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PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Saturday, October 24, 1998 SMU will approach UNLV with caution By Jodie Valade The Dallas Morning News (KRT) DALLAS -- The cliches are firmly in place. The answers come quickly, as if rehearsed. Yes, UNLV is the best 0-7 team in the country. No question the Rebels are better than their record indicates. There's no doubt they are merely the victim of a tough schedule. And no way will Southern Methodist University overlook UNLV on Saturday. "If we've got any kids at SMU that stupid, I don't think they'll be in school very long," SMU Coach Mike Cavan said. "All we have to do is look at what happened last season with TCU when they were 0-10." What happened, of course, was Texas Christian University's only victory of the season, and the Mustangs remember that game all too clearly. Saturday at the Cotton Bowl, SMU has a chance for a second consecutive victory, the first time it has had back-to-back home games this year. What SMU faces in UNLV is a very similar team. UNLV has had its own quarterback problems since starter Jon Denton transferred before the start of the season. Three have rotated into the starting spot this season before the Rebels settled on senior Chad Reed two weeks ago. Reed averages 47.5 yards a game, completing 39 percent of his passes. Running back James Wofford is a threat; he had 184 yards last week -- the most by a UNLV player in three years -- in the Rebels' 28-25 overtime loss to Wyoming. SMU will bolster what has been a strong defense the last three games with a new face in the starting lineup: linebacker Vic Viloria. The freshman missed the first five games of the season with a fractured fibula suffered in a pre-season scrimmage. He was a possible starter before his injury, and now will start in one outside spot ahead of freshman Kevin Aldridge. Junior Jason Simonton will anchor the middle and senior Tyree Taylor will start in the other outside spot. "He's just a natural linebacker," Cavan said of Viloria. "He can play there, he has instincts, he knows how to get the football. It's amazing. He has those instincts." True freshmen starters for SMU this week include Viloria, Adam Walterscheid at placekicker and Josh McCown, securing his starting quarterback spot. That inexperience, coupled with SMU's 2-5 record, is one reason the Mustangs won't be overconfident playing winless UNLV. "We're not any world-beaters ourselves," Cavan said. "We've only got two wins. For us to say we're going to overlook somebody would be absolutely ludicrous." SMU will do its best to forget UNLV's record and its 24-game road losing streak that dates to 1994. "Who are we to judge another team by their record?" SMU running back Kelsey Adams said. "I mean, look at ours." X X X (c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News. Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/ Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.   Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

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