‘Not there yet;’ Odom, Rebels push for more after 5-1 start

At first glance, UNLV football dominated in-state rival UNR on Saturday.

The Rebels rolled to a 45-27 win in Reno. They racked up 526 yards of offense and were efficient on third down, converting 11 of 18 times, to improve to 5-1 for the first time since 1984 when Randall Cunningham was their quarterback

But amid the on-field results and growing national attention, coach Barry Odom admitted there was a second-half letdown as a winless UNR team scored its most points in any game this season.

“I didn’t do a good enough job at halftime getting us ready to go compete at the level we needed to in the second half. The game went on longer than it needed to,” Odom said Monday. “If we don’t learn from those setbacks, then we haven’t done our job.”

UNLV hosts Colorado State at 4 p.m. Saturday at Allegiant Stadium. With a win, the Rebels could become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2013.

In his first season as the Rebels’ coach, Odom has stressed that while his team is finding immediate success, there’s still a long way to go for the program to get to where he said it should be.

“If you take a breath and you relax, there’s somebody waiting around the corner to take you out. That’s in life and sports,” Odom said. “As a competitor, you want to be your best and for us to be our best. We’re not there yet. You’ve got to work.”

UNLV received national attention this week when it received four votes in the coach’s top 25 poll, and redshirt freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava was named the National Freshman of the Week by College Football Network.

Maiava has helped lead the Rebels to wins in their last four games. Odom said last week he felt the game started to slow down for Maiava. The former Liberty quarterback completed 20 of 25 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns against UNR.

Odom said Mavaia’s “stoic” approach has helped him to develop good habits in game day preparation and to understand what is needed from him in the Rebels’ offense.

“There’s a lot of things that had to be processed in a very short amount of time for it to be a successful play,” Odom said. “And I think the understanding of that is starting to take place through repetitions and will only continue to get better as the season goes on.”

Maiava has established himself as the starter. His teammates have noticed him grow as his role has expanded.

“I see (Maiava) developing leadership,” senior running back Donavyn Lester said. “When he started, he was a good leader, but he wasn’t as vocal as he is today. He does a good job of building connections with all the players on offense.”

Lester is one of four running backs listed as co-starters on UNLV’s depth chart. The Rebels are ninth in the country averaging 221.5 rushing yards per game.

Odom said he’s more focused on getting as “many guys as we can ready to play winning football” than worrying too much about their placement on the depth chart. He said he has a level of “comfort” with any of the four running backs — Lester, Jai’Den Thomas, Vincent Davis Jr. and Courtney Reese — and that the group has “embraced” their roles.

“(Offensive coordinator Brennan) Marion does a good job of being creative with the play calling,” Lester said. “We are all selfless players. We don’t care who gets the ball. We want to continue to build off one another. … It’s fun, but we want more.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.