UNLV-New Mexico position breakdown
A look at who has the advantage at each position when UNLV plays at New Mexico at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Albuquerque:
QUARTERBACKS
Senior Johnny Stanton has played well since taking over UNLV’s starting job, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for a 142.1 passer rating. New Mexico senior Lamar Jordan has rushed for 228 yards on 3.6 yards per carry in his team’s triple-option offense.
Advantage: UNLV
RUNNING BACKS
Junior Tyrone Owens (579 yards) will be asked to carry more of the load for the Lobos with Richard McQuarley (473 yards) expected to miss the game with a leg injury. But Owens will be hard-pressed to match the production of Rebels junior Lexington Thomas, who is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Advantage: UNLV
RECEIVERS
UNLV’s leading receiver, senior Devonte Boyd, has almost twice as many yards this season (551) as New Mexico’s top pass catcher, freshman Jay Griffin IV (283). Sophomore Brandon Presley (461 yards) is also having a nice season behind Boyd.
Advantage: UNLV
OFFENSIVE LINE
Even with teams knowing the Lobos are going to run the ball, they’ve been almost the equal of the Rebels up front. New Mexico is averaging 5.0 yards per carry, and UNLV is averaging 5.5.
Advantage: Push
DEFENSIVE LINE
After showing improvement against the run for two weeks, the Rebels gave up 265 rushing yards at home to Brigham Young last Friday. New Mexico gives up almost 100 fewer rushing yards per game (130.1) than UNLV (227.3).
Advantage: New Mexico
LINEBACKERS
The Lobos’ most productive linebacker, junior Alex Hart, has 45 tackles. Rebels sophomore Gabe McCoy has 66 tackles, with three tackles for loss, an interception and two forced fumbles.
Advantage: UNLV
SECONDARY
New Mexico and UNLV have fared similarly defending the pass, with one major exception. The Lobos have allowed 25 TDs through the air in 10 games, and the Rebels have given up 14.
Advantage: UNLV
SPECIAL TEAMS
New Mexico senior punter Corey Bojorquez is one of the most impressive players on his team, averaging a Mountain West-best 47.3 yards per punt. UNLV averages 35.9 yards per punt. Field-goal kicking looks like a push, as the Rebels make 72.3 percent of their attempts and the Lobos 69.2 percent.
Advantage: New Mexico
INTANGIBLES
The last time UNLV faced a triple-option team on the road, it lost 34-30 at Air Force on Oct. 14. New Mexico is a different team, though, as the Lobos have lost their past five games and been outscored 186-51 in that span.
Advantage: UNLV
HANDICAPPER’S TAKE
Bruce Marshall (goldsheet.com): UNLV 34, New Mexico 29 — A spin of the roulette wheel at the Route 66 Casino offers better odds than forecasting either of these two bipolar entries. But there have been a few better efforts from UNLV (4-0 vs. the line on the road), which can get to a bowl and is sticking with Stanton over the now-healthy freshman Armani Rogers.
More Rebels: Follow all of our UNLV coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Rebels and @RJRebels on Twitter.
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow@BenSGotz on Twitter.
