Blog: UNLV opens season with 56-23 blowout of Southern Utah

Week 2 begins now.

UNLV did what it was supposed to do against overmatched Southern Utah, running for 331 yards en route to a 56-23 victory, and now the Rebels will turn their attention to next week's opponent, Arkansas State.

As tune-ups go, Saturday's opener went about as well as it could. The offensive line dominated on the ground, Armani Rogers made some big plays with his arm and his legs, and Charles Williams looked like a true No. 1 running back (144 rushing yards, three touchdowns). The defense also did its part, holding the Thunderbirds to 3.8 yards per play.

It won't be so easy next week against a real Division-I team, so look for Tony Sanchez to begin preaching that message to his team as early as tonight's post-game press conference.

Starters out as UNLV leads 56-7

With a 56-7 lead and less than nine minutes left on the clock, UNLV's only goal for the rest of this game is to close it out with no injuries.

Armani Rogers is already out, as are starting tailback Charles Williams and receivers Tyleek Collins and Randal Grimes. The defense is mostly comprised of second-stringers at this point as well.

Rogers out as Rebels go up 49-7

UNLV is up 49-7 early in the third quarter, but right now the story is quarterback Armani Rogers, who just limped off the field after taking a hit in the pocket.

Rogers seemed to be fine by the time he got to the sideline, and the TV broadcast even appeared to show him lobbying Tony Sanchez to get back in the game, but Sanchez wasn't hearing it. Freshman backup Kenyon Oblad took Rogers' place, and freshman running back Courtney Reese finished the drive by scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run.

Rogers finishes his night 11-of-17 for 144 yards and one passing touchdown. He also ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns, including a ridiculous 66-yard TD run.

Rebels rolling over Southern Utah, lead 35-7 at half

After punting on its first two possessions, UNLV scored touchdowns on its next five drives to build a 35-7 lead over Southern Utah at the half.

The Rebels most recent score came after Armani Rogers hit freshman receiver Steve Jenkins for a 49-yard pass down to the goal line with less than a minute left in the half. On the next play, Charles Williams ran it in to record his third touchdown of the night.

Williams has run 14 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns, while Rogers has completed 8-of-14 passes for 114 yards and one TD. Rogers also has 48 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

While the Southern Utah offense hasn't presented much of a challenge, the UNLV defense has done its job, forcing punts on six of seven drives. For the game, the Thunderbirds are averaging just 3.29 yards per play.

Armani Rogers TD gives UNLV 21-7 lead

Armani Rogers pushed his way into the end zone for a 1-yard score to put UNLV up 21-7 with 5:51 left in the half.

On the previous play, Rogers showed off his athleticism by bouncing off a tackler and whirling around for 13 yards before being downed at the 1. Rogers' first touchdown of the season capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive to answer Southern Utah's first score of the game.

SUU's touchdown was set up by a 48-yard pass down the left sideline from QB Chris Helbig to receiver Carlos Baker. Helbig then scored on a 2-yard run to put the Thunderbirds on the board.

Rebels up 14-0 on Williams' second TD

UNLV has finally fired up the ground game, as Charles Williams just pounded in his second touchdown of the game to give the Rebels a 14-0 lead with 14:13 left in the first half.

Williams' run capped off a nine-play, 88-yard drive that featured nine consecutive runs by the Rebels. The junior running back is now up to 89 yards on the game on just eight carries.

After a shaky start, it looks like the UNLV offensive line is now dominating at the line of scrimmage, opening huge holes against the Southern Utah defensive line on just about every play. If that trend continues, the Rebels should have nothing to worry about tonight.

Slow start for UNLV against Southern Utah

Midway through the first quarter, UNLV and Southern Utah are tied 0-0. The teams have traded punts for the first four possessions, and aside from a big hit by Javin White that dropped a SUU receiver behind the line of scrimmage, there hasn't been much action.

The Rebels offense has not looked good. They've gone 3-and-out on each possession, and it's been first-scrimmage Armani Rogers so far: 1-of-4 passing, including a dead-to-rights interception that was dropped by a Southern Utah defender at the UNLV 25.

Not the start Tony Sanchez was hoping for against one of the worst teams at the FCS level, but there is still time for the Rebels to get on track.

Three keys for UNLV football vs. Southern Utah

UNLV and Southern Utah are on the field warming up, so let's take a quick look at three keys for the Rebels in tonight's season opener:

Blocking up front

UNLV has fielded consistently good offensive lines under Tony Sanchez, and this year’s group could be the best, with five returning starters across the formation. They should be able to push around the Southern Utah defensive front, paving the way for big rushing days from running back Charles Williams and quarterback Armani Rogers.

Look for the Rebels to average at least 5.5 yards per carry against what was one of the nation’s worst defenses last year.

Linebacker rotation

According to Sanchez, the Rebels have more capable linebackers than they have starting spots, which will lead to juniors Farrell Hester and Vic Viramontes splitting time today. Keep an eye on which middle linebacker is on the field and on which downs.

