UNLV defense relishes challenge against San Jose State star receiver

SAN JOSE, Calif. — UNLV football coach Barry Odom said he considered making star wide receiver Ricky White III more versatile and playing him at cornerback.

Odom shared the musing after White made what Odom called a “pretty good form tackle” on special teams during the second quarter of the Rebels’ 41-20 win over San Diego State on Saturday.

It reminded Odom of when his secondary was nearly depleted by injury during a win at Hawaii on Nov. 9.

“I should have dual-trained him. I’m not joking. I should have trained him some at corner,” Odom said. “I wouldn’t have thrown him out there without real reps, but I think he could do it. He’s an All-American. He’s an elite player, and he continues to make big-time plays.”

Now, 23rd-ranked UNLV (8-2, 4-1 Mountain West) prepares to face San Jose State (6-4, 3-3) on Friday with its defense in a much better place. Defensive backs Jarvis Ware, Malik Chavis, Tony Grimes are back in action after missing time against Hawaii.

The secondary getting healthier comes at an important time. San Jose State boasts the leading receiver in college football, senior Nick Nash.

Nash leads the FBS in receptions (95), receiving touchdowns (14), receiving yards (1,282) and receiving yards per game (128.2). He’s also thrown two touchdown passes.

“There are people that have played really well, and they still haven’t slowed him down,” Odom said. “We talk all the time in our defensive meetings about eliminating explosive plays. They are going to get some. But we’ve got to minimize those. (Nash has) tremendous linear speed, a huge catch radius. I think he’s one of the best guys in college football, so we’ve certainly got our work coming up for us.”

‘Playing together’

It’s not just Nash. Numbers say the Spartans also have the best receiving pair in the nation, with Nash and senior Justin Lockhart combining for 2,207 yards. Lockhart ranks 13th in receiving yards with 925. For comparison, White is 19th with 867 yards. They’re the top three wideouts in the Mountain West.

UNLV defensive end Antonio Doyle Jr. said the Rebels are primed for the challenge.

“You got some threats downfield,” he said. “So we’re really going to emphasize getting at the quarterback this week.”

UNLV defensive lineman Fisher Camac, who had eight tackles against San Diego State, said he’s confident in the unit’s ability.

“As a defense, we’re all playing together and just going out there and playing the best of our abilities,” he said. “And I feel like that’s from practicing hard every day and just going out there and giving our best effort.”

The Rebels are tied for fourth in the nation in turnover margin (+13). They haven’t committed more than one turnover in any game, but the defense has created 81 points off turnovers.

Defensive backs Jalen Catalon and Johnathan Baldwin also will be key players against San Jose State. Baldwin has defended the opponent’s best receiver in every game, while Catalon is tied for second in the nation in interceptions with five.

Must-win situation

UNLV hasn’t won in San Jose since 1993. The Spartans have won four straight against UNLV and lead the series 20-7-1.

But Odom isn’t viewing this as the biggest remaining game of the season.

“You can’t say that,” he said. “We all know what’s next week (UNR), and then what happens? … (San Jose State) is the biggest one because it’s the next one.”

Like every game since the Rebels lost to Mountain West leader Boise State 29-24 on Oct. 25, this is a must-win for them to stay in the race to play in the conference championship game.

Colorado State (7-3, 5-0) holds the No. 2 spot in the standings. The Rams play Saturday at Fresno State (5-5, 3-3).

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.