UNLV’s Cornett targets 1,600 rush yards

Junior Tim Cornett is on the verge of passing a milestone that hasn't been reached in eight years at UNLV, but that's not good enough for him.

He still hopes to reach his goal of 1,600 yards rushing, and could get there with a strong finish to the football season.

First Cornett needs only 65 yards to reach 1,000, which he has an excellent chance to do when the Rebels (1-8, 1-3 Mountain West Conference) play New Mexico (4-5, 1-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

He would be the first UNLV runner to reach a grand since Dominique Dorsey rushed for 1,261 yards in 2004.

"It would mean a lot," Cornett said. "You've got to start somewhere, and these last two seasons, I didn't have 1,000."

To get to his main goal of 1,600, Cornett needs to average 166.3 yards in the final four games.

That means he needs to greatly increase his production from his 103.9 average.

The opportunity exists because the Rebels face four teams that give up a combined 201.5 yards per game. Three rank in the bottom 20 nationally.

"I feel like I can still get to that goal," Cornett said.

Cornett also set 2,000 all-purpose yards as a goal, but his chances of reaching that mark are virtually nil. He leads UNLV with a 115.1-yard average, and would need to increase it to 241 in the final four games.

That would be especially hard to pull off because he no longer returns kicks.

UNLV needs Cornett at running back, where next season he could do what once seemed unthinkable and unseat Mike Thomas as the school's career leader.

Cornett has rushed for 2,152 yards, which is fifth in UNLV history and well within striking distance of Thomas' 3,149. Thomas, though, pulled off that feat in two seasons, 1973 and 1974.

Regardless, it would be a sensational accomplishment for Cornett.

"He gets better all the time," coach Bobby Hauck said. "He's played better in recent weeks than he has at any time in his career."

■ NOT TOP FRONT-RUNNERS - UNLV was made a 4-point favorite over New Mexico, which isn't necessarily good news for the Rebels.

They have lost three consecutive games as favorites: Northern Arizona this season and Southern Utah and New Mexico last year.

Hauck, who is in his third season, is 1-3 as a favorite. The Rebels defeated New Mexico 45-10 in 2010.

UNLV, however, is doing well against the point spread. The Rebels have won four in a row against the spread and are 7-2 for the season.

■ ON THE OTHER SIDE - New Mexico outside linebackers and special teams coach Coleman Hutzler is from Las Vegas, and attended The Meadows.

He was part of The Meadows' fifth consecutive Class 2A title in 2002.

Hutzler then went on to play linebacker at Middlebury (Vt.) College before embarking on a coaching career that took him to San Diego, Stanford, Florida and now New Mexico.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.