Those who wondered how UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas would fare in his first game at Sam Boyd Stadium since getting booed off the field against New Mexico got their answer Saturday in a 49-48 overtime win over Wyoming.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior played arguably his best game since his 2000 Las Vegas Bowl MVP performance in a 31-14 upset of Arkansas.
"Whew! He had a big game. A really big game," said junior running back Larry Croom, who wasn't too shabby himself with 108 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. "If that doesn't put him back on the map, I don't know what will."
Thomas completed a career-high 20 of 25 passes for a career-high 329 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 58 yards and three more touchdowns, all in the first quarter. Perhaps more importantly, his timing and accuracy were the best they've been since his shoulder surgery in the summer of 2001.
"I just tried to play, man," Thomas said in a joyous Rebel locker room afterward. "I just tried to throw on good timing and make the plays. That's what we talked about all week. And it happened for us."
Boy, did it.
UNLV (4-5, 2-2) finished with 644 yards in total offense, the second highest total in school history. The Rebels, despite losing star offensive guard Tony Terrell to a sprained ankle on the second series of the game, still managed to rush for 313 yards led by Croom's 108-yard effort and a 101-yard outing by sophomore speedster Dominique Dorsey, who had a 73-yard touchdown run.
"Wow!" Thomas said when told that UNLV had surpassed the 600-yard mark in total offense. "It was a dream game. You get the running game going like that and it makes my job so much easier. It's a credit to our offensive line that they could do that, especially with Tony going down."
Granted, Wyoming isn't considered one of the nation's top defensive squads. But the Cowboys have played a strong schedule this season that included games at Tennessee (467 total yards) and Washington (549) as well as against the nation's No. 1 scoring team, Boise State (431). None came to close to matching UNLV's yardage output.
Thomas made a perfect 25-yard touchdown throw to fullback Steve Costa on UNLV's first play of overtime to set the stage for Dillon Pieffer's game-winning PAT.
"It was a perfect pass and a nice tight sprial," Costa said.
Costa, despite battling a nagging calf injury, caught five passes for 102 yards. It's believed to be the first time in Rebel history that a fullback has gone over the 100-yard mark in receiving yards.
And the Thomas-to-Costa connection marked the first ever overtime touchdown for UNLV in five OT games. In the Rebels' four previous OT games, they had managed a total of just one field goal in a 43-40 loss to Deuce McAlister-led Ole Miss in 2000.
"I've been a part of a lot of history here, good and bad," Thomas said. "It's nice to be a part of some good history like that."
"I heard some stuff (yelled at Thomas) before the game," Croom said. "I'm happy for him to come here at home and have a good game like that. Now maybe the fans can start jumping back on his bandwagon."
Jackson, who is Barrera's promoter and for many years headed Forum Boxing for Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, is UNLV's run game coordinator. He left with the Rebels ahead and seemingly in control of the game, 42-34.
However, Wyoming managed to put together a 86-yard, 13-play in the final 2:27 to send the game into overtime. Offensive coordinator Vince Alcalde took over full play-calling duties after Jackson's departure and made one call in overtime ... the 25-yard game-winning touchdown pass from Thomas to fullback Steve Costa.
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