Chip Kelly was fired as offensive coordinator by the Raiders and deserved blame for the offense’s struggles, but other factors have led to this level of failure.
Ed Graney
Sports columnist
Email: egraney@reviewjournal.com
Phone: (702) 383-4618
X: @edgraney
Ed Graney came to the Review-Journal in May of 2006 as its lead sports columnist. He has covered all major sporting events, including Super Bowls to NBA championships to every Final Four since 1995. Graney also covered the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and London (2012). A graduate of San Diego State University, he is a five-time Nevada Sportswriter of the Year and past winner of Associated Press Sports Editors Top 10 for columns. He and wife Bonnie have two children, a son (Tristan) and daughter (Bridget).
UNLV will meet Boise State for the third consecutive season in the Mountain West football championship game after the two teams were selected by computer metrics.
The Rebels (10-2) beat UNR for a fourth straight season and assured the Fremont Cannon will remain red for yet another year.
A win Saturday at UNR would place UNLV in a four-way tie for first place in the Mountain West. Computers then would decide who plays in the championship game.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea came to UNLV to learn from coach Dan Mullen. Now, he might be the favorite for Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
There was no talk about ranking systems Tuesday at Allegiant Stadium. Just special memories being created by the eight schools fighting for state titles.
In a historical sense, this is awful on countless levels. This is a Raiders team that absolutely belongs on a list of the most inferior in franchise history.
Deciding which two teams square off in the Mountain West title game will come down to the final week of the regular season. And UNLV still has a chance.
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s unit has allowed an average of 15.3 points the past three games and held Hawaii, the Mountain West’s leading offense, to 231 yards.
Quarterback Micah Alejado, who led Bishop Gorman to the 2023 mythical national championship, now directs the run-and-shoot offense for the Rainbow Warriors.
The Rebels, who host Hawaii on Friday, could go to several different bowl destinations depending on whether they win the Mountain West championship.
Raiders minority owner Tom Brady needs to be far more involved in the daily happenings of the franchise, which embarrassed itself again Monday night.
Utah State safety Titan Saxton was expected to fly home to Logan, Utah, on Sunday after being injured in a double overtime loss to UNLV on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
Good teams find a way to win when things are hectic. Good teams make the biggest plays at the most important of times. That was the UNLV football team Saturday.
It’s time for Raiders coach Pete Carroll to give more snaps to rookie wideouts Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. The team needs to know what they’re capable of.