Desperate times today for Rebels, winless Rams

UNLV football coach Mike Sanford was right when he called both winless Colorado State and his two-win Rebels "desperate."

But maybe UNLV should be the more desperate squad when it faces Colorado State at 6 p.m. today at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Another loss certainly wouldn’t harm the Rams’ season. Colorado State (0-6, 0-3 Mountain West Conference) is mired in a 13-game skid — the second longest in the nation behind Florida International’s 18-game streak — and coach Sonny Lubick’s decision whether to retire at season’s end will hinge on matters far more important than today’s game.

Whether the 70-year-old coach comes back or not, the Rams figure to face major rebuilding.

UNLV’s program has more pieces in place, and its youth movement offers more hope for the foreseeable future. The Rebels (2-5, 1-2) are building, not rebuilding, and a loss could upset that effort.

So despite UNLV’s record, it has more at stake than simply trying to salvage something out of this season.

It is important for a fledgling program to win the games it’s supposed to, and the Rebels are favored today, by 21/2 points, for the first time since their season-opening 23-16 victory over Utah State.

"We need to beat Colorado State," defensive tackle Malo Taumua said.

That’s especially true after three consecutive difficult losses. A victory would not only buck that streak but show fans the program — 6-24 in three two-win seasons under Sanford — is on the right track.

UNLV athletic director Mike Hamrick stuck to his policy of not publicly evaluating coaches, but his preseason comments indicate Sanford will be back in 2008.

"We just can’t keep turning over coaches," Hamrick said over the summer. "It does set you back. The wins and losses haven’t shown yet, and they will. Maybe not this year, but they eventually will. But the program is getting better."

There is plenty of evidence to back up that claim. The Rebels have been competitive in every game but a 35-point loss to Hawaii. They have played 26 first-year players, and six freshmen have started.

Maybe because this is a team still growing up, Sanford refused to call this a make-or-break game.

"I don’t see it that way," Sanford said. "I see it as a very important game against a very good opponent regardless of what’s happened recently."

Even if this game does not carry long-term implications, there are short-term ones.

The Rebels’ easiest remaining opponents are Colorado State and San Diego State, and the Aztecs already have beaten the Rams. If the Rebels can’t be Colorado State, who can they beat?

"One of the things we’re trying to get across is don’t play up or down to any opponent," Sanford said. "Our deal is just put the ball down and play. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It doesn’t matter where we’re playing. Just play, and play at your top ability."

And, no matter the level of competition, UNLV sorely needs a victory right now — even worse than the Rams do.

"It’s real important," linebacker Starr Fuimaono said. "If we do good, it could give us a confidence booster into the rest of the season.

"We really need a win right now. We just need to get something going."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2914.