels were 4-5 and also still in bowl contention. For most of the game it looked as though the Lobos would triumph, holding a 14-11 advantage going into the final three minutes of the game. But Rebel quarterback Jason Thomas drove the team 67 yards before finding Nate Turner in the end zone with just 18 seconds to play to effectively end the Lobos' shot at a postseason berth.
One year later the tables have turned with the Lobos (4-4, 3-2 in the Mountain West Conference) now in the driver's seat after last week's 20-15 victory over San Diego State University and the Rebels (3-6, 2-3) playing only for pride.
"They're coming in here with nothing to lose except to have a good time and play football," head coach Rocky Long said. "In fact, I'd rather both of us be playing for something."
Thomas, a junior, was part of the reason that many football publications reasoned that UNLV would finish near the top of the Mountain West this year, including Sports Illustrated, which forecast a first place finish. Thomas was named preseason Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, but he has had a less-than-stellar season.
He ranks fifth in the conference in passing yardage and the Rebel offense is in the same spot.
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With the team in sixth place overall and with no hope of a bowl game, Long said the preseason prognostications may have been a little too much for Thomas and the Rebels to live up to.
"I don't think they handled the pressure very well, that's why their record is like it is," Long said. "But they have no pressure anymore and they have a coach who's been in this situation before and knows how to handle it."
Long said Thomas still presents problems for the UNM defense.
"He hasn't thrown the ball very well in most games," Long said. "Last year, when we played them, he didn't throw the ball very well for three quarters and then all of a sudden in the fourth quarter, he couldn't miss a guy. So, the talent is there and it can come out at any time. And it would be nice if he'd wait one week."
Meanwhile, the Lobos are 3-1 in their last four games, all with sophomore quarterback Casey Kelly at the helm, and must win at least two of their next three to be bowl eligible.
Long said that Kelly and the offensive line were confused by San Diego State's defense and that he hopes Kelly can rebound with a better performance than the 12-of-32 passing output he had last week.
"I wasn't real impressed with how we played against San Diego State," Long said. "I thought the defense played extremely well most of the game and I thought the offense struggled most of the game. Casey better be able to handle it a lot better this week than he did last week."
And even with all the uncertainty still surrounding the Lobos' bowl hopes, Long was willing to discuss UNM's postseason prospects.
"If we win all three we're in for sure," Long said. "The asterisk is, we have to win them. There were a lot of times last Saturday that I thought we were screwing up our chances. And I imagine this week's game will be the same way when I'm standing on the sidelines in the third and fourth quarter, because they're a talented team and it's going to be real close."
Game time is set for 6:07 p.m. at University Stadium. KRQE-TV will provide television coverage while 770 KOB-AM will provide radio coverage.
