Cougars down, but Rebels beaten down

PROVO, Utah – Brigham Young is vulnerable, for one of the few times in its illustrious football history. It might not matter today.

UNLV has been beaten up and beaten down, and whatever remaining healthy players the Rebels put on the field at 11 a.m. PDT today could have too great a challenge on their hands.

It’s why the Rebels are 18½-point underdogs at BYU in what could be the final meeting between the schools. The Cougars become a football independent next year.

UNLV (1-7, 1-3 Mountain West Conference) has had success at BYU, winning three of eight games and coming close two other times, including the most recent trip two years ago, when the Rebels lost on a touchdown with 1:46 remaining.

The Rebels now face a BYU team (3-5, 2-2) that is a considerable dropoff from most of its previous squads. The Cougars hit bottom with a 31-16 loss at Utah State on Oct. 1, and defensive coordinator Jaime Hill was fired a day later.

Since then, sixth-year coach Bronco Mendenhall has become more involved in the defensive planning. The struggling run defense, which gave up more than 200 yards in four consecutive games, responded by allowing 224 combined in the past three games, including two victories.

Still, this has been an un-BYU type of season, underscored by freshman Jake Heaps’ inability to live up to his billing as the nation’s top quarterback recruit. He has thrown seven interceptions and only two touchdown passes while completing 52.4 percent of his attempts.

The Cougars average 16 points, a shade lower than UNLV’s 16.9, and BYU is in the unusual position of needing to win three of its final four games to become bowl eligible.

Even so, Mendenhall wouldn’t go so far as to call this his most trying season after entering 2010 with 10 or more victories for four consecutive years.

“It’s more visible,” he said. “The benefit is I’ve probably learned more this year than I have in the other seasons.”

The Rebels know better than to feel sorry for BYU and the troubles it has experienced.

“We still consider BYU to be a good team and a formidable opponent,” quarterback Omar Clayton said. “This will be a tough game for us and great opportunity for us to get a good win and play well.”

The Rebels have plenty of their own problems, most notably a rash of injuries that has sidelined many players for an extended time. UNLV has been forced into a youth movement in which 23 freshmen, including redshirts, have played. There were 22 players on this week’s injury report, including 11 ruled out by Tuesday.

So the Rebels might not be in the position to beat a down BYU team, though this might be an opportunity to at least be competitive. That’s something UNLV hasn’t been, especially on the road.

The Rebels lost by 28 points at Utah, 23 at Idaho, 39 at West Virginia and 33 at Colorado State. BYU probably won’t be satisfied with anything short of a convincing victory.

“I think they probably feel their closing schedule is favorable, starting with us,” UNLV coach Bobby Hauck said. “We need to go up there and play a good game. We haven’t played particularly well on the road, and we need to go give our best effort of the year up there.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.