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Rebels borrow play from VolsROBERT TURBEVILLEARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE LAS VEGAS -- Arkansas' 63-20 loss to Tennessee seemed to be a thing of the past after back-to-back victories over ranked teams to close the regular season, but the past came back to haunt the Razorbacks on Thursday. UNLV stole a play from the Volunteers' playbook and used it to beat Arkansas 31-14 in the Las Vegas Bowl. The play, a 54-yard touchdown pass from Jason Thomas to Troy Mason, gave UNLV a 21-14 lead with 2:20 left in the third quarter that it didn't relinquish. "We put that play in special for them this week," Thomas said. "We saw Tennessee do that to them, and knew we had it, too." UNLV lined up in a one-back set with two tight ends and two receivers, Mason and Nate Turner, lined up left, with Mason on the outside. It wasn't the ideal formation for a deep pass, and Arkansas looked confused. Both receivers ran about 10 yards straight downfield. Turner cut across Mason's face, drawing coverage, and Mason ran a post pattern downfield. He was wide-open. "We had talked about that all week. We knew they blitzed, and their corners don't cover downfield so well," Mason said. Realizing Arkansas was beat, rover Derrick Johnson raced downfield and caught up with Mason as he reached the end zone. Safety Ken Hamlin and cornerback Orlando Green were closing in, but they couldn't close quickly enough. Johnson had his back to the ball but raised his hands at the last minute and looked to have the play well-covered. Instead, the ball barely missed his fingertips and landed in Mason's hands for a touchdown that gave UNLV the momentum. "I kind of felt him on me, but I was focused on the ball all the way," Mason said. "It was a big brown spot, and it was coming real slow. ... I was focusing and praying all the way. And I got an early Christmas gift that changed the game." The play was Thomas' idea. UNLV Coach John Robinson wanted to run a hook, but Thomas said he knew he could beat Arkansas deep. That one play gave Thomas proof that UNLV will only get better. "This is a sign of things to come. We have a lot more in store, a lot bigger bowl games," he said. "This was an SEC team, and we came in and kicked their butts. No doubt about it, we kicked their butts." Thanks to another SEC team's playbook.
This article was published on Friday, December 22, 2000RETURN to main page
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