Titans Self Destruct Again; Lose to UNLV : Football: Special-team blunders and Las Vegas’ big plays put Cal State Fullerton in a hole early as Rebels roll to 29-10 victory.

LAS VEGAS —  To get a feel for the futility Cal State Fullerton felt in Saturday night’s 29-10 loss to Nevada Las Vegas, one only had to listen to Titan assistant coaches. From their booth next to the press box, they spewed a stream of vulgarities that might make Andrew Dice Clay blush.

The same problems that have plagued Fullerton throughout this disappointing season--untimely turnovers, special-teams mistakes and a vulnerability to the big play--hurt the Titans again Saturday night, and that gave the Fullerton assistants plenty to shout about.

A crowd of 13,791 in the Silver Bowl saw the Rebels (3-3, 2-1 in the Big West Conference) build a 23-3 halftime lead and hold off the Titans (1-5, 0-2) in the second half.

Well, that might not be totally accurate. It was more a case of the Titans holding off themselves.

Trailing, 23-10, early in the fourth quarter, Fullerton drove from its 44-yard line to the Rebel 20, where Titan quarterback Paul Schulte hit Richard Harrison with a pass over the middle.

Harrison appeared headed for the end zone on the play but ran into his own teammate, lineman Tim Drevno, at the four-yard line and fell.

On the next play, Schulte fumbled the snap--he fumbled away two snaps inside the Fresno State 12-yard line in last week’s 38-3 loss--and UNLV’s Jody Reinoehl recovered, ending the Titan threat with 9:56 remaining in the game.

It was Fullerton’s only turnover of the game--a vast improvement over the last three games, in which the Titans had turned the ball over 16 times--but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Fullerton, which pulled to within 23-10 on Schulte’s five-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Celestine late in the third quarter, never mounted another scoring threat.

“We had the momentum at that point, but we seem to have some difficulty with the rudiments of the game,” Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said. “Our communication between the quarterback and the center . . . I don’t know, they don’t know. They’re both to blame.”

UNLV put the game well out of reach on Hunkie Cooper’s 12-yard touchdown run with 1:41 left in the fourth quarter. That capped an outstanding, all-around effort by Cooper, who entered the game ranked seventh in the nation in all-purpose yards per game (163.8).

Cooper, who saw action at flanker, running back and quarterback, rushed for 89 yards in 13 carries and scored two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 83 yards and returned two punts for 42 yards. Whenever the Rebels needed a big play, it seemed the fleet-footed Cooper would burn the Titans for a long gain.

“His feet are as quick as any player we’ve seen this year,” Murphy said. “UNLV has excellent, skilled players and athletes. They’re always in the game because they can make big plays.”

The game actually started out well for Fullerton when Phil Nevin kicked a 54-yard field to give the Titans a 3-0 lead with 6:48 remaining in the first quarter.

It was the second-longest field goal in Fullerton history, just behind Juan Carrillo’s 57-yarder against Northern Arizona in 1977, and the second 54-yard field goal of Nevin’s career.

But the first half quickly deteriorated into a special-teams nightmare for the Titans, who botched a fake punt attempt and bobbled a punt attempt and found themselves trailing, 23-3, at halftime.

After UNLV went ahead, 7-3, on Teddy James’ 20-yard touchdown run with 4:39 left in the first quarter, Nevin went back in punt formation from the Fullerton 34 on the Titans’ next possession.

Nevin, who played quarterback at El Dorado High School, looked to pass but found no one open. Nevin then found himself face first in the Silver Bowl turf, sacked by Raymond Walters at the 20-yard line.

Murphy said afterward that the Titans had taken the fake off with an audible at the line, but Nevin didn’t hear the call.

“He was supposed to punt,” Murphy said.

It took the Rebels just two plays to reach the end zone, with Cooper, who was subbing for Derek Stott, running 18 yards on a quarterback keeper for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter.

Las Vegas then held the Titans on three downs, forcing a punt. This time Rory Ewing’s snap was low and Nevin bobbled the ball. He was tackled by Walters at the Fullerton 19-yard line before he could get the punt off. The Rebels capitalized with Todd Amrein’s 39-yard field goal to make it 17-3 with 13:52 to go in the half.

“Our special teams gave up 10 points and that put us in a hole,” Murphy said.

Later in the second quarter, Las Vegas drove 80 yards in 15 plays, Derek Black scoring on a one-yard run, to take a 23-3 lead with 4:06 remaining in the half.

Schulte finished the night completing 20 of 38 passes for 178 yards, and Titan running back Reggie Yarbrough added 114 yards in 29 carries. Keenan McCardell caught five passes for 93 yards for UNLV, and Harrison had seven receptions for 65 yards for Fullerton.

Titan Notes

Fullerton pays its monthly homage to Santa Ana Stadium next Saturday when the Titans, who have played five consecutive road games, play host to University of the Pacific at 1 p.m. It will be Fullerton’s homecoming game and the second of just three home games this season. The Titans won’t play at home again until Nov. 10 against Utah State. . . . Fullerton receiver Greg West, who received a one-game suspension for disciplinary reasons, did not make the trip to Las Vegas. West, a junior from El Camino College, had caught four passes for 92 yards entering Saturday night’s game. . . . UNLV first-year Coach Jim Strong’s program was in such dire straights last spring that he took out an advertisement in the school newspaper soliciting players. Strong had only 55 players out for spring practice, and of the 85 Rebels on the 1990 roster, about 25 are walk-ons.