Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

RON KANTOWSKI:

Instant analysis: Rebels sorta impressive, sorta not

UNLV vs. Sacramento State

Sam Morris

UNLV wide receiver Ryan Wolfe trys to get past Sacramento State linebacker David Coleman during the first half Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Sacramento State vs UNLV

UNLV wins its season-opener 38-3 over Sacramento State Saturday night, thanks to Channing Trotter's three touchdowns.

UNLV vs. Sacramento State

UNLV cheerleaders and players sing the UNLV fight song after defeating Sacramento State 38-3 Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. Launch slideshow »
The Rebel Room

Sacramento State Postgame

Ryan Greene and Rob Miech break down UNLV's season-opening 38-3 victory over Sacramento State, paced by a solid defensive showing and three Channing Trotter rushing touchdowns. Plus, the guys take a look at what the win against the Hornets does for the Rebels as they prepare to welcome Oregon State to Sam Boyd Stadium next Saturday night.

Next game

  • Opponent: Oregon State
  • Date: Sept. 12, 8 p.m.
  • Where: Sam Boyd Stadium
  • TV: CBS College Sports
  • Radio: ESPN Radio 1100 AM

So this is what a New Mexico Bowl team looks like.

Or doesn't. It was still a little hard to tell.

On a gusty night at Sam Boyd Stadium, UNLV did what it was expected to do. It beat Division I-AA Sacramento State of the Big Sky Conference. It was a competitive game for three quarters.

It wasn't in the fourth.

A quick analysis of the Rebels' 38-3 victory in front of 22,195 at the Wind Tunnel off Boulder Highway:

• Channing Trotter looks nothing like Tank Summers, the Rebels' star running back now playing (or at least sitting on the bench) on Sunday in Pittsburgh. But he looked a lot like a guy on which you could build a running game. Trotter finished with 102 yards on 16 carries including three short touchdown runs that prevented the Big Sky from falling on the Rebels.

• After giving up yards in huge chunks last year, the Rebels yielded them in smaller chunks Saturday night.

But they still yielded chunks. To a Big Sky opponent. Sacramento State vaporized the second quarter by running the ball between the tackles, eating up more than seven minutes on one drive. Not a good omen with Oregon State of the Pac-10 coming to town next week.

• Special teams were a little iffy, too, as Sacramento State almost blocked two punts. Yeah, I know: Almost doesn't count except in horseshoes, hand grenades and drive-in movies (if you find one). But had the opponent been somebody such as Air Force, which prides itself in blocking kicks, a couple of those near misses probably would have been direct hits.

• UNLV's play-calling was aggressive, especially at the start of the game. Perhaps the Rebels wanted to make a statement against an alleged inferior opponent. Or maybe they just wanted to get some points on the board before Dorothy's house landed on the 35-yard line and crushed the Cowardly Lion.

• Rebels' performance in five words or less: Adequate.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy