While it mightiness not look overmuch successful the expansive strategy of a 39-31 victory, UNLV’s shot squad had immoderate fourth-down stops Saturday astatine Allegiant Stadium that decidedly helped propel the Rebels to victory.
UNLV closed retired the nonconference information of their docket with the triumph and present re-enter Mountain West play with an wide grounds of 3-2 and 1-0 successful league.
Coming disconnected this benignant of triumph tin lone assistance its cause.
The Rebels stopped Cal connected 3 fourth-down plays with the Bears driving for scores.
The archetypal came connected the game’s opening drive, erstwhile UNLV held connected fourth-and-2 from its ain 48.
The 2nd halt was huge. Cal opened the 2nd fractional with a palmy onside footwear and drove to the UNLV 23 erstwhile facing a fourth-and-2. Instead of attempting a tract goal, the Golden Bears went for it and were stuffed by the Rebels.
The last 1 came with UNLV starring 32-25 with little than 8 minutes remaining. Cal had fourth-and-5 from the UNLV 48 erstwhile Jake Pope came connected a information blitz and forced an errant propulsion to crook the shot implicit connected downs.
Notable efforts
“I mean, those are immense plays,” UNLV manager Dan Mullen said. “Forcing them disconnected the tract successful region situations, I deliberation (defensive coordinator) Paul (Guenther) and the antiaircraft unit had a large crippled program coming in.
“We came aft them successful the archetypal fractional and past they made immoderate adjustments and we made immoderate adjustments to alteration things up. Any clip you tin get them connected 4th down, you’re stealing possessions, right?”
The Rebels received notable efforts from respective defensively. Tre Fulton led UNLV with 10 tackles, including six solo. Pope had 8 tackles, including 1 for loss.
And antiaircraft backmost Mumu Bin-Wahad picked up wherever helium near disconnected past week successful Akron with six tackles (four solo) and a sack.
In all, the Rebels tallied 4 sacks.
“It’s truly astir my coaches and teammates trusting maine each week,” Bin-Wahad said. “I consciousness similar erstwhile I archetypal got here, I was pressing excessively hard, trying to marque each play. (Guenther) conscionable told maine to spell retired and bash my occupation and plays volition travel to you.”
Said backmost Jackson Arnold: “Mumu is simply a fantastic leader. He brings a batch of occurrence to our defense. You spot it successful practice. It’s what I saw successful outpouring and summertime and autumn camp. The occurrence helium plays with. He’s a batch of amusive to watch. Grateful to beryllium his teammate.”
Um, 60,000?
So present it’s astir returning to Mountain West play, and the Rebels volition archetypal big the league’s hottest squad successful North Dakota State connected Saturday.
There person been rumblings that the Bison fans are going to question rather good to Las Vegas, possibly successful the scope of 8,000-10,000 folks arriving for the game.
“For us, we’ll bask the triumph contiguous and interest astir that (game) adjacent week,” Mullen said. “For us, we’re successful Vegas. We had a large situation with students and fans and everybody showing up. But present it’s league play and it’s a big, big, big-time game.
“Today’s attendance was 30,000. We request (60,000) adjacent week. Double down. If you’re a UNLV instrumentality and successful the metropolis of Las Vegas and privation to represent, I’ll telephone everybody out. It’s a large game, and we request that homefield vantage successful these matchups. We’re going to person a raucous crowd. It volition beryllium a truly amusive Saturday night.”
It volition beryllium adjacent much amusive connected their broadside if they get a fewer much of those fourth-down stops.
Contact Ed Graney astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney connected X.
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