The Rebels played like a team in focus in their 33-22 win against Hawai'i last night at Sam Boyd Stadium. Thanks in part to a defense that got three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

"We wanted to prove to ourselves that we could win two games in a row," UNLV cornerback Ruschard Dodd-Masters said. "We won our first game and came back a little flat against Kansas."

He added the Rebels had to be up for the game, knowing that some 10,000 of the 34,287 in attendance were Warriors fans and that UH is trumpeting quarterback Tim Chang as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

"We knew that Hawai'i was traveling with so many fans and they were coming in with a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback in Timmy Chang, who was slinging the ball everywhere," Dodd-Masters said. "My hat goes off to Timmy."

The Rebels' defense impressed by keeping UH's run-and-shoot to 22 points, even though Chang completed 37 of 61 passes in the process. Except for one broken coverage that allowed Britton Komine to get wide open in the end zone on a 38-yard TD pass in the first quarter, the Rebels pretty much curtailed the big play with their speed.

"We tried to get to the ball and try to hit' em and getting into good spots," said UNLV strong safety Jamaal Brimmer, who had an interception and forced fumble.

Dodd-Masters said the Rebels used their speed to close in on UH receivers after they made catches. That also enabled him to cause two fumbles. He also led the team with 10 tackles, all unassisted.

"We were just trying to play fast and hopefully, when you play fast, good things happen for us," Dodd-Masters said. "From playing fast, I got two turnovers and my teammates were able to recover."

The Rebels showed a zone and when a UH receiver went deep, they switched to man-to-man. But UH receiver Jeremiah Cockheran, who had five catches for 35 yards after a 10-catch, 117-yard performance at USC a week ago, said UNLV's coverage isn't what hurt the Warriors.

"We had to execute and make the plays," he said. "They didn't really do anything to stop us. We just turned over the ball and we shouldn't have."

UNLV coach John Robinson was pleased with his defense's performance.

"We knew we would need to have nerve against them," he said. "You're really not going to sack their guy (Chang)."

Chang was sacked twice.

Meanwhile, the Rebels see their performance against a passing team like UH as a confidence-booster heading into Mountain West Conference play. The MWC also has a number of passing teams.

"That's really big for us coming together against a passing team to last year where we weren't that great against the pass," said Brimmer, the reigning national defensive player of the week. "It's exciting that we can have confidence in that we can believe in our coverage."