5 burning questions for Thursday’s UNLV-Jackson State game

Five burning questions as UNLV’s football team prepares to open its 49th season against Jackson State at 7 p.m. Thursday at Sam Boyd Stadium:

1. Which Johnny Stanton will show up?

One version was among the highest-rated prep quarterbacks in the country at Santa Margarita High School in California and accounted for 4,218 yards of offense and 39 touchdowns last season at Saddleback College. The other washed out at Nebraska and couldn’t decisively beat out Kurt Palandech for the Rebels’ starting job.

2. How will the Rebels’ receiving corps handle the loss of starter Kendal Keys?

The loss of Keys, a returning junior starter, to season-ending knee surgery Friday leaves junior starter Devonte Boyd as the only wideout on the team with more than three career catches. But the young group still appears poised to be among the best in the Mountain West with redshirt freshman Darren Woods Jr. and sophomore returnee Brandon Presley each expected to make a big impact.

3. Will UNLV be able to run the ball?

The short answer is yes. The Rebels finished 36th in the country last season in rushing offense, with 193.7 yards per game, behind an offensive line that started three players in the finale weighing 270 pounds. UNLV has since beefed up its offensive line, aka “The Orcas,” and features an improved backfield with sophomore returnees Lexington Thomas and Xzaviar Campbell and explosive true freshman Charles Williams leading the way.

4. Will the team generate a pass rush?

UNLV finished dead last in the nation in sacks last season with nine. Jeremiah Valoaga, a 6-foot-6-inch, 255-pound senior defensive end, might get that many himself this year and linebacker LaKeith Walls, a fifth-year senior transfer from Illinois, also should help the Rebels put more pressure on the quarterback.

5. How much will the Rebels improve in Year 2 of the Tony Sanchez era?

After guiding UNLV to three wins last season for only the fourth time in the last 12 years, second-year coach Sanchez expects nothing less than a trip to a bowl game. The Rebels, 34-point favorites over the Tigers, are actually favored in six games this season and are only 1-point home underdogs to Colorado State. If Stanton can regain his “Johnny Football” swagger, UNLV has a good shot at winning six games and going bowling for only the fifth time in school history.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow on Twitter: @tdewey33