Report Card: UNLV vs. Idaho State

OK, so the level of competition was a major factor in the UNLV offense playing so well on Saturday night. Still, the Rebels had to go out and execute. They certainly did. UNLV rolled up massive numbers on the stat sheet and possibly induced carpal tunnel syndrome in the scoreboard operator. The Rebels set program records for most points scored in a half and in a game during Saturday night’s 80-8 win over Idaho State. It was also the most points ever scored by a Mountain West team. UNLV only threw for 109 yards, but that was entirely a function of the score and how well the running game was working. Two freshman running backs, Xzaviar Campbell and Lexington Thomas, had huge games. Campbell ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries. Thomas had 106 yards on just seven tries. Starter Keith Whitely added 95 yards on 12 carries. Thomas and Whitely each ran for a score, as did George Naufahu and Blake Decker. UNLV never had to punt. It was as good an all-around offensive performance as UNLV could have possibly envisioned.

DEFENSE: A

Idaho State doesn’t have a ton of weapons, but they do run an uptempo offense that is designed to spread the ball around and score quickly. The Bengals couldn’t get anything going offensively. Even when UNLV was comfortably ahead, Idaho State struggled to move the ball. It was a masterful performance by the Rebels, especially the front seven. It took the Bengals 30 carries to get 91 yards on the ground, almost all of which came in the second half. Again, it’s inferior competition and Idaho State is a passing team. But still. From where this UNLV program has been, the defense deserves credit for a spectacular effort. UNLV not only did a good job limiting yards, it was very opportunistic. The Rebels intercepted four passes and even took one in for a score. While Idaho State passed for 201 yards, it took 41 attempts. The Bengals completed only 20 of them. Only the slight let up on the lone touchdown drive prevented the A-plus.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-

There was a whole lot of good from the special teams unit. Aaron Criswell returned the opening kickoff 58 yards to set up the first score. UNLV blocked a punt and a field goal. Nicolai Bornand was great on extra points and kickoffs. There were some issues, though. That’s probably a good thing as it will give the coaching staff an area to stress improvement this week as the Rebels prepare for UNR. Idaho State was able to block a field goal and the Rebels jumped offside on a punt, giving the Bengals a free first down. It’s little things. But minor details are the difference between wins and losses when the competition improves.

COACHING: B

Give Tony Sanchez and his staff credit for having UNLV ready for this game. The program’s struggles against FCS schools in recent years has been well documented. There was no such letdown on Saturday night. The Rebels came out ready to play and never took their foot off the gas pedal. The first win of the Sanchez era was a celebration from start to finish as UNLV rewrote much of the program’s record book on Saturday night. There was a very questionable decision early on, however. After Idaho State committed penalty on a UNLV punt, the Rebels had another chance to kick the ball away. On a fourth-and-1 from his own 41-yard line, Sanchez called for a fake punt. There was so much wrong with that decision. If you’re going to go for it, which was probably the right call in a 7-0 game in the first quarter, line up and go for it. You have the superior team with a big advantage on the line of scrimmage. Exert your dominance in that situation and keep the drive alive. Punting would have been the traditional move. Sure, analytics people will tell you it’s silly, but old-school football people will say kick it away and play defense. The only thing you really can’t do is fake the punt there. It had absolutely zero impact on the game, obviously. It just wasn’t the right call. OK, we’re done raining on Sanchez’s parade. What a win.