Arroyo, Rebels eager to show improvements in season opener

UNLV football coach Marcus Arroyo is confident his team has put in the necessary work to raise the bar from their 2-10 performance last season.

“I’m excited,” said Arroyo, who is 2-16 in his two seasons as the Rebels’ coach. “We’re going to find out a lot about how much we’ve grown.”

The Rebels begin their third season under Arroyo Saturday against Idaho State at Allegiant Stadium. Arroyo is hopeful this season opener against Idaho State goes better than last year’s 35-33 double overtime loss to FCS power Eastern Washington.

Idaho State, another FCS program which is coming off a 1-10 season, would seem to be an easy mark for the Rebels. But Arroyo says he would be confident no matter the opponent.

Such a belief comes from the improvements he’s seen from his defense. For the first time in his three seasons with the Rebels, Arroyo feels confident in the depth on that side of the ball.

“They’ve been really open to each other and have seen each other grow,” Arroyo said. “That’s what I hope plays out as we get into the season.”

He and his staff — which includes new defensive coordinator Keith Heyward — focused on spending time during the offseason getting everyone adjusted to the new playbook. Once fall camp began, their focus shifted toward enhancing the depth at each position.

Throughout fall camp the Rebels established a starting 11 that Arroyo said adjusted to the playbook the best and had the most chemistry on the field. But beyond the starting group, the Rebels developed a steady rotation with members from their second unit.

“The way football is, the starting 11 now probably won’t be the starting 11 at the end of the season with injuries and the flow of the game,”’ fifth-year senior linebacker Austin Ajiake said. “Having that two- and three-deep roster is important.”

Ajiake leads a starting linebacker corps that includes senior transfer Elijah Shelton and returning senior Kyle Beaudry. Shelton, who played at Utah and Utah State, has settled into the starting defense, filling in the spot left by Jacoby Windmon, the Rebels’ top defender last season, who transferred to Michigan State.

As one of the team leaders, Ajiake understood the responsibility he and the rest of his teammates shared to help the newcomers adjus to of Arroyo’s mandate to make the program more “player-led.”

“We took it on to make sure the people who got here are up to speed and ready to play when the ball is snapped,” Ajiake said. “Going throughout the offseason, it was just developing those players and giving them the confidence to let them know that they can do it. They’re all here for that reason.”

Arroyo also praised the secondary, led by Nohl Williams, Jerrae Williams and Cameron Oliver, saying the group has made great strides after playing together last year and working together in the offseason.

That sort of “dependable depth” allowed the Rebels to increase the talent level of the scout team which increased the level of competition in practice.

“We’re competing at the highest level, which is getting us ready for game day, so we’re used to everything from the opponent,” junior wide receiver Kyle Williams said.

Arroyo is hopeful that he’s added the right players and his staff has made the right adjustments to a defense that allowed 409.8 yards per game, over six yards per play, and 32.8 points per game last season. Which, in turn, could lead the Rebels to more wins this season.

“We’ve got one, two or three guys at various positions who we’re hoping to see how they integrate in the game,” Arroyo said, “Hopefully, over the course early in the season, we get a chance to see what you really got in some of those guys. I’m excited for that group to get out there and play.”

Notes: Arroyo won’t name at starting quarterback until kickoff Saturday. Redshirt sophomore Doug Brumfield or sophomore transfer Harrison Bailey will be the starter.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.