Take Five: A closer look at UNLV vs. New Mexico

By Ryan Greene

Friday, Sept. 24, 2010 | 2:15 a.m.

One thing is known going into Saturday's showdown between UNLV and New Mexico at Sam Boyd Stadium: Somebody will no longer have a goose egg in the win column.

It's been a tough opening month for both programs, to say the least.

UNLV (0-3 overall, 0-1 Mountain West Conference), under first-year coach Bobby Hauck, is still adjusting to a new, more balanced offense while dealing with depth issues at a handful of positions.

New Mexico (0-3, 0-1) has played three teams — Oregon, Texas Tech and Utah — bound for big-time bowl games, but has hardly put up a fight, allowing an FBS-worst 60 points per game.

Here's a closer look inside the Rebels' first home game since their Sept. 4 opener.

1) Time to run?

Who's struggling worse in terms of getting a ground game going between these two? The numbers have it pretty close.

UNLV's run game ranks 108th out of 120 FBS programs, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry, while New Mexico is a little farther down the list at 117th, going for 1.99 yards an attempt.

With the two going head-to-head now, maybe the better question is who is better at stopping the run?

The Rebels have actually held up pretty well in that department, surrendering 177 yards a game. Most of that damage was done by Wisconsin, who rank up 278 yards the old-fashioned way in the season opener on 50 carries (5.56 per attempt). But since then, they've gradually improved, surrendering 4.67 per attempt to Utah, then only 3.13 last weekend at Idaho.

The Lobos haven't shown similar signs of life, which is a promising sign for UNLV. Part of what's hurt the passing game has been the lack of yards on the ground on first and second down, which has left the Rebels with tough third-and-long situations repeatedly.

A likely candidate for a big game could be senior Channing Trotter, who went for 62 yards on 15 carries last weekend. He started ahead of C.J. Cox, who missed the game with an arm injury and is listed as doubtful again this weekend.

Last season, in a 34-17 victory in Albuquerque, Trotter had 65 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts.

2) A QB quandry

UNLV has played three quarterbacks in three games, and so has New Mexico.

But the situation for Lobos coach Mike Locksley is a bit more dire.

Omar Clayton is still pretty firmly set as the Rebels' starter, but it could be a carousel on the other sideline on Saturday night.

New Mexico is without starter B.R. Holbrook for a second straight week, as he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this week.

Getting the start will be either junior Brad Gruner or freshman Tarean Austin.

Gruner started last weekend's 56-14 loss to Utah but left before the half with a back injury. He practiced this week and could start again.

Austin is intriguing, as the Tampa, Fla., native was 15-of-27 for 128 yards, one touchdown and one pick last weekend in the second half. He was a strong get for the New Mexico staff last year and is equally dangerous with his feet as he is with his arm.

Gruner actually started against UNLV as a freshman in 2008, but struggled, going 11-of-25 for just 44 yards and an interception in New Mexico's 27-20 loss at Sam Boyd Stadium.

3) Is the end near?

You really have to wonder at this point if the increasing heat under New Mexico coach Mike Locksley's seat will force the school to take some action during the 2010 season.

In his second year at the helm, Locksley is now 1-14, and the Lobos haven't shown many signs of that trend moving in the other direction.

Ever since an altercation last fall, where he hit an assistant coach and was subsequently suspended for 10 days without pay, outsiders have wondered how long he could last in Albuquerque if improvements on the field weren't seen.

Is it starting to become a distraction? Well, it'll be easier to tell come Saturday night when the Lobos are seen up close, but rumors are swirling around the program, and that can't be helping any.

4) Front fours could be key

While both UNLV and New Mexico rank near the bottom of the FBS food pyramid in terms of sacks allowed this season, they both hold similar standings in terms of getting to opposing quarterbacks.

They come in tied for fourth-to-last in the nation with two in three games. UNLV's two came in the second half at Idaho, when Isaako Aaitui barreled through the middle for one, then Sidney Hodge and B.J. Bell shared credit on a later takedown.

Aaitui had a strong fall camp and has emerged as a legitimate NFL prospect. He'll find his way into the backfield consistently.

The key to the pass rush picking up, as was assumed back during fall camp, is held by Bell. He was a warrior and fought through a handful of nagging injuries before the season to work his way up the depth chart, and he started last Saturday night.

In terms of pure talent at the defensive end spot, he's the most likely candidate to fulfill the production void left by the graduation of Jason Beauchamp. He started to scratch the surface last weekend. This Saturday presents a prime opportunity to make another leap.

5) The X-factors

For UNLV, it could end up being former starting quarterback Mike Clausen, who is roughly 10 days removed from switching to safety could find himself starting.

At the very least, he'll be seeing plenty of snaps, sharing time at free safety with another former Rebels starting QB — Travis Dixon.

Yes, UNLV is thin in the secondary, but Hauck wouldn't put Clausen in for extended time if he didn't see him as being capable of making an impact. He played a good portion of the second half last weekend and held his own against Idaho. Going up against New Mexico and its struggling offense could do nothing but help the 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior.

On the other side, if either Gruner and Austin can find a rhythm against UNLV's defense, it's likely that sophomore receiver Ty Kirk will be on the receiving end of a good amount of that action. The 6-foot-2 sophomore from suburban Chicago has 17 catches for 188 yards in three games and has been one of the team's few bright spots so far.