LIVE GAME BLOG: Rebel defense can’t hold late as Rams escape with 41-28 win

By Ryan Greene (contact)

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008 | 2:14 p.m.

Final, CSU wins 41-28

Fort Collins, Colo. -- As predicted, Gartrell Johnson got plenty of work on the Rams' final drive to cap off a huge day. And despite what looked like a potentially costly personal foul against lineman Dane Stratton, the Rams did just what the wanted to - milk off the final 6:05 and get a shot at a game-winning field goal.

But they didn't need that shot. Johnson's third touchdown run of the game came from 10 yards out with just nine seconds left to play, and CSU dropped UNLV to 3-3 on the season by a final score of 41-28. The final score came on a fumble return off the Rebels' failed attempt to lateral the ball into open space on the game's last play.

The Rams' final drive went 80 yards on 12 plays, highlighted by a diving 30-yard catch by tight end Kory Sperry at midfield. Johnson did the rest, with his final score ending his day with 191 yards and the trio of scores on 33 hard runs. For good measure, he added the two-point conversion on his final touchdown, running straight to the left pylon.

Omar Clayton was huge for the Rebels in the second half, helping erase a 13-point deficit with both his feet and his arm. The final strike came on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jerriman Robinson with 6:05 to play. That put UNLV up 28-27.

Clayton was solid again numbers-wise, finishing with 173 yards on 14-of-26 efficiency with two TD passes and one interception. Frank Summers re-established himself on the ground for the Rebels, going for 109 yards and a score on 20 carries.

Billy Farris, the CSU quarterback whose job was thought to be in jeopardy after last week's debacle at Cal, went 15-of-21 for 294 yards and a score. Rashaun Greer, a Mojave High grad, had eight catches for 211 yards and a TD for the Rams.

UNLV's season now hits a crucial juncture, as they'll have two weeks to stew over this one before taking on Air Force at Sam Boyd Stadium in two weeks.

For more on Saturday's game, stay tuned to www.lasvegassun.com/rebels for stories, video, photos, stats and reaction from Fort Collins.

6:05 fourth quarter, UNLV leads 28-27

Fort Collins, Colo. -- If you need any further proof that Omar Clayton is unfazed by road atmospheres, you obviously have your T.V. and radio switched off.

Clayton just engineered a 95-yard drive, involving completions of 23 (to Flair), 32 (to Payne) and 21 (to Robinson) yards. The flip to Jerriman Robinson, on a roll to the right after eluding Jeff Horinek's blitz off the weak side, gave the freshman receiver his first career touchdown and put UNLV back on top, 28-27 with 6:05 to go.

Frank Summers was also key on the drive, with a big four-yard gainer deep in CSU territory after it appeared he was shut down for a loss. He stiff-armed two defenders and pushed forward.

And now it's all on the defense. One would think that given CSU's proficiency on the ground today, it'll be the Gartrell Johnson show for the next five minutes in an effort to line up a field goal. Lets wait and see.

8:27 fourth quarter, CSU leads 27-21

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Though Ronnie Paulo whiffed trying to make another huge hit on Gartrell Johnson, the UNLV's defense held strong and got the ball back via punt. On third-and-seven, Billy Farris was pressured and dumped the ball to Johnson, who was immediately dumped by Terrance Lee.

It should be pointed out that this stand was made without Geoffery Howard in the game. The senior defensive back hasn't played much in the second half, with an apparent ankle injury. Will Chandler has played pretty well in his place.

An illegal block in the back on the short punt return by Casey Flair gave UNLV possession at its own five-yard line with 8:15 to play.

Rubber, meet road.

The smart money would be on UNLV keeping with what's worked in the second half, and that's the perimeter run game. C.J. Cox was more than effective on the last drive, picking up 29 yards on two carries, and Frank Summers is getting better as the game progresses.

12:56 fourth quarter, CSU leads 27-21

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Frank Summers made it a bit dramatic on fourth-and-goal from the half-yard line, but following Ryan Worthen and Evan Marchal, he lunged forward and pulled UNLV back to within a score at 27-21.

He has 17 carries for 91 yards so far today, and continues to get stronger as the game goes.

I know it sounds like a tired phrase at this point, but, boy, is a defensive stop needed here for the UNLV defense. Otherwise, the last drive will be moot.

Ronnie Paulo started it off in the right way, by lifting and driving Gartrell Johnson into the ground to cap a short three-yard gain.

