UNLV hopes to flip script on Boise State in MW championship game

BOISE, Idaho — The numbers were somewhat staggering.

Twelve plays of 20 yards or more.

Touchdowns of 35, 49, 29, 32 and 22 yards.

A total of 558 yards.

A final score of 56-31. Wasn’t really that close.

It was Oct. 18 when Boise State rolled UNLV in a pretty straightforward manner, piling up big numbers with ease in just 27:55 of possession.

Now, in the season’s biggest game, the Rebels will try to flip the script. Or at least compete in a much better fashion.

UNLV (10-2) will meet Boise State (8-4) in the Mountain West championship game at Albertsons Stadium on what is predicted to be a rainy and chilly Friday evening.

“Everything on game day stems from preparation during the week,” UNLV junior safety Jake Pope said. “Obviously, we weren’t locked in that first game. When it comes to playing good teams like this, every little thing matters. One mistake can lead to a touchdown. It’s all about preparation, and last time we didn’t do it well enough. It’s going to be a little different this time.”

A better defense?

He and teammates are confident in their ability to beat the Broncos because of recent play from their defense. Because the Rebels — at least for the past month or so — are not the same team that lost so soundly in October in Boise.

UNLV has posted second-half shutouts in two of its past four outings. It finally has the look of a side that has not only embraced defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s scheme but actually understands it.

It doesn’t appear to be the team that had players lined up on the wrong side of the field against Boise State and watched as Broncos receivers ran free into the secondary time and again.

But it wasn’t just the defense that failed UNLV in that first game, despite the Rebels scoring 31 points.

They were 4 of 13 on third down. They had a pick six brought back 60 yards that essentially ended the game late in the third quarter. They had dropped passes. They missed protections. They had a player go the wrong way on a play. They had another run the wrong play. It all just snowballed.

“I don’t want it to be like every one of their scores came because we made a mistake,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “They made great plays. They have a great scheme. Those guys made things happen.

“But I want us to play good ball, and if they make a great play, I don’t want it to be because we’ve got a guy standing on the wrong side of the field. We’re starting to play a lot more good ball. But the first time we played there, we made mistakes that really cost us in that game.”

The weather could certainly play a role in what occurs Friday, but the Rebels have battled the elements a few times this season and still found the end zone enough to win.

UNLV has scored at least 20 points in each of its past 34 regular-season games, the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. It has scored at least 29 in 12 straight, the second-longest streak in conference history. The Rebels can be as explosive as anyone else.

Third straight

“I’m not surprised they’re a 10-win team,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “I don’t look too much into the past or the future. I just know we’re playing in a championship game against arguably one of the best teams on the West Coast. They’re playing their best football right now, and we have our work cut out for us.

“Their defense has done a really good job tightening things up. They’ve gotten better week in and week out. You see a team on the rise.”

This is the third straight year UNLV and Boise State have met for the conference title. The Broncos have won the past two meetings by scores of 44-20 in Allegiant Stadium and 21-7 in Boise.

And yet it’s the plan of UNLV to flip the script from October.

To play good ball.

“I don’t want to say the last time was a loss,” senior outside linebacker/defensive end Chief Borders said. “I want to say it was another opportunity to grow. As a team, it was a steppingstone that we could get better. That’s what we did.

“That’s what’s going to happen Friday. We are going to showcase who we are as Rebels.”

It’s the season’s biggest game. No time like the present.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.