The Rebels looked very much the part of a team playing in its first Mountain West championship game, falling to Boise State on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
Ed Graney
Ed Graney is a sports columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, covering a variety of topics and the Las Vegas sports scene.
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Jackson Woodard followed coach Barry Odom from Arkansas to Las Vegas, and the junior has responded with a team-leading 104 tackles for the 9-3 Rebels.
UNLV lost to San Jose State on Saturday, but still managed the program’s most wins since 1984. And the Rebels will likely still play in the Mountain West title game.
Ranked sixth nationally, UNLV’s special teams units have had as much to do with the 9-2 start as any facet of the Rebels’ game. UNLV hosts San Jose State on Saturday.
Far from perfect, UNLV’s football team overcame a 24-7 deficit Saturday to defeat Air Force and climb within one victory of playing for a conference title.
The UNLV football team is 7-2 under first-year coach Barry Odom and has been able to move on from victories quickly to focus on a bigger prize.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava has helped lead UNLV to bowl eligibility since taking over for injured Doug Brumfield in the third game this season.
Barry Odom is a really good football coach. But perhaps more impressive than on-field results has been the attitude Odom instills in his team. A winning one.
The 4-1 Rebels meet the Wolf Pack — one of the nation’s worst teams with a 15-game losing streak — in an annual rivalry game on Saturday at Mackay Stadium.
Freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava replaced starter Doug Brumfield in the first quarter Saturday and led the Rebels to a last-second victory over Vanderbilt.
What happens with the four remaining Pac-12 schools could determine which conference UNLV eventually calls home.
Barry Odom notices a more physical roster and a quarterback in Doug Brumfield who has clearly done his homework this off-season. The Rebels just look like a better team.
The Rebels remain relevant on several fronts in talks about Power Five expansion after Colorado left the Pac-12 to go back to the Big 12.
A conference like the Pac-12 apparently doesn’t have UNLV on any short lists for expansion. There are many reasons for that, and reasons why that could change.
Conference realignment and expansion are not over, so it’s the charge of UNLV to be prepared if and when a Power Five league comes calling.