Dixon shows quick improvement after halftime

LOGAN, Utah — UNLV’s coaches made a discovery in the spring.

They found if they let quarterback Travis Dixon play real football — getting hit the way the tailbacks and receivers do — that he played better. That was especially true in the spring game, when Dixon looked like the redshirt freshman he is until the coaches let him go at the end and he led his team on a game-winning drive.

Dixon made his first career start Thursday, and he looked like someone who had never taken a Division I-A snap — that is until the coaches let Dixon go and he rallied the Rebels to a 23-16 victory at Utah State.

Dixon passed for 139 yards and rushed for 103 in the second half — a vast improvement from the 2 yards passing and 26 yards rushing he had in the first half.

“We were trying to be a little bit careful with Travis in the first half,” UNLV coach Mike Sanford said. “He’s the kind of player that you’ve got to cut loose a little bit. You can see what happens to him when you cut him loose.”

Utah State also surprised UNLV with a heavy dose of blitzes in the first half. The Aggies wanted to test the young quarterback, and Dixon and his offensive teammates managed just one first down.

UNLV countered in the second half by often spreading the field with five receivers. The Aggies had to match up, which gave Dixon more time to get comfortable.

On the first play of the second half, Dixon completed a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Casey Flair on the right side that settled him down.

“He was kind of rushing, wasn’t staying in the pocket,” Flair said. “In the second half, he said, ‘You know what, I’m going to stay in the pocket.’ The (offensive) line gave him time, and he started hitting targets.”

It was a big play because the Rebels needed Dixon to step up and guide the offense.

“In the second half, I basically put the game in his hands,” said Todd Berry, UNLV’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Dixon truly showed his value by the way he responded to what could have been a crushing mistake. His fumble at UNLV’s 34-yard line with 10:41 left led to a Utah State touchdown to tie the game at 16.

But Dixon came back with a six-play, 36-yard scoring drive to put the Rebels on top. He completed a 6-yard pass to Ryan Wolfe to convert a third-and-5, then ran 14 yards to set up Frank Summers’ game-winning 11-yard touchdown run with 1:02 remaining.