End of third quarter, CSU leads 27-14

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Just as teams have done to the Rebel defense in recent weeks, UNLV is now making CSU's defensive pay by running the ball on the perimeter.

Following CSU's long TD, UNLV has gone to the sweep play, with Frank Summers picking up 16 yards, and then speedy freshman C.J. Cox totaling 29 yards on two runs on the edge. Add in an 11-yard pass play from Omar Clayton to Casey Flair, and UNLV starts the fourth quarter with a first-and-goal situation from the eight-yard line.

And while there's been plenty to poke fun at in terms of the atmosphere here today at CSU, props to the dude running the PA system for playing Al Pacino's incredible speech from Any Given Sunday heading into the fourth quarter. And another fist bump for bleeping out the 'f' word. It's a family setting here.

2:22, third quarter, CSU leads 20-14

Fort Collins, Colo. -- For the second straight drive, Frank Summers was the catalyst with a huge gain right through the heart of the CSU defense. But for the second straight drive, the Rebels came up empty-handed.

Summers picked up 29 yards on a second-and-six give with CSU's defense loading up the secondary. That put the ball at the CSU 39, but the Rebels could only muster three more yards. Ryan Wolfe dropped a third down pass over the middle, and after UNLV used its second timeout of the drive, Ben Jaekle was wide on a 53-yard field goal attempt, despite having plenty of leg behind it.

If it seems like the clock is dripping away pretty fast, that's because it is. Just as Mike Sanford predicted, CSU has mixed its power run game in with plenty of shots downfield. And both have worn on the Rebels in quantity. The Rams capitalized on UNLV's missed opportunity with Billy Farris hitting a streaking Rashaun Greer down the right sideline for a 46-yard score. Greer has seven catches for 203 yards on the day.

This one's slipping away pretty quick from the Rebels, folks. A 13-point deficit combined with the way CSU's moving the ball will take quite the turnaround with just over a quarter to play.

7:11 third quarter, CSU leads 20-14

Fort Collins, Colo. -- UNLV was just a tad more lucky than good on its opening defensive stop out of the half. After an intentional grounding call on Billy Farris, CSU faced a third-and-15. Farris took a shot downfield to Ryan Gardner, who had a beat on two UNLV defenders, but the ball was just out of his reach in front of the end zone, and the drive was thwarted.

But UNLV didn't do much after a Frank Summers 18-yard run on third-and-two. Actually, they did less than not much. Omar Clayton's pass attempt on the next snap was tipped up at the line by Tommie Hill, who picked it off and rumbled back to the UNLV 24-yard line.

The Rebel defense held the line again, though, keeping the Rams to another Ben DeLine field goal, making it 20-14. UNLV is still just a score back, and badly needs to sustain a nice drive, and Omar Clayton still needs to find a rhythm of some sorts.

As for the UNLV defense individually, Jason Beauchamp, who was one shy of a school single-game record a week ago by racking up 21 tackles, has nine today, with eight of them being of the solo variety.

Halftime, CSU leads 17-14

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Well, it wasn't so much UNLV holding down the fort defensively to close the second half as it was poor clock management on Colorado State's part. The Rams left a timeout on the board, despite getting the ball to midfield. Jacob Hales capped the half by sacking Billy Farris.

CSU has the forward momentum right now and will get the ball coming out of the half. Now, some numbers to munch on ...

-Frank Summers has had his moments, but the Rebels' ground game still has a ways to go. Summers has 23 yards on 11 carries, while Omar Clayton has 11 on six totes. Ryan Wolfe has 11, coming on an option touchdown.

-On the flip side, CSU's found success on the ground with Gartrell Johnson going right up the middle and around the perimeter. He has 89 yards on 12 carries, along with two three-yard touchdown runs.

-Billy Farris' numbers look a bit lopsided, but he's been effective either way. He's thrown for 169 yards on just six completions. Three of those have gone to Rashaun Greer, who has 129 yards.

-Omar Clayton's looked a bit uncomfortable for whatever reason. He has 76 yards passing on 8-of-16 efficiency.

-Dack Ishii continues to be a field position weapon for UNLV. Despite the defense's allowance of big plays, he's stuck two punts inside the 10-yard line. He's averaging 45.5 yards on four kicks.

-After today's first half, here's a good one for you. In the first quarter this season, UNLV has outscored its opponents 59-13. In the second quarter, the tables turn, as opponents have a 66-37 edge. Ouch.

After an, um, interesting first half show (which included a sing-along with the CSU band to Kelly Clarkson's 'Since you've been gone' and some kind of Army ROTC display, complete with green and gold smoke and multiple cannon shots (ugh), it's time to start it up again.

