Rebels hope to repeat history against TCU

Leila Navidi

UNLV fans cheer for their team against Iowa State at Sam Boyd Stadium. Fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about since the Cyclones came to town Sept. 20. The Rebels have lost all four games since.

By Ryan Greene (contact)

Friday, Oct. 31, 2008 | 10 p.m.

Believe it or not, the UNLV football team has been here already this season.

The Rebels (3-5 overall, 0-4 Mountain West) are set to welcome No. 12 TCU (8-1, 5-0) to Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday evening. While UNLV has dropped four straight after a surprising 3-1 start to the season, TCU is flat-out rolling.

The Horned Frogs are three wins away from what looks like a sure-fire BCS berth. Arizona State had similar hopes back on Sept. 13, when UNLV pulled off an upset against the then-No. 15 Sun Devils down in Tempe, 23-20.

"I think that they thought we were an easy win -- they were just going to show up and get ready for Georgia," UNLV coach Mike Sanford said earlier this week. "That was the attitude of the media, their fans, and fortunately, their team."

The question was posed to Sanford earlier this week since TCU finds itself with a big game of its own on the horizon. The Horned Frogs travel to Salt Lake City next week to face undefeated Utah. The winner will have an inside track to an at-large BCS berth -- if TCU can escape Sam Boyd Stadium unscathed.

"That game, obviously, that Utah-TCU game is huge for both teams," Sanford added. "To me, the big thing we've got to be concerned with is us and our preparation. But do I think that next week is a very important game to them and they're going to have some focus on it? Yes."

The Horned Frogs have done their best to quiet the notion that they'll be looking ahead past UNLV all week long. On the flip side, the Rebels aren't banking on TCU entering with a complete lack of focus.

"We're not thinking about anything that they're thinking about," UNLV tailback Frank Summers said. "You get too many thoughts in your head and you lose track of what you need to get out there and do."

What Summers and the offense have to focus on is figuring out a way to traverse through the nation's second-ranked defense. It's a unit built on speed, athleticism and staggering statistics.

Led by defensive ends Matt Panfil and Jerry Hughes, TCU leads the nation in quarterback sacks with 35. The Horned Frogs also are tops in the country in run defense, allowing just 31.2 yards per game on the ground.

"That's real hard (to do)," Summers said of how little the TCU run defense has given up. "Because you can break one run and get 30 yards on one run. They're a good defense."

Added sophomore quarterback Omar Clayton: "Just team speed, and the fact that they all run to the ball. But, you know, we leave it up to our game plan and offensive line and have faith that they can pick it up."

The Rebels' O-line flew under the radar in last week's 42-35 loss to BYU in Provo, as the unit picked up several blitzes and kept Clayton's jersey mostly clean. For the year, UNLV is tied for 14th in the nation in sacks allowed, having only given up eight of them.

"If you're going up against brute force, you can sometimes use strength against strength, but if they're quick, you've got to use your technique to offset their quickness so you can get back in front of them if you get out of position," said Rebels right tackle Evan Marchal. "Our main goal is to not let Omar get it, and also with that is to not get hurt. When he gets hit and hurt, it comes back on us."

Quarterback pressure could end up deciding Saturday's game for both teams. UNLV has hung its hat offensively on the fact that it doesn't turn the ball over. The Rebels are still tied for first in the nation in that category, having only done so six times. But on the other hand, Clayton has yet to face relentless pressure, like what he could see this weekend.

Meanwhile, UNLV is still fighting the never-ending battle to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks in an effort to force turnovers. Coincidentally, the defense's last interception came in that Arizona State win.

Forcing turnovers won't be easy against an offense that has appeared to find its true stride in just the past couple of games.

All six of quarterback Andy Dalton's touchdown passes this season have come in the Horned Frogs' last two outings, while backup Marcus Jackson could come into the game here and there to run the option -- something UNLV has repeatedly struggled to defend this season.

Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game can be seen on CBS College Sports. This marks the first of three straight home games for the Rebels, which host New Mexico next Saturday and Wyoming the following Thursday before finishing the regular season on the road at San Diego State.

Injury notes ... Freshman wide receiver Phillip Payne will be a gametime decision after a brutal head-to-head collision late in Saturday's loss at BYU. He wasn't in pads and didn't participate in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday ... sophomore linebacker Ronnie Paulo, the Rebels' second-leading tackler, missed Saturday's game at BYU despite making the trip, and is listed as probable for Saturday ... freshman safety Beau Orth has been limited in practice this week and is questionable. He also missed the game in Provo, and didn't make the trip with the team.