2009 UNLV Rebels football team The 2009 UNLV Rebels football team was the 42nd varsity football team to represent the University of Nevada , Las Vegas . The Rebels play in the Mountain West Conference , and compete each season against the remaining eight members of the conference and one permanent interstate rival : UNR . In 2009 , UNLV also played non - conference games at home against Sacramento State , Oregon State and Hawai ' i . Mike Sanford entered his fifth and final season as UNLV ' s head coach and the Rebels played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium in East Las Vegas , Nevada In November , head coach Mike Sanford was fired after five losing seasons , a 16 - 43 record and no bowl appearances . He won his last game as head coach against San Diego State on November 28 , 2009 , 28 - 24 , with a fourth quarter comeback . Pre - season . At the 2009 Mountain West Conference Media Day in Las Vegas , the Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the conference , the highest preseason ranking since the Rebels were picked to finish tied for fifth with BYU in 2004 . ESPN NFL analyst Mel Kiper , Jr . named the Rebels , along with Miami ( FL ) , California and SMU , as one of his sleepers that could make " national noise " in 2009 . Kiper stated : " If Omar Clayton , their quarterback , can stay healthy and get the ball to Ryan Wolfe , UNLV , I think , can go bowling for the first time in a long time and be a factor in the Mountain West Conference . " Paul Myerberg of the New York Times ranked UNLV in the 84th position in their preseason Quad Countdown , in front of Ball State and behind UTEP . The ranking was an improvement of 27 spots from their 2008 preseason ranking of 111th . Myerberg predicted that the Rebels would go 6 - 6 and earn their first bowl birth since their 2000 Las Vegas Bowl victory against Arkansas . Junior quarterback Omar Clayton received much praise during the preseason including that from the New York Times and Mel Kiper , Jr . and was named as one of the favorites to be named the conference ' s Offensive Player of the Year by Bleacher Report ' s Mountain West Conference writer . Senior wide receiver Ryan Wolfe was named as one of the best non - BCS receivers in the country by the New York Times and was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list during the preseason . Wolfe enters the season only 50 receptions and 900 yards away from breaking the conference ' s career receptions and receiving yards records . Wolfe and senior linebacker Jason Beauchamp were both named to the All - MWC preseason team . On July 3 , 2009 , sophomore linebacker Bryce Saldi suffered severe injuries following a skateboarding accident while in southern California . Saldi was placed in the intensive care unit at Loma Linda University Medical Center . There has been no word on a timetable for Saldi ' s return . Key Losses . The following are some of the key players who will be no longer eligible to play in the 2009 season : Offense : Defense : Schedule . Sources : Game notes . Sacramento State . UNLV opened their season as a 22 - point favorite against FCS squad Sacramento State from the Big Sky Conference . Both teams ' passing games were hampered by the 32 mph wind gusts that were recorded around the stadium . UNLV took a 10 – 3 lead into halftime after a one - yard touchdown run by junior runningback Channing Trotter and a 39 yard field goal by senior kicker Kyle Watson gave UNLV the 10 – 0 lead after the first quarter . Sacramento State would get their only points of the game on a 44 yard field goal by Hornets ' kicker Chris Diniz In the second half , the Rebels would explode on offense , starting with another 1 yard touchdown run by Trotter late in the third quarter . Trotter would score his third one yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to push the Rebels lead to 24 – 3 . The Rebels increased their lead mid - way through the fourth on a 55 - yard strike from senior quarterback Omar Clayton to senior wide receiver Rodelin Anthony . Clayton ' s backup , sophomore Mike Clausen , played the final minutes of the game and sealed the Rebels victory with a 4 yard touchdown run . The win against Sacramento State was their fourth straight opener .