1:40 second quarter, CSU leads 17-14

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Things just continue to not go UNLV's way as this game progresses. Not only were the Rebels unable to move the ball down the field, but they didn't even pick up a first down. On top of that, UNLV left the Ram offense with 1:33 on the clock to play with.

If a defensive stop was ever a must, this would be that time.

On the injury front, Casey Flair was helped off the field after his short third down grab, but it appears to be nothing more than him getting his wind knocked out on a big hit by Nick Oppenneer.

2:47 second quarter, CSU leads 17-14

Fort Collins, Colo. -- It only took CSU one more play to score, capping a four-play, 98-yard drive that only took - get this - 1:33 off the clock. Gartrell Johnson skipped in nearly untouched again, giving him 72 yards on 10 carries with a pair of scores in the first half.

The positive news for UNLV is that there's still a good amount of time left on the clock to try and make something happen before halftime. They sort of need to, since CSU is moving the ball extremely well and gets the ball out of the half.

With the way the Rams are moving the ball, that's a scary thought for the Rebs.

And Mike Sanford was surely right about how CSU loves to take chances downfield. So far, Rashaun Greer has three catches for 129 yards.

4:20 second quarter, UNLV leads 14-10

Fort Collins, Colo. -- UNLV found some offensive success thanks to a 21-yard pass over the middle from Omar Clayton to Rodelin Anthony, but the drive stalled at the CSU 39. After taking a delay of game call to get Dack Ishii some more breathing room, the QB-turned-punter placed one perfectly down to the two-yard line, where Deante Purvis came up huge again, downing the ball right there.

But the field position went to waste right away, as Billy Farris found Korry Sperry in the middle of the Rebels' zone right off the bat for 24 yards. Then two plays later, Farris struck Rashaun Greer deep down the seam for 62 yards, where Terrance Lee and Quinton Pointer took him down at the three. The ball came loose while Greer was being dragged down, and the play is currently under review. Reviews have slowed this first half down to a snail's pace.

8:40 second quarter, UNLV leads 14-10

Fort Collins, Colo. -- The Rebels couldn't get their fourth possession too far off the ground, with Dack Ishii being brought in to punt from his own 24. The senior continued to produce at his new spot, booming a 59-yarder which was turned into essentially a 61-yarder thanks to a great coverage tackle by Deante Purvis.

But CSU has found some offensive life. After an Isaako Aaitui sack on first down, the Rams ultimately faced a third-and-13, and Billy Farris found Rashaun Greer over the middle for a big gain to near midfield. On the coverage was former quarterback Travis Dixon, now a safety. It was his first snap as a safety this season, and he promptly was pulled out of the game. Though that set a fire for the Rams' offense, as Gartrell Johnson then went to work on the ground, pounding the heart of the UNLV defense, including a 23-yarder against a stacked eight-in-the-box look from the Rebels. He then marched in from three yards to cap the drive, pumping some life back into the home crowd. It capped an 83-yard drive which at one point looked dead on the other end of the field.

That third down connection for Farris to Greer could prove to be a pivotal moment in the game. Johnson now has nine carries for 69 yards, and it's really the first time this season a team has found success running up the middle out of the I-formation against UNLV.

Looks like UNLV again has a game on its hands.

3:29 first quarter, UNLV leads 14-3

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Again, UNLV delivers in the red zone.

After the fumble, it took three plays for Omar Clayton to throw his 13th touchdown pass of the season, spotting Casey Flair in the back of the end zone for a two-yard strike. For the third straight game, UNLV grabs a big early lead, now up 14-3.

The Rebels are now 17-of-17 in the red zone this season, with 14 of those conversions coming in the six-point form.

This game is now UNLV's. There's not much of a crowd at Hughes Stadium, hence not much noise. Another defensive stand could be monstrous.

Also, it's nice not having to hear that cannon so much.

5:04 first quarter, UNLV leads 7-3

Fort Collins, Colo. -- An interesting twist of events.

The Rebels moved the ball well on their second chance with the rock, and took advantage of a little help from the zebras deep in the red zone. On third-and-10 from the 17-yard line, Omar Clayton was flushed to his right, and floated a ball to the middle of the field for a streaking Casey Flair. The ball floated a bit too much, and Klint Kubiak picked it, taking it back to about the 20-yard line. But flags littered the field. First, a late hit was called on the CSU defense against Clayton (the third week in a row a late hit on the Rebel QB has drawn laundry), and UNLV's Evan Marchal was called for a personal foul after the play. Following some confusion, the flags offset, somewhat, and UNLV took the ball at the 23 with a fresh set of downs.

