Rebels run wild in winning crazy shootout against Wyoming

When the entirety of Sam Boyd Stadium exhaled late Saturday afternoon from the sheer lunacy that had just transpired — and we are talking some sort of wild and crazy, my friends — UNLV’s football team had earned itself a three-overtime win against favored Wyoming because of a simple but significant element.

It ran the you-know-what out of the ball.

It might have been a Mountain West game, but this was a glimpse of the old Western Athletic Conference, where scoreboards lit up weekly and teams made folly of over/under totals posted by sports books.

The second-highest-scoring game in Football Bowl Subdivision history was so wacky and entertaining, you half expected fans of the losing side to immediately march in protest.

UNLV scored last, and that always matters most in a shootout, beating the Cowboys 69-66 before an announced gathering of 14,790, most of whom had to feel just as exhausted watching 3 hours, 47 minutes of back-and-forth scores as those who coached and participated.

“Another brick in the building process,” second-year UNLV coach Tony Sanchez said.

This was you no ordinary block of sun-dried clay.

How wild?

UNLV’s basketball team scored 68 points Friday night, and not 24 hours later, the football team had 69.

How crazy?

Kickers were falling by the wayside with full body cramps.

It allowed the Rebels to surpass last season’s win total with their fourth victory while remaining in the hunt for bowl eligibility, a fact that will be seriously tested at Boise State on Friday.

But the blue turf in Idaho is the present. More important, UNLV’s future and how Sanchez intends on building it defined a major part of Saturday’s win.

It’s draped in physicality.

Those words haven’t often described UNLV football — in truth, they rarely have — but it was all that and more in running for 401 yards against the Cowboys. It’s the sixth-highest single-game mark in school history, and leading the way were two players who have stared adversity in the face this season and never blinked.

Kurt Palandech probably remains a short-term answer at quarterback, but the junior was terrific in his first start of the season, offering career highs in passing (252) and rushing (157) yards while accounting for four touchdowns.

Then there was Xzaviar Campbell.

Last season, the team’s running game was propped upon the shoulders of him and Lexington Thomas. It was called The Lex and X Show, and the duo combined for 975 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

But things happen, and talented recruits arrive, and guys get lost on a depth chart.

Campbell had carried only 13 times — 10 in the season opener — for 64 yards and no scores entering Saturday. But with the sophomore Thomas out with a sprained ankle and freshman Charles Williams not 100 percent, Campbell had 19 carries for 83 yards, scoring on a 1-yard run and an 18-yard reception.

He could have complained and pouted and lost his will to improve as games passed and his chances diminished. He chose the opposite route.

“Another guy we are proud of,” Sanchez said. “It would be easy for him to be down in the dumps, but X knew he was going to get the rock today, and he did a great job. It shows the kind of character these kids have.

“It’s easy to get to Week 10 and not be there mentally because you haven’t gotten the opportunities you wanted. For him to go out there and break tackles and get those tough yards, it just shows he’s going to fight until the end.”

It also appears the Rebels will, no matter how big an underdog they are at Boise State.

Film will show as much need for improvement as there were memorable plays against Wyoming — UNLV led 44-31 with 13:18 left and actually allowed a 97-yard drive in the final 1:06 that saw the Cowboys tie things at 52 and force overtime — but when you total 653 yards and run 31 more plays than your opponent and possess the ball almost 17 minutes longer, you deserve to taste victory.

And when you rush for 401 against anyone, you’re doing some major damage up front in terms of being physical. That was UNLV on Saturday and, ironically, perhaps one of the least sexiest parts of football was the most important one in a game that saw 135 points scored.

“It feels wonderful,” Campbell said. “It was unbelievable. It was amazing. This whole week in practice, our coaches said this game would be determined by our running backs. We had to play well. We had to finish. Just keep fighting. That was the main thing. So we did. Anything can happen (at Boise State).

“I just kept my faith this season, kept working hard. Stay focused. Stay hungry. It’s about being mature and playing your role and being ready when your time comes.”

UNLV had several players who followed that mantra Saturday, and because of it, won a wild and crazy three-overtime shootout.

It was a full body cramp sort of day.

Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on “Seat and Ed” on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.