5 burning questions ahead of UNLV vs. Hawaii

Five burning questions for when UNLV's football team plays Hawaii at 3 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium:

1. How motivated is UNLV based on last season's ending? The Rebels believe they had a victory taken away from them last year in Honolulu, and they will be highly energized to make up for it.

2. How badly do the Rebels need to win? Very much so. It's one thing to say the close games mean the program is headed in the right direction, but at some point they need to win. As a 9½-point favorite and with a healthy quarterback in Blake Decker, there is no excuse for UNLV not to win.

3. How bad is Hawaii? There's a reason why the Rainbow Warriors fired coach Norm Chow with about a month to play. The Warriors are last in the Mountain West in scoring offense (15.9 points per game), total offense (280.7-yard average), rushing offense (86.1 yards) and rushing defense (258.4).

4. So is there any reason the Rebels should be concerned? Yes, especially with a defense that ranks last in the conference in allowing 455.5 yards per game, including a league-worst 265.8 passing. Hawaii is in the middle of the pack in passing offense with a 194.6 average, so the Warriors can make some plays through the air and make the game competitive.

5. What does the coaching change at Hawaii mean for the Rebels? It creates a little more uncertainty in the way of preparation, but UNLV probably won't make many changes to its gameplan.

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65