Suspenseful Thriller of hunt and kill in the desert. Spoiler.

[Maria]

I was in middle school (early 90s) when this book was a reading assignment. I only remember the plot. Two men alone in the desert. One is a killer playing this hunting game. The other guy is the one being hunted. He stripped his clothes off and buried himself under the sand with only a straw. He buried himself in the sand using the straw for air. That' how he hid himself from the killer and that's how he was able to sneak up on the killer.

[Sirvantes]

Deathwatch by Robb White

[Kris]

Deathwatch by Robb White - Sirvantes's suggestion sounds like your book. Here's the Google Books preview:

https://books.google.com/books?id=yWp... There are different cover images.

One Goodreads reviewer says: "I remember the main character has to hide underground at one point and breathe through a straw."