UNLV has two games left to try to shed its winless label, but it wants to evaluate players to know who will be key contributors next season.
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Max Gilliam has started all five games and received the bulk of playing time, but the Rebels have used four quarterbacks this season, including Doug Brumfield on Friday.
Of the 51 players UNLV used in its 45-14 loss to Wyoming on Friday at Allegiant Stadium, 12 were freshmen and seven were walk-ons.
Wyoming scored on the second play of the game and cruised to a victory over UNLV, dropping the Rebels to 0-5 in Marcus Arroyo’s first season as coach.
UNLV and Wyoming, two teams that understand how tenuous the situation is in the year of the coronavirus pandemic, will meet at 1 p.m. Friday at Allegiant Stadium.
UNLV took last week’s game being canceled as an opportunity to get back to work on the practice field in advance of Friday’s game against Wyoming.
Freshman receiver Kyle Williams leads UNLV with 21 catches for 211 yards, and he scored his first touchdown last week against San Jose State.
Restrictions on youth sports in other states, especially California, have led to an influx of teams applying to play in the Mayor’s Cup at Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex.
Four UNLV players tested positive for COVID-19, resulting in the first cancellation for the Rebels this season and the second for Colorado State.
A report Tuesday said UNLV’s football game against Colorado State on Saturday has been canceled, but was later updated to say it has not been.
The Rebels fell to 0-4 with a loss to San Jose State on Saturday, but the Rebels are taking steps in the right direction, according to first-year coach Marcus Arroyo.
The Rebels fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2004, losing to San Jose State in coach Marcus Arroyo’s return to CEFCU Stadium, where he played quarterback from 1998 to 2002.
Jacoby Windmon, a sophomore who plays a hybrid defensive end/linebacker position, leads the Rebels with 3.5 sacks after three games. UNLV had 12 in the 2019 season.
The UNLV women’s basketball team signed five players in the early signing period, including two ranked in the top 70 nationally, in coach Lindy La Rocque’s first class.
UNLV is 0-3 for the first time since 2015, but coach Marcus Arroyo is encouraged by some signs of the culture shift he sees within the program.
The Rebels set season highs with 242 yards rushing and 402 total yards and were 11 of 20 on third downs and 2 of 2 on fourth downs Saturday against Fresno State.
The Rebels turned the ball over three times in the second half, including two fourth-quarter interceptions that thwarted any hopes of a comeback Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
The Rebels have struggled to produce long rushing or passing plays in their first two games. They will get another chance Saturday when they host Fresno State.
The Nov. 14 football game between New Mexico and UNR will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium because of COVID-19 protocols in New Mexico, the Mountain West announced Thursday.
The Rebels, who have five true freshmen on the depth chart in the secondary, have allowed 35.5 points and 460.5 yards per game in an 0-2 start to the season.
UNLV’s quarterback battle probably will last the entire season, even though senior Max Gilliam played the entire game in a 37-19 loss to UNR on Saturday.