UNLV FOOTBALL:

Rebels hope to change course against winless Lobos

By Ryan Greene

Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 | 11:59 p.m.

If UNLV has a golden opportunity left on the board this season to end the nation's longest road losing streak in conference games, this weekend's trip to Albuquerque is it.

The Rebels will hit the road having lost 20 consecutive Mountain West contests away from Sam Boyd Stadium, but a change of scenery might not be the worst thing in the world for Mike Sanford's club.

After losing four in a row, UNLV now gets a chance to heal up some against New Mexico, who is the league's lone remaining winless team.

While the Rebels have had defensive woes, the Lobos have had several of their own. UNLV ranks 112th out of 120 FBS teams in total defense this season, while New Mexico is 108th.

New Mexico is a program experiencing far more turmoil right now than UNLV. On top of the fact that five of those six losses this season have come by more than 20 points, the Lobos will be without first-year coach Mike Locksley this weekend, who is serving a 10-day suspension without pay following an alleged altercation with one of his assistant coaches.

One Lobo who the Rebels are familiar with is quarterback Donovan Porterie, who has the potential to keep them in the game. He's thrown for 1,098 yards this season, completed 60.3 percent of his passes and has four TD tosses to go with five interceptions.

Discussion: 2 comments so far…

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.

  1. By Louis_G (Louis Gregory)
    Oct. 19, 2009
    10:51 a.m.
    Flag

    Anyone else thinking San Diego State in 2008?

  2. By Burrittobandit2
    Oct. 19, 2009
    12:57 p.m.
    Flag

    The Lobo's have a kicker on their team named AHO, pronounced A-hole, let's see the Rebels come with someone named better than that.

Post a comment

Commenting requires registration.

Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.

If you would like to submit your comment as a letter to the editor, you may submit it here.

The Rebel Room

Never can get enough UNLV analysis and chatter? Then this is the stop for you. Join the Sun sports staff in The Rebel Room for your fix.

Breaking down UNLV football's spring practice

Las Vegas Sun reporters Taylor Bern and Ray Brewer discuss the UNLV football team's efforts ... (Comment)

More episodes »

Follow the Rebels

Twitter

Mobile

Can't make it to the game but want to know the score? Our reporters on the scene will send you text messages (up to four times a game) for Rebels football and basketball contests with the scores and stats you need to know.

Sign up »

On the go but need your Rebels fix? Our mobile Rebels coverage will keep you informed of the teams' latest news wherever you and your Web-enabled phone may roam.

m.lvsun.com/rebels/

Email Newsletters

To view/update your newsletter subscriptions and interests, please visit our Preference Center.