Rebels can keep Ohio State game from being total loss

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coaches would rather discuss politics and religion than give merit to the idea of moral victories.

But as UNLV, a 40-point underdog, plays one of college football’s most storied programs in one of its most historic venues, there is reason to believe the Rebels can emerge from Saturday’s game with a victory.

Even if it isn’t on the scoreboard.

Should the Rebels be somewhat competitive in the 9 a.m. PDT game at Ohio Stadium that the Big Ten Network will televise, they could build on those positives with Mountain West play looming the following week.

Here are three ways UNLV (1-1) can take victory out of a loss to the 10th-ranked Buckeyes (2-1).

1. Move the ball.

Two games is a small sample size, but UNLV’s offense is off to a strong start. The Rebels average 42 points and 557 yards, but they face an Ohio State defensive front that will make picking up even first downs a tough task.

That’s why UNLV coach Tony Sanchez said the Rebels can’t just line up and run at the Buckeyes and expect to have success. The onus will be on quarterback Armani Rogers, making just his third start, to make plays in the passing game.

“You have to go out there and be yourself,” Rogers said. “You can’t go out there and try to do too much. When you try to do too much, that’s when bad things happen.”

Rogers has more than reliable receivers in Devonte Boyd and Kendal Keys, and Ohio State’s inexperienced cornerbacks are still trying to prove they can make plays. Opportunities could be there for UNLV to move the ball.

If the Rebels have success through the air, that will force the Buckeyes to back off loading the box to stop a UNLV rushing attack that ranks fourth nationally with 350.5 yards per game.

“If you’re going to have an opportunity in a game like this, you’re going to have to stretch the field,” Sanchez said. “We’re going to have to run some to win the football game, there’s no doubt about that. But we definitely have got to take advantage of some of those talented receivers we have, and we’re going to have to put them in some one-on-one situations and give our guys the ability to make some plays.”

2. Make plays defensively.

It’s difficult to envision a scenario in which UNLV plays straight-up defense all game and keeps Ohio State’s offense in check. The Rebels can’t expect to force a series of three-and-outs, so they will need to take chances.

That doesn’t mean they need to go crazy and blitz every other down, but an occasional well-timed one could create a takeaway or two. Doing so could provide the offense with a short field and excellent scoring opportunity.

Even if the Rebels force turnovers, they probably will give up plenty of points to a Buckeyes team averaging 34.3 per game. The key is to limit the damage.

3. Don’t get beaten up physically.

The worst thing that can happen to UNLV is to lose two or three key players for an extended time. UNLV’s receivers were decimated last season, and it turned the Rebels into a one-dimensional team that was easy to defend by the latter part of the season.

UNLV already has lost running back Charles Williams (ankle) for the season and can’t take another hit at that position. And don’t even mention the idea of losing a player such as Rogers.

But teams can’t be scared, either, and the Rebels must go out to make plays regardless of the risks.

“You don’t worry about them at all,” Sanchez said. “We walked into the UCLA game last year, a pretty good team, and played fine. We went to Michigan (two years ago). I mean, heck, you can have a walk-through and get a kid injured. We’ve seen it happen. This is a physical game. We’ve got a bunch of physical kids. We’re going to go out there and get after them.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.