Playmakers

The passing game isn’t where UNLV thrives, but with sophomores Tyleek Collins and Randal Grimes running routes the Rebels have their most dynamic receiver tandem of Sanchez’s tenure. Don’t expect Rogers to throw too many passes today — fewer than 20 would probably be ideal — but the receivers should be able to create at least a couple of big plays.

Previewing UNLV football opener against Southern Utah with reader questions

With UNLV set to open the season today against Southern Utah (7 p.m., streaming on UNLVRebels.com), let's preview the first game of the pivotal 2019 campaign by answering some burning questions from readers:

@twoatlowhouse8

What’s the likelihood that UNLV's defense can actually improve this coming season? Who is going to step up?

@MikeGrimala

To put it plainly, the Rebels have been horrible — absolutely horrible — on defense for a long time. Last year, UNLV allowed a staggering 37.2 points per game, and that wasn’t even one of their three worst performances of the last 10 years.

There are some reasons for optimism this season, mainly in the linebacking corps. Led by senior Javin White, it’s one of the strongest position groups UNLV has put out on defense in the last two decades, and if everyone stays healthy they should be able to compete at a respectable level in the Mountain West.

But there are still some huge questions, too. The Rebels got pushed around on the defensive line last year, allowing 5.1 yards per carry (110th out of 130 teams). The team hasn’t added any obvious difference-makers up front, so it remains to be seen if they’ll improve at all against the run. For what it’s worth, head coach Tony Sanchez likes the depth up front.

And in the secondary, UNLV remains behind the curve from an athletic standpoint. The team’s cornerbacks and safeties struggled in space last year and it directly cost them at least one game.

I think the Rebels will be better on defense in 2019, but that’s a relative term. Cutting five points per game off the scoring average would be a huge, huge leap, and that would still leave them at 32 per game. That’s a lot of points!

If the Rebels can just play situational defense and come up with some timely stops when needed, that’s probably the most you can ask for.

@LouDog777

How many games before we see Vic and Farrell both playing in the middle in the base 3-4 defense?

@MikeGrimala

It was a little surprising when junior college transfer Vic Viramontes, one of the highest-rated recruits in program history, couldn’t beat out returning junior Farrell Hester for the outright starting job at middle linebacker. The two are listed as co-starters heading into Week 1, and according to Sanchez, there isn’t room for both of them on the field at the same time.

After the depth chart was released, I asked Sanchez specifically if he could envision any formations with Viramontes and Hester sharing the field, and he said no. Both players are strictly limited to the middle-inside linebacker position, and when one is on the field, the other will be on the sideline. Look for Hester to play early downs as a run thumper, with Viramontes playing in situations that can take advantage of his speed and athleticism.

Sanchez said he expects them to split the snaps exactly 50/50 early in the season.

@BrownHulk59

We know UNLV defense has major questions, but how explosive can the offense be? Will the offense be one of the top ones in the Mountain West?

@MikeGrimala

This is a cop-out answer, but it depends on how many healthy games Armani Rogers can give the team. If he starts all 12 contests, this is an offense that can out-score (or at least keep up with) most opponents on any given day. The running game is a legit top-20 attack, and though Rogers will never be a plus passer, he can stretch the field enough with his arm to create occasional big plays.

The Rebels scored 27.2 points per game last year; if Rogers plays the majority of this season, I can see UNLV breaking 30 points and even going beyond that. But he has only played in 16 of 24 games in his two years as the starting quarterback, so how likely is it that he’ll make it through this season with full health?

@Reb_Hombre

Was that you earlier this week at Costco checking out the UNLV gear? If so did you try their food court menu? Or is that too risky for your taste buds?

@MikeGrimala

After asking the Sun newsroom for pizza recommendations, they seemed surprised to find out I had never tried Costco pizza. So I decided to check it out. The verdict: It’s OK pizza. Very hearty, doesn’t take any chances, loaded with cheese. Bland but good — which is exactly what I’m looking for when it comes to food.

As for the rest of the store, it was my first time in a Costco, so I wanted to see what it was all about. It’s huge and it has everything, including UNLV gear with the dreaded new logo. Next time you see me out in the world (which is rare), feel free to say hi and talk Rebels (or pizza).

@jlmart7

Talk about which current player has the best chance of being the next Rebel drafted in the NFL. It’s been 9 years since we had someone drafted and I’m curious if that streak will end anytime soon.

@MikeGrimala

There are two seniors who could potentially find themselves in NFL training camps next year, though I’m not sure it will be via the draft. Senior right guard Justin Polu has started all 36 games in his college career and has NFL size (6-foot-4, 335 pounds), but I don't know if he’s got the athleticism to entice pro scouts. Javin White has the opposite issue — he’s an athletic, rangy ballhawk at linebacker, but at 210 pounds he’s way too small to play that position at the NFL level.

Both Polu and White are productive college players who could be invited to try out in a training camp next summer, but as of today I don’t see UNLV’s undrafted streak coming to an end this year.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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