Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UNLV football:

Take 5: Injuries remain a factor for Rebels against streaking Bulldogs

UNLV vs Fresno State

associated press

Fresno State’s Isaiah Burse (1) is chased by UNLV’s Mike Horsey (32) during the first half of their game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, in Fresno, Calif.

The Rebel Room

Pivoting to the Hardwood

Las Vegas Sun sports writers Ray Brewer, Case Keefer and Taylor Bern use UNLV's opening basketball practice as an excuse to push the 1-5 football team to the end of the show.

It’s homecoming tonight at Sam Boyd Stadium, where a UNLV team just looking for anything to go right kicks off against a Fresno State squad on a three-game winning streak. Kickoff is at 7:04 p.m. with TV coverage on CBS Sports Network.

The Rebels (1-5, 0-2) haven’t gotten any healthier lately, with more skill players added to the injury list that’s still headlined by senior receiver Devante Davis. Even if they’re somewhat healthy there isn’t much confidence in UNLV to perform on game day.

Who are the key injuries this week and how does the Rebels’ defense stack up against the Bulldogs? Let’s look at that and more heading into tonight’s game:

1. What will the Rebels do at quarterback?

Junior starter Blake Decker didn’t play the second half of last weekend’s loss at San Jose State after suffering an injury to his throwing arm. Making the switch to fellow junior Nick Sherry is something a certain segment of fans had been wanting to see anyways, but in relief Sherry was even worse, tossing 5-of-18 with an interception compared to Decker’s 6-for-10.

Decker is practicing this week and might be able to play, but if he can’t go it would be Sherry or redshirt freshman Jared Lebowitz, who Hauck said would get more reps this week. Although it has been discussed as an option, Hauck said the team likely wouldn’t burn the redshirt of true freshman quarterback Kevin Thomson out of Auburn, Wash.

2. What will the Rebels do at running back?

The position has been by committee all year so it’s less of a concern if the top guy can’t go, except that top guy Keith Whitely has been by far the Rebels’ best back this season.

Whitely’s overall numbers are pedestrian — 299 rushing yards, one touchdown — but he averages 4.9 yards per carry, the best on the team by nearly a yard. And with injuries also a problem for running backs David Greene and Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, having Whitely on the field was a big help for at least those opening drives that went so well before the offense fell apart week after week.

Like Decker, Whitely is practicing this week but doesn’t know yet if he’ll be able to play.

3. Will the injured players ultimately matter to the outcome?

Some could make the argument that whoever the Rebels are able to put in those positions won’t matter. Part of that has to do with the defense (more on that in a minute) but also the fact that UNLV’s offense hasn’t been able to muster much of anything no matter who it’s had this year, ranking third to last in total offense and second to last in scoring offense in a weak Mountain West.

Still, Decker could be especially important simply because of the other options. Sherry has looked even worse and, while playing Lebowitz offers a glimpse at the potential future, it probably doesn’t help the Rebels win in the short term.

4. Which team has the worse defense?

On the surface this is a close comparison, with Fresno State ranking second to last in the league (just ahead of UNLV) in scoring defense and third to last in total defense. But those numbers were mostly tallied in blowout losses to USC, Utah and Nebraska.

Since then the Bulldogs have started clamping down as they’ve righted the ship and won three in a row. It was against a freshman quarterback so the comparison isn’t entirely even but last week Fresno State allowed 270 yards and 13 points to San Diego State, the team that accumulated 466 and 34 against UNLV two weeks ago.

The Bulldogs are trending up while the Rebels are stuck in reverse.

5. If UNLV loses, what’s the next best chance for a victory?

If the Rebels lose their fifth straight game heading into the bye week, the last best chance for a league win is at home on Nov. 1 against New Mexico. It’s the only game that UNLV will be close to even or maybe even a favorite on the betting line.

Trips to Utah State, BYU and even Hawaii look too daunting for the Rebels, and while not completely unwinnable, there isn’t much hope right now looking at home games against Air Force and UNR.

The Rebels are rapidly running out of opportunities to get something to go right.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.

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