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

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

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

Although the Rebels are reaching heights that previous UNLV football teams have never reached, you wouldn’t know it when you listen 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.

After UNLV’s 45-27 win in Reno last season, the cannon is painted red, and the team wants to keep it that way.

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

“We’re going to protect (the cannon) with our lives, man,” De Jesus said. “We know that it will be a difficult game, as always. It’s a rivalry. We know they can do it, but we have to make it harder.”

“Instinctual aversion”

The feud between UNR and UNLV dates 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, as it was introduced in 1970 for a 42-30 UNLV win.

The rivalry had already grown to over-the-top intensity in 2000 when former UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas transferred from USC, following then-UNLV coach John Robinson.

Thomas was under the impression that the USC-UCLA feud was the highlight of the crosstown competition. It didn’t take long for his perspective to change.

“The rivalry between UNR and UNLV is just more hateful. You can feel the deep-seated resentment,” Thomas told the Review-Journal.

The passion was on display when Thomas led the Rebels against UNR for the first time. The Wolfpack entered the game on a five-game winning streak against UNLV, but were defeated 38-7 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Thomas said he will never forget how the UNLV fans rushed the field afterward. He watched in shock as they picked up the cannon and dropped it, causing $1,500 in damage. The fans also tore down one of the goal posts.

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

Thomas never lost to UNR during his three-year tenure. During that span, he witnessed a number of incidents, from unsportsmanlike plays by UNR players on the field to Wolf Pack fans throwing objects 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 spent five days in jail.

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

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

“In (Southern California), the recruits we all grew up together were recruited by the same schools. Most people 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 hate your brother so much.

“Unlike the UNLV-UNR thing, there is this distance, a contrast in all things. Contrast in the cities, the people in the communities and the population structure. Everything is just different.”

“Red Defection Game”

The gap between UNLV and UNR continues to grow, a process that former UNLV and UNR coach Jeff Horton understands perhaps 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 to say it was a little controversial is probably an understatement,” Horton told the Review-Journal.

The following campaign in 1994, Horton pulled off what is now known as the Red Defection Game: UNLV’s 32-27 victory over UNR and Ault.

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

“We didn’t win enough after that,” Horton said. “But Coach Robinson did a great job of that, and that continues to this day.”

Horton’s teams went 6-39 in his final four seasons at 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 to UNLV’s first postseason appearance in six years. It wasn’t until the 2013 season that the Rebels made another bowl.

According to Horton, he never imagined the current CFP hype surrounding the program during his tenure. He and the 1994 team were honored in UNLV’s victory over Fresno State on September 28. Horton said the group enjoyed it and “embellished” the stories of their season as they aged.

But when it comes to Odom, Horton said he corrects anyone who says he did a good job – to make sure he did it “great.”

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

“I think every time you put a brick on the wall, you’re proud of it,” Thomas said. “At some point, when everything is finished, you know you worked on it.”

Contact Callie Fin at [email protected]. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.

Next

Who: UNR at UNLV

When: Saturday, 5 p.m

Where: Allegiant Stadium

TV: CBSSN

Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)

Line: UNLV -17½; total 55½