Nevada-UNLV football: 50 things to know about the Silver State's biggest game

Duke Ritenhouse | Reno Gazette-Journal

On Saturday, Nevada and UNLV will mark their 50th anniversary as football rivals.

The teams first met on Nov. 22, 1969, in Reno, a day that ended with a Wolf Pack win. Since then, Nevada has tacked on 25 more wins in the series, which it leads, 26-18.

Now, 50 years and roughly one week later, the programs will meet again at Mackay Stadium. Here’s a look at the 50 biggest things to know [in brackets, like this] from the Silver State’s biggest sports rivalry:

The rivalry

Saturday’s game will represent the 50th anniversary of the first Nevada-UNLV game, which was played Nov. 22, 1969. [1]

That day ended with a 30-28 win for the Wolf Pack, which finished the season at 5-5 under first-year coach Jerry Scattini. [2] By the way, anyone looking to have some fun with UNLV fans of a certain age just needs to say, “The kick was good.” [3] More on that later.

Although it’s the 50th anniversary, Saturday’s game will be only the 45th between the teams, who did not play from 1980 to 1982, or in 1984, 1986, or 1988. [4] Nevada leads the series, 26-18, having won 11 of the last 14 meetings. [5]

The series has been streaky at times. The Pack won eight straight from 2005 through 2012; that followed the Rebels winning five straight from 2000 to 2004 (which, in turn, followed a five-game winning streak for Nevada). [6]

UNLV had the upper hand in the early days of the rivalry, winning eight of the first 12 meetings. [7] The series was last tied at 15 wins apiece after the 2004 game; since then, the Wolf Pack has gone on the 11-3 run mentioned above. [8].

No one can claim that either team has had an unfair homefield advantage, as there have been 22 games apiece held in Reno and Las Vegas. [9] Neither team has ever hosted two straight games in the series. [10]

Despite being Nevada’s only in-state rival, UNLV has not been the Pack’s most frequent opponent. Nevada has played UC Davis 54 times and Fresno State 51 times. [11]

The Fremont Cannon trophy

The Fremont Cannon — which used to actually fire — is one of the most unique trophies in all of sports. It is retained by whichever school wins the football game, painted in that’s school’s colors, then transported to the site of the game the following season.

The cannon is generally credited as being the largest [12] and most expensive [13] trophy for any college football rivalry game (it checks in at around 550 pounds). The teams’ 1969 game did not technically involve the cannon, which was the brainchild of Bill Ireland, UNLV’s first football coach. [14] It was ready for the 1970 game, though, a 42-30 win for the Rebels. [15]

The cannon is a replica of a weapon that explorer John C. Fremont was forced to abandon in the Sierra Nevada in the 1840s. [16]

In 2016, Sports Illustrated ranked the Fremont Cannon second on its list of “most unusual trophies,” behind only Paul Bunyon’s axe — but ahead of Floyd of Rosedale. [17]

The coaches

Not surprisingly, Chris Ault has the most wins in the series, going 16-6 against UNLV during his three stints as the Wolf Pack’s head coach. [18] That included the record-setting eight straight wins from 2005 through 2012. [19]

Nevada’s Jeff Tisdel was 4-0 against the Rebels, winning every season from 1996 through 1999. [20] Chris Tormey had the worst performance against UNLV, losing four straight rivalry games from 2000-2003. [21]

Jeff Horton, of course, is well-known to Wolf Pack fans as the only man to be the head coach on both sides of the rivalry. [22] He was 1-0 at Nevada (winning the 1993 game, 49-14), then 1-4 against the Pack while walking the UNLV sideline between 1994 and 1998. [23]

For the Rebels, John Robinson compiled the best coaching mark, going 5-1 from 1999 through 2004. [24] Mike Sanford had the most losses, losing all five games from 2005 to 2009. [25]

The current coaches both have .500 records in the series. Nevada’s Jay Norvell is 1-1; UNLV’s Tony Sanchez is 2-2. [26]

A history of games

Over the 50 years of the series, there’s been a number of great games — along with some moments that were less than inspiring. Here’s some of the highlights:

The debut game in 1969, amazingly, remains the closest ever played in the series. [27] The Pack’s 30-28 win wasn’t final until Nevada quarterback John Barnes hit a 33-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. [28] It was getting dark at the time — and in an era when Mackay Stadium hadn’t even dreamed of permanent lighting. Nevada fans have no doubt that the kick was good; UNLV fans claim that Barnes was wide, and that the ball is likely still in flight somewhere, fated to never go between the goalposts.

In 2009, Las Vegas native Mike Ball had a career day for Nevada. He rushed for five touchdowns on just 15 carries, leading the Pack to a 63-28 blowout win. [29] The 63 points remains the most scored by either team. [30]

The 1976 game was a reversal of the hometown hero-turns-villain scenario. UNLV’s Glenn Carano, a Wooster product, took part in six touchdown plays for the Rebels, who won, 49-33. [31]

Things not meant to be thrown were thrown in the 1995 and 2003 games. [32] In the first one, UNLV’s Quincy Sanders — a former Reed player — was seen chucking his helmet in the general direction of Nevada coach Chris Ault. [33] In the second game, Rebels coach John Robinson reported being hit with a beer bottle thrown from the stands. [34] For the record, Nevada won the 1995 game (55-32), while UNLV won the 2003 edition (16-12). [35]

Wolf Pack fans were seeing red — relax, it’s a joke — in 1994, when former Nevada coach Jeff Horton became the head guy at UNLV. [36] All the angst didn’t amount to much, as the Rebels took a 32-27 win. [37]

Last season’s game saw the Rebels enter the record books with the biggest comeback in program history. [38] Nevada led by as much as 23-0 in the second quarter before UNLV roared back for a 34-29 win. [39] Wolf Pack coach Jay Norvell made his non-seniors watch while the Rebels took the Fremont Cannon from the Nevada sideline and paraded it around the field.

Nevada’s biggest margin of victory came in 1991 and 2008 (42 points each time); [40] UNLV’s biggest win came in 1975 (38 points). [41] There has been only one shutout in the 44 games, with the Pack winning, 37-0, in 2011. [42]

The 2019 game

Saturday’s Nov. 30 date will be the latest in the year the teams have ever played (Nov. 29, 2014 is the former record). [43] Despite being a rivalry game, the teams have not often met toward the end of the season. The 44 games to date have been played nine times in September, 19 times in October, and 16 in November. [44]

Nevada lists nine players on its roster from the Las Vegas area (Crishaun Lappin, Jordan Lee, Maliek Broady, Russell Booze, Austin Arnold, JoJuan Claiborne, Kameron Toomer, Anthony Allen, and Amir Johnson) [45]; UNLV does not list any Northern Nevada players on its latest roster. [46] Also, Nevada secondary coach David Lockwood coached at UNLV in 2017. [47]

The Wolf Pack will honor 17 seniors prior to the game. [48] Nevada head coach Jay Norvell is 7-3 in games played in November. [49]

Finally, Nevada has one more game; it is headed for the 17th bowl game in program history. Nevada-Las Vegas will finish its 15th losing record in the last 16 seasons. [50]

Wolf Pack football

Who: UNLV (3-8, 1-6) at Nevada (7-4, 4-3)

When: Saturday, noon

Where: Mackay Stadium (27,000)

TV: AT&T SportsNet

Radio: 94.5 FM (John Ramey, Mike Edwards)

Line: Nevada by 7; total of 52

Series: Nevada leads 26-18

Last time: UNLV 34, Nevada 29 (2018)

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