Safety first is UH's mindset

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

UNLV safety Jamaal Brimmer returned a fumble 55 yards for a score against Wisconsin to earn national honors. Associated Press photos WHO: Hawai'i (1-1) at Nevada-Las Vegas (1-1) WHEN: Tomorrow, 3 p.m. WHERE: Sam Boyd Stadium RADIO: Live, 1420 AM TV: ESPN2

"He's a guy that really kills you," UH coach June Jones said. "He finds the football and really closes in. He's got real football speed. He looks like a legitimate NFL kind of safety."

Brimmer, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound redshirt junior, is someone the Warriors need to be aware of. The 2002 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year is capable of dominating a game. He earned MWC Player of the Week honors after last year's 24-3 win at Brigham Young, when he had eight solo tackles and caused two fumbles, returning one for a touchdown.

Then last weekend, he was picked as the MWC's Defensive Player of the Week and also named National Defensive Player of the Week by the Football Writers of America in the Rebels' 23-5 upset of then-No.14 Wisconsin at Madison. Brimmer registered 11 tackles, including two sacks, had two interceptions, forced one fumble and returned a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown.

"He's one of those safeties that have those instincts," UNLV coach John Robinson said in his weekly teleconference.

With the Warriors throwing often, that likely means more plays on the field for the Rebels. But that suits Brimmer just fine.

"It's going to be a long game because they'll be passing up and down, trying to put points up on the board," Brimmer said. "It will be fun and it will prepare us for our conference because we have a lot of teams that throw the ball, too."

But Brimmer is better known for honing in on ball carriers than picking passes out of the air. He led the MWC in tackles for losses last year with 17, led his team with 5.5 sacks and was third in the conference with three forced fumbles. He got his first collegiate interception against Wisconsin in his 26th career game.

"The interception was really fun," Brimmer said, when asked if getting a sack or making an interception felt better. "It was my first one, so I can't really compare."

They carried Jamaal Brimmer off the field after he amassed 11 tackles, including two sacks, and two interceptions against Wisconsin.

"I was just up and down," he said. "I was kind of not a sleeper, but not one of the top guys, as far as being recruited out of high school."

But UNLV went after him and moved him solely to defense.

"I was mainly a quarterback (in high school) because that's where my team needed me then," Brimmer said. "It didn't matter to me (not playing quarterback anymore), as long as I got a chance to play college football."

Of course, now there's the chance he could turn pro after this season, especially if he can repeat or improve on last year's performance. That decision won't come until after the season.

"It's something I hope will come and I'll make a decision if it does come around," Brimmer said. "But right now, I'm not really thinking about it."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8042