The UNLV Rebels volition look to physique connected their 38-10 Week 4 win implicit the Akron Zips arsenic they travel location for the program’s archetypal crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium successful 4 weeks to instrumentality connected the California Golden Bears.
Their ACC hostile enters the matchup with an identical 2-2 grounds pursuing a 24-10 nonaccomplishment to the Clemson Tigers astatine location successful Week 4, with their 2 wins coming against the Syracuse Orange and astir precocious the Wagner Seahawks of the FCS.
The cardinal for Cal entering Saturday volition beryllium its defense, which held its opponents to 25 points betwixt some victories portion surrendering a combined 69 points successful the program’s 2 losses to Clemson and the No. 23 UCLA Bruins.
UNLV manager Dan Mullen praised the Golden Bears’ defense, stating they volition bring physicality some up beforehand and successful the secondary.
“They person endowment crossed the committee defensively,” Mullen said. “They person corners that look similar large antiaircraft ends, ne'er caput their interior guys.”
When Cal has recovered occurrence connected the violative broadside of the ball, it has been due to the fact that successful portion to the play of sophomore backmost Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who is successful his 2nd twelvemonth with the program.
The autochthonal of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, has thrown for 985 yards and 7 touchdowns done his 4 starts this play portion completing 64 percent of his passes connected 137 attempts.
Mullen spoke highly astir the erstwhile five-star enlistee and highlighted his quality to widen plays arsenic 1 of the main reasons the Golden Bear discourtesy has the imaginable to beryllium dangerous.
“On the violative broadside of the shot they person a backmost who everyone is talking astir being a imaginable No. 1 wide draught pick,” Mullen said. “He’s got size, has a cannon for an limb and makes each the passes. A truly beauteous passer.
“(Sagapolutele) has a large limb to motorboat it down the tract and a large limb to acceptable the shot with gait into choky windows. Obviously helium has large size to beryllium successful the pouch and bash each those things, but past you person his athleticism not conscionable to tally but to widen (the play).”
Rebels backmost Jackson Arnold besides mentioned that helium has kept tabs connected Sagapolutele aft a freshman play successful which helium logged 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns with 316 completions successful 13 starts arsenic a existent freshman.
“I deliberation (Sagapolutele) has been playing fantastic and evidently helium is highly young, too,” Arnold said. “In his archetypal twelvemonth playing, enactment up immoderate coagulated numbers and played immoderate truly cleanable ball.
“I’m excited for a bully backmost conflict this play and hopefully we enactment connected a show.”
The Golden Bears are led by manager Tosh Lupoi, who took implicit the programme this past offseason aft replacing Justin Wilcox, whom the Rebels matched up against successful their triumph implicit the programme successful the 2024 LA Bowl.
Lupoi was antecedently the antiaircraft coordinator with the Oregon Ducks from 2022-25 earlier making the determination to Cal, wherever helium antecedently played arsenic a antiaircraft lineman from 2000-05.
Mullen elaborate Lupoi’s antiaircraft operation arsenic a absorption constituent arsenic the Rebels hole to big the Golden Bears connected Saturday astatine Allegiant Stadium for the archetypal clip successful programme history.
“They person a large antiaircraft caput coach,” Mullen said. “You tin look astatine each the occurrence that helium has had successful assemblage football, whether astatine Oregon arsenic a coordinator oregon arsenic an adjunct astatine Alabama and each of the unbelievable defenses helium supported up there.”
The Rebels’ matchup against Cal volition adjacent their nonconference docket earlier returning to Mountain West play against the North Dakota State Bison successful Week 6.
Contact Donovan Hicks astatine dhicks@reviewjournal.com. Follow @HicksSports connected X.
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