LAS VEGAS, Nev., — Dan Mullen joked that he is “two for two” in Laramie.
Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, that’s his career record on the sideline inside War Memorial Stadium. On Thursday morning, though, UNLV’s charismatic head coach wasn’t referring to wins, but weather delays.
As an assistant under Urban Meyer at Utah, the seventh-ranked team in the country and future No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith rolled into town for a nationally-televised tilt in front of a near capacity crowd. Just before kickoff on a bitterly frigid night on the high plains, the lights above the stadium suddenly went dark, causing an almost 100-minute “brownout.”
The Utes would eventually cruise to a 45-28 victory and their second consecutive Mountain West crown.
Mullen joked last July that the gloves he wore that night were so thick he couldn’t even signal in plays.
“Call whatever you want. It’s too cold,” the New Hampshire said he told Smith.
After answering a question Thursday about tough road trips to Hawaii and Dallas on back-to-back weeks, Mullen simply said, “The schedule is what the schedule is.”
It doesn’t seem to matter what time of the fall Mullen visits the Cowboy State, something crazy is bound to happen. History, he joked, tells him that.
Just before opening kick last October in Laramie, players and fans alike were told to leave the stadium and seek shelter. Lightning was crackling within a 10-mile radius. An official delay was announced on the jumbotron as rain began to steadily fall.
Once the warning was lifted, the visiting Rebels emerged from the locker room. What they saw next is still a debate.
“When we first came in it was nice sky, it was cool,” UNLV’s star running back Jai’Den Thomas said on Wednesday at Mountain West Media Days in Las Vegas. “Then, a second later, it just started snowing. It was crazy.”
The issue? That wasn’t snow. It was a freak hail storm, dropping roughly four inches of slushy ice all across Jonah Field.
“That was hail?” Thomas said. “I didn’t even know that.”
Neither did senior offensive lineman Austin Boyd.
“That was such an interesting game just because we came outside and it’s just caked in hail and slush — whatever it was. It was definitely a fun game.”
For the Rebels, yes.
Despite limiting UNLV’s explosive offense to just 255 yards, Wyoming allowed not one, but two blocked punts that were returned for touchdowns. That would be the difference in the 31-17 homecoming setback.
Thomas and Boyd weren’t the only players who thought they just won a hard-fought game in a blizzard. Defensive back Mumu Bin-Wahad, a Georgia native, said the storm was less surprising than the two special teams plays that led to the road win in adverse conditions.
The mindset at kickoff was to just get the job done, he added.
“No question, coach Mullen was really proud of us after that game,” said Bin-Wahad, who led the Rebel defense with seven tackles out of the secondary. “We’re also proud of each other, being able to go in there, lock arms and come out with a W in the inclement weather. That’s not easy to do, obviously not easy to do in Laramie with the altitude and the fans.
“It’s a hard place to play. It’s known to be a hard place to play. So, going up there and playing at a high level with my guys and getting a win — that’s a big deal. It’s not easy.”
Mullen said he knows the next time he takes his team to Wyoming, part of his pregame speech will revolve around two words: expect anything.
“I didn’t even know what that was,” he said with a slight head shake and a smile. “It was crazy. The field was covered in four inches of slush. Snow melts and it’s soft and it’s white. I mean, this was four inches of slush for the entire game.
“… Let’s watch the calendar. Whenever we go back, if I’m there and we go back, understand something weird is going to happen.”
The Cowboys and Rebels won’t have to worry about playing in any elements this fall when the two hook up Nov. 7 inside Allegiant Stadium.
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