On first-and-10 at the 11, the entire CSU defense thought a fade to Phillip Payne was coming, but instead, the Rebels ran an option to the left, with Ryan Wolfe walking into the end zone for his first career TD run. See? That fade play has multiple uses.

UNLV caught another huge break on the ensuing kickoff, as big-play specialist Beau Orth put a hat right on the ball during John Mosure's return, sending the ball flying towards the Rebel sideline. Chris Brogdon jumped on the grenade, setting UNLV up at the CSU nine-yard line.

10:13 first quarter, CSU leads 3-0

Fort Collins, Colo. -- The Rebels' first possession went three-and-out, when they tried a draw of sorts with Omar Clayton on third-and-one, and he was sacked for a loss of six yards. Frank Summers didn't touch the ball on the opening drive.

The UNLV defense, though, came up huge after Colorado State's Rashaun Greer ripped off 44 yards on a short pass play, and then got another 11 off of a facemask call against Terrance Lee on the takedown.

But that's where the drive pretty much stalled. A holding call certainly didn't help the Rams, but they were obviously trying anything possible to wake up their red zone offense, which entered the game having put points on the board just nine times in 14 tries. They tried, yes, a fumbleruskie, and also attempted to exploit UNLV's perimeter weakness against the run. Instead, they came up with a 24-yard field gaol from Ben DeLine. It's a moral victory for the UNLV defense.

As for an early record book note, Casey Flair caught a pass on the game's second play, tying a school mark for consecutive games with a reception. It's his 41st straight game with a grab, making him even with Earvin Johnson.

Pregame

Fort Collins, Colo. -- After sitting down here at Hughes Stadium, a thought came to mind in terms of something that wasn't talked about much this week as UNLV gets set to take on Colorado State.

That something is the fact that this is the Rebels' first true day game of the season.

You have to wonder how the team responds physically to the early kickoff. According to sports information master Mark Wallington, the team's wake-up call today came at 7:30 a.m., local time. That's 6:30 a.m. Vegas time for you math majors.

That means pre-game meal was at about 7:00 a.m. Vegas time for these guys. Something tells me that these guys aren't normally awake at that hour of the day. Or at least I wasn't in college.

It's food for thought, but balancing it out, in my opinion, is the fact that this will be a far-from intimidating road atmosphere. We're about 30 minutes from kickoff, and there might be more UNLV red in the stadium than CSU green. The 'they're in the parking lot' excuse really isn't valid either, since, well, there's not many cars in the parking lots.

Compare that to what UNLV saw in weeks two and three at Utah and Arizona State, respectively, and this isn't really much. In fact, Omar Clayton put it best this week when asked about the CSU atmosphere having an effect ...

"From the Utah game to the Arizona State game, I think we got our feel on aggressive crowds in good environments to play the game," Clayton said. "It's not like 'Oh, OK, it's an away game, we've got to get our minds right.' It's just another game. We're going to get prepared and we're going to go play."

It's an overcast day in Fort Collins, temperatures in the low 70s.

On a sidenote, before this week's three big predictions, if you want a gauge on that Iowa State team which was UNLV's last victim, just take a look at what the 'Clones are up to today. Behind a 13-of-16 show out of the pocket so far from Austen Arnaud, ISU is ahead of No. 16 Kansas 20-0 in Ames. Again, just food for thought.

OK, now on with the show ...

-I've said it on our podcast and T.V. show this week, and despite my history of wavering on gameday, I'll stick with it this time by saying UNLV wins 28-24. I believe Clayton when he insists that this team feels pretty comfortable on the road and, honestly, in a toss-up game, while most people go with the home team, I go with whichever side has more talent. In this case, it's the Rebels.

-As a kid, my uncle, cousins and I used to play 'Pick to Click' on the way to White Sox games. I was always wrong. Today I'm going with Frank Summers, mostly because he's the smart play. He'll get the ball plenty. I'm convinced of that. I'll say ... oh ... 90 rushing yards and another 30 off of, um, four catches? The challenge gets a little tougher, though, as it appears that CSU's leading tackler - linebacker Ricky Brewer - will in fact play. He missed most of the week with an ankle injury, but is running around just fine in warmups.

-I'll jump out of my seat at least six more times today thanks to that cannon in the end zone. I hate those things.

Talk to you after kickoff.