61°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

UNLV hopes to build on win at San Diego State

Updated November 12, 2018 - 6:58 pm

UNLV didn’t win on a fluke play such as a muffed punt or a tipped pass for a pick-six.

The Rebels beat San Diego State on Saturday the old-fashioned way — at the line of scrimmage.

They earned every bit of that 27-24 victory in San Diego, a place the Rebels haven’t won in 18 years.

That doesn’t mean UNLV (3-7, 1-5 Mountain West) will automatically build on that victory and win at Hawaii (6-5, 3-3) at 8 p.m. Saturday, but the way in which the Rebels won should give them hope moving forward.

“It’s a hard game,” coach Tony Sanchez said Monday. “Even when you win, it still takes a toll on you, so having those emotional lifts are a big, big deal to get you going back out to work. I’m really proud of our seniors, too, because you’re one game removed from knowing there’s not going to be a postseason.

“For them to go out and respond the way they did, that showed a lot of character.”

UNLV fans can watch the game against the Rainbow Warriors on their phones or tablets by using the Stadium app. Hawaii is a 6½-point favorite in what is called the Ninth Island Showdown, with the winner receiving the Island Showdown Trophy.

The Rebels close their season against their two chief rivals, Hawaii and UNR, so motivation shouldn’t be a problem.

Neither should confidence after the game at San Diego State. UNLV rushed for 199 yards, its largest output since gaining 310 on Sept. 22 at Arkansas State.

On the other side, the Rebels held the Aztecs to 89 yards rushing. Only Prairie View A&M, which rushed for 40 yards on Sept. 15, gained fewer yards against UNLV.

“I think it’s always important to get the mojo back in the building,” defensive end Jameer Outsey said. “Any time you have a loss, I feel like me personally, I try to make sure everybody keeps their confidence.

“San Diego State was a tough team, they’re a really good team, beat a lot of guys in our conference. I think guys having that feel back into them and having their swagger back always helps.”

Quarterback Max Gilliam continued to make strides, completing 16 of 24 passes for 237 yards with a touchdown and interception. His development gives Rebels coaches some flexibility in monitoring the Armani Rogers situation. Rogers, who injured a toe at Arkansas State, has practiced the past two weeks but not played.

“We’ll see how he progresses, but obviously we’re comfortable with having Max in there,” Sanchez said. “He’s done a great job, led us to a big victory. If Armani at some point does get healthy, well now you’ve got two guys that can go in and play.”

Sanchez said recently this was Rogers’ team and that he would be the starter once healthy. Could that have changed at least for the end of this season?

“It’s Max’s ball,” Sanchez said. “We perceive him having the start again this week, and we’re going to go from there.”

More Rebels: Follow all of our UNLV coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Rebels and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.

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

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST