UNLV faces Kansas, looks for 1st bowl victory since 2000

PHOENIX — Technically speaking, this won’t be Barry Odom’s first experience with the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

On Dec. 26, 1998, Odom, then a junior linebacker for Missouri, took the field in the Insight.com Bowl — an earlier iteration of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl — at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.

Odom helped the No. 23 Tigers win their first bowl game since 1981, beating West Virginia in a 34-31 shootout. His roommate, defensive tackle Jeff Marriott, was named defensive MVP after recording five tackles, a sack and blocking a field goal that Missouri returned for a touchdown.

“It was a great win,” Odom said. “It was exciting for a number of reasons, and now, the longer I’m in the business, I understand some of the things that went into it.”

Now, Odom stalks the sidelines as the UNLV coach instead of prowling the middle of the field as a hard-hitting linebacker. He’ll lead the Rebels (9-4) into the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday at Chase Field against Kansas (8-4) with one of the best memories of his playing days adding a little extra personal nostalgia.

“It means something to me to have a team here in this game as the head coach,” Odom said.

He wants to create a similar experience for his players. The Rebels haven’t appeared in a bowl game since the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1, 2014. Their last bowl win was the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl against Arkansas.

Many of the players on this UNLV roster haven’t experienced the pageantry and festivities that lead up to a bowl game. Odom hopes his players appreciate events such as the team’s community outreach event with local youth through the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Sunday.

Junior wide receiver Jacob De Jesus said the team has enjoyed the buildup to the game since it arrived Friday. He particularly liked the bacon-wrapped chicken at Brazilian Steakhouse Fogo de Chao, where the Rebels had a team dinner. De Jesus, who was playing junior college football this time a year ago, said he understands how special it is to reach a bowl in his first season at this level.

“I see why people want to come to a bowl game,” he said. “It’s awesome.”

De Jesus and the rest of the Rebels understand the task in front of them, bacon-wrapped meals aside.

UNLV is trying to avoid ending the season on a three-game losing streak. The Rebels’ positive campaign has hit roadblocks recently, as UNLV lost its regular-season finale to San Jose State 37-31. It was then run over by Boise State a week later in the Mountain West championship game, 44-20.

Kansas is a Power Five opponent with a high-powered offense that’s getting healthy. The Jayhawks were down to their third-string true freshman quarterback late in the season, but sixth-year QB Jason Bean, who led Kansas to five wins, including a 38-33 upset against No. 12 Oklahoma, is healthy again.

“The way we’re going to be able to win this game is to minimize mistakes,” De Jesus said.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.