Cougars get UNLV on the run

HOUSTON — The second half a week ago against Northern Illinois turned out to be a mirage, not something for UNLV’s once-again struggling offense to build upon.

That offense was a no-show Saturday night against Houston.

The Cougars were there for the taking in the first half, and UNLV’s offense couldn’t get out of its own way long enough to make the most of the situation.

Then the Cougars did their part in the second half to turn a competitive football game into a 47-14 rout of the Rebels at TDECU Stadium, a passing team that gained 399 yards on the ground.

UNLV’s defensive problems aren’t new, but that could have been the 1985 Chicago Bears on the field, and it might not have mattered considering its offensive issues.

The Rebels (1-3) scored 29 points in the second half last week against Northern Illinois, but they have 45 points in the other 14 quarters combined. But coach Bobby Hauck said he didn’t think drastic measures needed to be taken to pump some life into the offense.

“We’ve got to do some things better, certainly,” Hauck said. “I don’t think that panic in the middle of the season is a good course of action or a good quality in teams. I think it’s rarely successful. So we just need to be better in all areas from fundamentals to how we’re calling it to just flat making plays.”

UNLV’s offense had several opportunities in the first half against Houston (2-2), including twice taking the ball into Cougars territory following interceptions. UNLV failed to score both times, the latter chance effectively ending when quarterback Blake Decker let the play clock expire with fourth-and-7 at the Cougars’ 34-yard line.

Another time, UNLV had a fourth-and-1 at Houston’s 36, but H-back Taylor Barnhill was called for a false start, forcing a Rebels punt.

Those missed opportunities meant the Rebels went into halftime trailing 13-7 when they could have been ahead.

“I left too many plays on the field that I could’ve taken advantage of,” said Decker, who completed 12 of 28 passes for 113 yards, with two interceptions. “I think that a large part of that had to do with the score they put up tonight.”

If it wasn’t offensive ineptitude, it was UNLV providing the Cougars with plenty of free yards. The Rebels were hit with five penalties for 114 yards in the first half and 11 infractions for 171 yards for the game.

“The penalties were atrocious,” Hauck said. “We were the third-least penalized team in the nation a year ago. We look like a whole different outfit right now.”

With the combination of lack of offensive execution and all the penalties, it seemed a matter of time before the Rebels’ defense just couldn’t keep the game close anymore.

Houston scored 30 seconds into the second half on a 26-yard touchdown pass from John O’Korn to running back Ryan Jackson. The Cougars scored 17 points in the third quarter to break open the game and 17 in the fourth.

They totaled 534 yards even on a night in which O’Korn completed just 12 of 27 passes for 135 yards. Jackson rushed for 147 yards and Kenneth Farrow 113, and the Cougars gained 263 yards on the ground in the second half alone.

“They committed to (the run),” Hauck said. “We didn’t think they would.”

UNLV also suffered several injuries.

Safety Peni Vea was immobilized midway through the second quarter after making a tackle and taken off the field on a stretcher. Hauck said Vea had feeling in his extremities and should be fine.

It was that kind of night for the Rebels, with players going down throughout the game. Wide receiver Devante Davis and safety Mike Horsey were two of several players who were injured. Wide receiver/kick returner Marcus Sullivan took the field after missing the previous game with a leg injury and quickly went out.

Davis, who is from Houston, entered with a previously undisclosed wrist injury, and he didn’t play after taking a shot early in the third quarter. He caught one pass for zero yards.

“He’s a little banged up,” Hauck said. “He tried to go a little bit tonight. We’re pretty beat up, and he’s one of them, so that obviously never helps when he’s down.”

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