UNLV vs. Wyoming: position-by-position breakdown

A look at who has the advantage at each position when UNLV hosts Wyoming in a 12:30 p.m. game Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

QUARTERBACKS

Wyoming starter Josh Allen has been a dual threat, compiling 1,884 passing yards and 397 rushing yards. Kurt Palandech starts his first game of the season for UNLV after suffering a shoulder injury in the fall. He has completed less than 50 percent of his passes during his college career.

Edge: Wyoming

RUNNING BACKS

The Rebels get 632-yard rusher Lexington Thomas back Saturday after an ankle injury kept him out of the second half of the team’s game against San Jose State on Oct. 29. The Cowboys still will have a big advantage in the backfield, as Brian Hill ranks third in the nation with 1,298 rushing yards.

Edge: Wyoming

RECEIVERS

Devonte Boyd is coming off a six-catch, 136-yard game for UNLV, but the team is otherwise devoid of playmakers in the passing game. Wyoming’s leading receiver, Tanner Gentry, has 778 yards, and Jake Maulhardt and Jacob Hollister have more than 300 apiece.

Edge: Wyoming

OFFENSIVE LINE

Both teams’ rushing attacks rank among the top 25 nationally in yards per game, and both teams’ lines have been able to limit the heat put on their quarterbacks. The Rebels have been better at avoiding sacks, though, allowing only seven in nine games. The Cowboys have allowed 15.

Edge: UNLV

DEFENSIVE LINE

While UNLV has been able to prevent sacks, it has been bad at generating them. The Rebels are tied for 96th in the FBS with 15 sacks, and Wyoming has 21. The Cowboys also allow 29 fewer rushing yards per game.

Edge: Wyoming

LINEBACKERS

Tau Lotulelei has been a disruptive force for the Rebels’ defense, with 84 tackles, 13 for loss and 1½ sacks. Wyoming’s top linebackers Lucas Wacha and Logan Wilson have combined for only eight tackles for loss. Wacha has 65 tackles, and UNLV’s second-best linebacker, Ryan McAleenan, has 67.

Edge: UNLV

SECONDARY

The Cowboys are near the bottom of the FBS in passing yards allowed per game (303). The number hasn’t been helped by three blowout wins, but Wyoming also ranks near the bottom of big plays allowed through the air. The team has 13 interceptions, though, and has returned three for touchdowns. UNLV has only three picks and allows 253.6 passing yards per game, which ranks 92nd in the country.

Edge: Wyoming

SPECIAL TEAMS

The special teams units are fairly even, with similar overall numbers on punt and kickoff coverage. The teams are close in kickoff return average, too. The Rebels set themselves apart on field goals, with eight makes in nine tries. Wyoming has missed six field goals.

Edge: UNLV

INTANGIBLES

This could turn into a trap game for Wyoming. The Mountain Division-leading Cowboys are on the road and could start looking ahead to the following weekend, when they will play West Division-leading San Diego State. A couple of early breaks could breathe hope into UNLV.

Edge: UNLV

HANDICAPPER’S TAKE

Bruce Marshall (goldsheet.com): Wyoming 33, UNLV 17 — After five straight wins and point-spread covers, do not expect any Wyoming letdown, as Cowboys coach Craig Bohl knows a bit about keeping teams focused after his FCS power North Dakota State was 43-2 straight-up from 2011 to 2013. Much-improved quarterback play by Josh Allen is a major difference from Bohl’s first two Laramie teams. UNLV’s ambush chances are diminished, as Mountain West foes are figuring out the limitations of redshirt freshman quarterback Dalton Sneed and forced Tony Sanchez to make another switch to Kurt Palandech, not the sort of move a team usually makes in November unless things are going sideways.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.