‘When he kicked it, it sounded like a bomb went off.’

On the same day I wrote about Bishop Gorman product Derek Ng setting a Holy Cross school record with a 51-yard field goal against Lehigh, a highlight package announcing Jason Hanson’s upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame fluttered end over end into my email box.

This would be the same Jason Hanson who booted a 62-yard field goal in Washington State’s 41-13 victory over UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium in 1991. At the time, it was the longest field goal in NCAA history without a tee and stands as the Pac-12 and Sam Boyd record to this day.

“When he kicked it, it sounded like a bomb went off,” said College of Southern Nevada baseball coach Nick Garritano, who was the Rebels’ kicker on the night Hanson launched the missile.

Until the 7:05 mark of the fourth quarter when WSU coach Mike Price ordered a delay of game penalty so Hanson could take a shot at the record, what I mostly recall about that game was that Drew Bledsoe was Wazzu’s quarterback.

Garritano remembers shaking hands with Hanson, who made 495 field goals in the NFL, all for the Detroit Lions.

“I said ‘Good luck in the NFL, that was a helluva kick.’ And I’ll always remember what he said: ‘Way to punt the ball, kid,’ ” Garritano said. Brian Parvin, UNLV’s All-America punter, had pulled a hamstring in the game, forcing Garritano to perform emergency duties.

Garritano said he received a preview of what was to come during pregame warmups.

“I remember kicking 40- and 45-yarders, thinking I’m cool and all that. All of a sudden I see this ball fly over my head — what the hell was that? I turn around, and Hanson’s kicking 70-yard field goals. There wasn’t enough field on his side so he had to kick over us.

“It was unbelievable.”

Around the horn

■ Garritano was a pretty good kicker in his own right, having booted two 54-yard field goals for the Rebels in 1994. But he is proving to be a better baseball coach. He recorded his 700th victory earlier this season, and despite dropping both ends of a doubleheader Friday to Salt Lake Community College and battling some key injuries, CSN began Saturday 26-8 and ranked No. 10 in the nation.

■ Colleague Ed Graney’s Saturday column on Gonzaga’s pursuit of NCAA basketball perfection recalls a chance meeting with former UNLV court general Greg Anthony and ex-Houston Cougars skywalker Clyde Drexler at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

The 1991 Rebels and 1983 Cougars are considered two of the greatest teams not to have cut down the nets, and both were asked who would have won had they met in fantasyland.

“As good as they were, we win because we had the big man,” Drexler said of Hakeem Olajuwon.

Countered Anthony: “They were a phenomenal team, but we would have won because of our ability to press the perimeter. You saw it happen (in Houston’s NCAA championship game vs. North Carolina State). Their guard play wasn’t as good as the rest of their team.”

■ The rules for covering UNLV spring football practice are more stringent than “no shirts, no shoes, no dice” at the All-American Burger in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”

Per the news release (and in addition to the usual COVID safeguards): Practices are closed to the public; practices are open to media but only for 35 minutes; filming is allowed only with an official escort; camera tripods are not allowed on the artificial surface … etc.

This is a program that went winless last year and has had just four winning seasons in the past 34 but acts as if it is Alabama.

0:01

Nick Garritano, about former San Jose State kicking rival Joe Nedney’s lack of prognostication skills, after Garritano booted three field goals, including a 54-yarder, for the Rebels in 1994.

“He said ‘Good luck in the league, man, you deserve it.’ He kicked 15 years in the NFL. I became a P.E. teacher.”

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.