Rebels can’t look back in anger

The task for UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez is the opposite of what it was last week.

If last week was about bringing his players back down to Earth, this week is about building them back up.

UNLV went into Saturday's game against San Jose State off the high of the victory at UNR a week earlier. Sanchez got his players to refocus, and they nearly beat the Spartans before losing 33-27 in overtime.

It was a difficult loss, but this is a short week, the Rebels have to forget about how close they were to victory against San Jose State and try to get one at Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. Friday. ESPN2 will televise the game.

"Coach gives us a 24-hour rule," safety Blake Richmond said Tuesday. "That's with a win or a loss, so it gets out of our system pretty quickly."

Part of Sanchez's message to his players is they still have their goals in front of them.

At 1-1 in the Mountain West, the Rebels have a realistic shot at the West Division. It's a weak division, and the winner probably will have at least one defeat.

At 2-4 overall, UNLV can work its way into a bowl by going at least 4-2 in the second half of its season. It's not an easy road, but there are winnable games, such as Fresno State, Hawaii and Wyoming. And victories over Colorado State and San Diego State wouldn't be expected, but they wouldn't be complete surprises.

Only a victory Boise State on Halloween would be a shock.

"We are fighting for 'Ws,'" Sanchez said. "We are fighting to win the West. Our backs are up against the wall a little bit after last Saturday, but we're in a good situation. You've got to go out and you've got to get a win. If you do, you're feeling really good about it. That's where all the focus is right now."

If UNLV doesn't beat Fresno State (1-5, 0-3 MW), then the Rebels can forget about any such goals. They are 6-point favorites over a team that has lost by an average margin of 22.3 points per game, third-worst nationally behind North Texas (34.4) and Kansas (26.4).

With Fresno State reeling, this is a great opportunity for the Rebels to truly put the loss to San Jose State in the past and look toward what is still out there to accomplish.

"Saturday night was a rough night," Sanchez said. "You wake up Sunday and you're still not feeling real good, but it's not 24 hours yet. You've got to get up and do your (weekly) TV show and put on a smiley face and talk about where you're going. Then when the guys come in, the last thing they want to see is a coach who's got his tail between his legs.

"So you show up and rub some dirt on it and get back out there."

* NOTES — Fullback David Greene, also a key special teams player, is back after missing two games with a concussion. ... Nickelback Darius Mouton didn't play against San Jose State after violating team rules. ... Linebacker Matt Lea is out for just one more week because of a knee injury. ... Fullback Marc Philippi is expected to return to the lineup after next week's bye. He hasn't played all season because of a foot injury.

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