1974 UNLV Rebels football team

1974 UNLV Rebels football
1974 UNLV Rebels football
Grantland Rice Bowl, L 11–49 vs. Delaware
Conference	Independent
Record	12–1
Head coach	Ron Meyer (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Larry Kennan (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Steve Sidwell (1st season)
Captains	Scott Orr, DT; Mike Thomas, RB; Mike Whitemaine, DE; Terryl Thomas, OG ;
Home stadium	Las Vegas Stadium
	Seasons ← 1973 1975 →

The 1974 UNLV Rebels football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as an independent during the 1974 NCAA Division II football season. In their second year under head coach Ron Meyer, the Rebels won all eleven games in the regular season and were invited to the eight-team Division II playoffs. They advanced to the semifinals (Grantland Rice Bowl),^[2]^[3] and ended the year with a 12–1 record.^[4]

1974 NCAA Division II independents football records
v t e	Conf			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 1 Central Michigan ^		–		12	–	1	–	0
No. 6 UNLV ^		–		12	–	1	–	0
No. 4 Delaware ^		–		12	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Western Carolina ^		–		9	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Tennessee State		–		8	–	2	–	0
No. 12 Youngstown State ^		–		8	–	2	–	0
Santa Clara		–		7	–	3	–	0
Wayne State (MI)		–		7	–	3	–	0
Kentucky State		–		6	–	4	–	0
Northeastern		–		6	–	4	–	0
Central State (OH)		–		6	–	5	–	0
Akron		–		5	–	5	–	0
Indiana State		–		5	–	5	–	0
Nevada		–		5	–	6	–	0
Portland State		–		5	–	6	–	0
American International		–		4	–	5	–	0
Eastern Michigan		–		4	–	6	–	1
Milwaukee		–		4	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		4	–	6	–	0
Eastern Illinois		–		3	–	6	–	1
Arkansas–Pine Bluff		–		3	–	5	–	0
Chattanooga		–		4	–	7	–	0
Nebraska–Omaha		–		3	–	7	–	0
Bucknell		–		2	–	8	–	0
Northern Michigan		–		0	–	10	–	0

^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant Rankings from AP small college poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 14	at Weber State		Wildcat Stadium Ogden, UT	W 28–10	11,013
September 21	at Northern Arizona	No. 10	Lumberjack Stadium Flagstaff, AZ	W 31–14	7,800
September 28	Montana	No. 7	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 20–17	11,524	^[1]
October 5	Santa Clara	No. 8	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 51–19	11,112
October 12	Prairie View A&M	No. 6	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 63–28	8,915	^[5]
October 19	No. 4 Boise State	No. 5	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 37–35	18,631	^[6]
October 26	Hawaii	No. 3	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 33–8	15,418
November 2	New Mexico Highlands	No. 2	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 52–14	5,587
November 9	South Dakota State	No. 2	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 24–21	9,672
November 16	Nevada	No. 2	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV (rivalry)	W 28–7	17,119–17,200	^[7]
November 23	Idaho State	No. 2	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV	W 31–7	8,654
November 30	No. 12 Alcorn State	No. 2	Las Vegas Stadium Whitney, NV (NCAA Division II Quarterfinal)	W 35–22	12,689	^[2]
December 7	vs. No. 3 Delaware	No. 2	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (NCAA Division II Semifinal–Grantland Rice Bowl)	L 11–49	10,000	^[3]^[8]
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game