UNLV can set tone with win over Southern Utah

If UNLV is to serve notice that it will play in a bowl this season, the Rebels need to make a statement Saturday.

To begin their final season at Sam Boyd Stadium, they are 24-point favorites for the 7 p.m. kickoff against FCS foe Southern Utah. It’s an opportunity the Rebels can’t afford to waste.

“We want to go out and prove to everybody we want to go to a bowl game this year,” running back Charles Williams said. “I feel like this game is going to set the tone.”

UNLV, which went 4-8 last season and is seeking its first postseason appearance in six years, needs this victory given what’s on the horizon. The Rebels have trips to Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Fresno State and UNR and home games against Boise State and San Diego State.

Though six victories are needed for bowl eligibility, coach Tony Sanchez and the players said they were thinking bigger and weren’t overwhelmed by the task that lies ahead of them.

“The thing I love about them is they’re older, more mature,” Sanchez said. “They’re not feeling any pressure. There’s no one in the staff room feeling any pressure. We’re just going out and playing football. So we’re focusing on the team in front of us, and a bunch of weeks from now, it’ll all be out there.”

The Rebels have a checkered history against FCS opponents, even if Sanchez usually has overseen routs. UNLV under Sanchez has beaten lower-level teams by margins of 29, 50 and 72 points.

His one blemish is the game that tends to be remembered most, however, a 43-40 loss to Howard to open the 2017 season. It’s the largest known upset in terms of point spread — UNLV was a 45-point favorite.

Sanchez, though, has had much more success than his predecessor in such games. Bobby Hauck was on the sideline in 2011 for a 41-16 loss to Southern Utah, in 2012 for a 17-14 loss to Northern Arizona and in 2014 for a 13-12 victory over Northern Colorado that felt like a defeat.

“We’re telling (the younger players) this is not an easy win,” Williams said. “Go out there and treat them like they’re Alabama.”

None of the current Rebels played in that 25-point loss to Southern Utah eight years ago, and both programs are in much different places. The Thunderbirds, who went 1-10 last season, were picked second from last in the Big Sky Conference by the coaches and third from last by the media. UNLV is more skilled and athletic than that 2011 team that went 2-10.

Even so, if anyone knows not to overlook an opponent, it’s UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers. His starting debut came in that loss to Howard, which hung over the rest of the season as UNLV finished 5-7, one victory from bowl eligibility.

“We have to go out there as if we’re facing the best opponent and give it your all each and every drive,” Rogers said. “You can’t take anything for granted.”

More Rebels: Follow at reviewjournal.com/Rebels and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.