‘Hatred’ still there for UNLV’s 50th Battle for Fremont Cannon

Barry Odom didn’t need to say much about the importance of UNLV football’s game Saturday against UNR.

“We know what this game means,” the second-year coach said of the 50th iteration of the Battle for the Fremont Cannon.

It’s no secret that a win would clinch a spot in the Mountain West championship for the Rebels’ first back-to-back appearance in the title game in program history. It could even help UNLV earn a coveted College Football playoff bid.

Although the Rebels are nearing heights previous UNLV football teams never did, you wouldn’t know it from listening to them. On Monday, they emphasized their desire to keep the Fremont Cannon, college football’s largest and most expensive rivalry trophy, in Las Vegas.

The cannon is painted red after UNLV’s 45-27 victory in Reno last season, and the team wants it to stay that way.

Linebacker Jackson Woodard said the matchup will be “a war.” Punt returner Jacob De Jesus echoed the sentiment.

“We’re going to protect (the cannon) with our lives, man,” De Jesus said. “We know it’s going to be a tough game, as it always is. It’s a rivalry. We know they’re going to bring it, but we’ve got to bring it harder.”

‘Visceral dislike’

The feud between UNR and UNLV dates all the way back to 1969, when the Wolf Pack won the first matchup between the teams. But the Rebels were the first team to receive the cannon because it was introduced in 1970 for a 42-30 UNLV win.

The rivalry had already grown into something beyond intense by 2000, when former UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas transferred from USC, following then-UNLV coach John Robinson.

Thomas was under the impression that USC’s strife with UCLA was the peak of crosstown competition. It didn’t take long for his perspective to change.

“The UNR-UNLV rivalry just has more hatred to it. You can feel the visceral dislike,” Thomas told the Review-Journal.

The passion was on display when Thomas led the Rebels against UNR for the first time. The Wolf Pack entered the game with a five-game win streak over UNLV, only to be stunned 38-7 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Thomas said he’ll never forget how UNLV fans rushed the field afterward. He watched in shock as they picked up and dropped the cannon, causing $1,500 in damages. The fans also tore down one of the goalposts.

But his wake-up call about the reality of the rivalry didn’t hit until subsequent seasons.

Thomas never lost to UNR during his three-year tenure. In that span, he saw a series of incidents unfold, from what he described as unsportsmanlike plays on the field by UNR players, to Wolf Pack fans throwing items at UNLV.

Robinson was hit in the head when a fan threw a beer can at him during a win over UNR in 2003. The man was arrested and served five days in jail.

As recently as 2019, a brawl broke out on the field after the Rebels secured a 33-30 overtime victory in Reno.

Thomas said the UNLV-UNR rivalry remains so strong because of the separation between the schools on multiple levels.

“In (Southern California), the recruits we all kind of grew up together and were recruited by the same schools. Most of the guys who went to UCLA could have gone to USC, and vice versa. Our families were all in the same area,” he said. “So you can’t really have that much hate for your brother.

“As opposed to the UNLV-UNR thing, there’s that distance, a contrast in all things. Contrast in the towns, the people in the communities and the demographics. Everything is just different.”

‘Red Defection Game’

The gap between UNLV and UNR just keeps growing, a process former UNLV and UNR coach Jeff Horton arguably understands better than anyone.

Horton was selected to succeed legendary UNR coach Chris Ault but left the job after one season to join UNLV.

“I think saying it was a little controversial is probably understatement,” Horton told the Review-Journal.

The following campaign in 1994 saw Horton pull off what is now known as the “Red Defection Game,” UNLV’s 32-27 win over UNR and Ault.

The loss prevented the Wolf Pack from making a bowl appearance. UNLV went on to win the Las Vegas Bowl, and Horton was named conference coach of the year.

“Now, we didn’t win enough after that,” Horton said. “But Coach Robinson did a great job with it, and it’s continued to now.”

Horton’s teams went 6-39 in his final four seasons with UNLV before Thomas and Robinson ushered in another new era of improvement.

Thomas led the Rebels back to the Las Vegas Bowl in his debut season in 2000 for UNLV’s first postseason appearance in six years. The Rebels didn’t make another bowl until the 2013 season.

The current CFP buzz surrounding the program is something Horton said he never imagined during his tenure. He and the 1994 team were honored during UNLV’s win over Fresno State on Sept. 28. Horton said the group revelled in it, “embellishing” the stories of their season in their older age.

But when it comes to Odom, Horton said he corrects anyone that says he has done a good job — to make sure they say he’s done “great.”

Thomas and Horton will be in attendance for Saturday’s rivalry game.

“I think that every time you put a brick on the wall, you’re proud of it,” Thomas said. “Eventually, once it’s all done being built, you know you did some work on it.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.