Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Analysis:

Bern’s-Eye View: Mountain West’s weakness could be UNLV’s strength

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Jeff Mulvihill Jr. / instaimage

UNLV’s coach Tony Sanchez celebrates his first Fremont Cannon win during the Mountain West game between the UNLV Rebels and the UNR Wolfpack at Mackay Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Reno.

UNLV Defeats UNR

UNLV’s coach Tony Sanchez celebrates his first Fremont Cannon win during the Mountain West game between the UNLV Rebels and the UNR Wolfpack at Mackay Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Reno. Launch slideshow »

Today is the first official day of UNLV basketball practice, which often means it’s the unofficial end of football season for many in town. Somewhat surprisingly, that’s not really the case this year.

As the Las Vegas weather slowly transitions to fall, the UNLV football team is one game into conference play and there are two ways to look at the rest of a season that’s about to hit the halfway point.

The first is rooted more in the preseason expectations that included oddsmakers posting the Rebels’ season win total at 2.5. First-year coach Tony Sanchez has seven chances to get over that number, and with the most important victory of the season secured Saturday night in Reno, any win that comes the rest of the way is just the cherry on top of a sundae you can share with a friend.

Then there’s the other viewpoint, the one that looks around the Mountain West at teams such as Fresno State, Hawaii, and a historically bad Wyoming and wonders if Sanchez’s “New Era” has really hit its high-water mark this year or if that’s still to come. The ideas that sounded crazy in the preseason are still far-fetched, but the reaction to this Rebels team making a bowl game is now less LOL, more Well… probably not.

Much like two years ago, when the Rebels won the Fremont Cannon and earned their fourth bowl trip in program history, there are winnable games on this slate. Winning them is another issue entirely, but the league is as bad as it’s ever been to make it a good time to be average.

Referring to UNLV as average depends on who’s playing quarterback. Senior Blake Decker hasn’t been great this year but defenses have to respect his arm in a way they don’t for sophomore Kurt Palandech.

While nothing is certain, Palandech might get his first career start Saturday at home against San Jose State because Decker exited the UNR game in the final minute of the first half after separating his left, non-throwing shoulder. It’s the second time he’s left a game early and not returned this season.

Against UCLA earlier this year Decker went out with a groin injury at the end of the first quarter, and while Palandech was awful it probably didn’t matter to the bottom line considering the Bruins’ advantages all over the field.

On Saturday, though, a potential Rebels’ rout went down to the wire largely because a rushing attack averaging 4.9 yards per carry with Decker averaged 2.4 yards per rush with Palandech in the game. That’s not strictly on Palandech, who deserves credit for coming in and getting a much-needed touchdown before halftime and has been increasingly effective with rollout throws, but there’s no denying the offense stalled with him at the helm.

UNLV’s starting field position improved slightly in the second half yet the offense barely moved the ball. More than half of Palandech’s 48 passing yards came on his first completion to Kendal Keys and the offense went 1 for 7 on third down attempts after Decker’s exit.

The Rebel Room

A Rivalry to Remember?

Betting boards are giving UNLV a much better chance this week at UNR after the Rebels' 80-8 victory against Idaho State, and Sun sports editor Ray Brewer tells reporters Case Keefer and Taylor Bern that UNLV coach Tony Sanchez will be riding the Fremont Cannon back to Vegas.

If not for Ryan McAleenan’s 52-yard interception and score, the Rebels probably wouldn’t get to spend this morning on campus passing around brushes and painting the cannon. That they are doing just that — the team will walk the cannon through campus and arrive at the student union around 11:15 a.m. — is the most important thing no matter how you want to view the rest of the season.

But for those looking at Hawaii, which has been outscored 121-0 on the mainland, and San Diego State, which lost at home to South Alabama and could be without running back Donnel Pumphrey (ankle) for awhile, and Wyoming, which has made it very tough to pick the Pokes’ worst loss, UNLV’s quarterback very much matters.

The Rebels’ defense, for years the more maligned side of the ball, has been consistent enough to win games in this league. It’s going to be on the offense, including capable but young skill players and a line that’s trending the right way, to at minimum avoid big mistakes and take advantage when the opportunity for points is there.

I figured the Rebels would be OK and the Mountain West would be bad. The Rebels are better than I thought and the league is worse than I thought. Together, they can make these next two months far more entertaining than I, and I’m guessing a lot of you, thought possible.

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

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