Louie Addazio said it’s astir a next-man-up mentality. That the country has to ain a mindset to person each other’s backs.
That if 1 feline goes down, different comes successful and has to beryllium lifted up by those astir him.
“We person to set together, nary substance who’s successful the middle,” said Addazio, violative enactment manager for UNLV’s shot team. “We person immoderate versatility. We conscionable person to grind this happening retired and rock-and-roll.”
The Rebels unfastened Mountain West play astatine Hawaii connected Saturday and volition beryllium without starting halfway Austin Boyd, who went down with wounded successful the 4th fourth of a 27-21 season-opening nonaccomplishment to Memphis.
It wasn’t bully afterwards. The Rebels struggled mightily to support backmost Jackson Arnold and determination the shot down the stretch.
It volition beryllium imperative things alteration this week due to the fact that determination is each accidental the Rebels could find themselves successful a shootout with the Rainbow Warriors, 1 of the much unsafe violative units successful the conference.
But rainfall is besides predicted for the area, meaning those up beforehand conscionable mightiness person to amusement consistency successful their tally blocking schemes for a backmost similar Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas.
Either way, overmuch volition beryllium expected from Addazio’s group.
“No doubt, Austin is simply a person and losing him is simply a large deal,” violative lineman Jackson Brown said. “But whoever is successful there, we spot him.
“We conscionable needed to travel retired to signifier this week and statesman stacking days to get acceptable for Hawaii. Watch film. Stay together. This is simply a immense crippled for america to get backmost connected way and get our archetypal win, particularly against a bully team. We cognize we tin play mode amended and people a batch much points.”
Watching tape
Hawaii is similar Memphis and it isn’t. It volition dispersed retired UNLV defensively but however the Rainbow Warriors onslaught is different.
The schemes aren’t precise close.
“Air Force runs 2 wide receivers and 2 slots also, but they’re surely not going to beryllium akin to (Memphis and Hawaii),” UNLV manager Dan Mullen said. “It’s a large rivalry crippled for us, the archetypal league game. It’s a immense week for us.”
He watched the Memphis portion and came distant with the aforesaid valuation helium had had instantly pursuing the game.
That the Rebels had each accidental to summation a pb but couldn’t person erstwhile it mattered most.
That his squad indispensable people successful the reddish zone. It was the quality betwixt winning and losing. UNLV had the shot 3 times wrong the Memphis 20-yard enactment and equaled zero points.
Do that against Hawaii, and the Rebels would astir surely travel location 0-2 connected the season.
“You know, it sucks that we mislaid (to Memphis),” said linebacker Kamuela Ka’aihue, 1 of 2 Hawaiian natives for UNLV returning location this week. “Guys are going to consciousness down. Guys are going to consciousness mad. But we’re besides precise focused connected flushing what happened and putting our absorption connected however we tin hole ourselves and get acceptable for a large game. This is league play.
“Obviously, we didn’t play a cleanable crippled past week. We request to beryllium capable to execute and effort to amended ourselves each azygous day, careless of who we’re playing.”
Hawaii opened its play with a 37-27 nonaccomplishment astatine Stanford, erstwhile the Rainbow Warriors were wrong minutes of staging the biggest fourth-quarter comeback successful schoolhouse history.
They had scored 3 touchdowns to crook a 23-7 shortage into a 27-23 lead. But specified thoughts of triumph ended erstwhile a fumble by backmost Micah Alejado (Bishop Gorman) was returned 31 yards for Stanford’s game-sealing touchdown.
“I emotion the guys’ mentality,” Hawaii manager Timmy Chang told reporters this week. “We were close there. We enactment ourselves successful presumption to triumph the game, and I emotion that astir them. With an hostile similar UNLV, apical of the league the past 3 years, this crippled is important.”
Rage successful eyes
It conscionable mightiness beryllium — arsenic with astir games — connected however the Rebels execute up beforehand connected some sides of the ball. Injuries and eligibility issues person chopped into the extent crossed the lines. How the Rebels fare successful the reddish zone. How they woody with the weather. Lots to consider. A batch connected the line.
“One happening our spot manager said (after Memphis) was helium didn’t spot a batch of radical down connected themselves oregon pouty,” wide receiver Taeshaun Lyons said. “He saw a small rage successful our eyes. The looks connected our faces were motivated. We tin trust connected each different and beryllium amended this week for each different and beryllium stronger.
“I’m excited to spot what’s going to happen.”
Contact Ed Graney astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney connected X.
Up next
■Who: UNLV astatine Hawaii
■When: 7 p.m. Saturday
■Where: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu
■TV: CW
■Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)
English (US)·