Doug Brumfield injured in UNLV’s blowout loss at San Jose State

UNLV lost more than a football game Friday night at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, California.

The Rebels lost starting quarterback Doug Brumfield to an injury in the first quarter. The sophomore didn’t return in UNLV’s 40-7 loss to San Jose State, its first defeat in the Mountain West.

Rebels coach Marcus Arroyo didn’t offer much of an update after the game on Brumfield, saying he wanted to wait for more information from his medical staff.

Brumfield, who completed 1 of 6 passes for 8 yards before he was injured, was replaced by Cameron Friel. The sophomore completed 15 of 22 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown.

Friel’s TD pass went to junior wide receiver Senika McKie late in the third quarter, but UNLV (4-2, 2-1 MW) trailed 33-0 at the time.

“Our identity tonight wasn’t what it has been,” said Arroyo, whose team had won three straight.

The Rebels also lost inside linebacker Fred Thompkins, who was ejected for a targeting call a minute into the second quarter.

“It sucks that it happened like this,” said senior linebacker Austin Ajiake, a lone bright spot with 13 tackles and two sacks. “This is not how we envisioned the game going, but I don’t want to leave it at that. I want to find a way to turn this into a positive, and we can learn from this.”

UNLV mustered only 213 yards against the Spartans’ stout defense. Penalties and a strong pass rush limited the offense’s ability to stay on the field.

McKie finished with three catches for 55 yards and the 14-yard touchdown. He made a leaping catch after a reverse flea flicker for 38 yards to get the Rebels into the red zone in the second quarter. But wide receiver Nick Williams slipped while making a catch on the San Jose 1-yard line, and the Rebels turned the ball over on downs.

Led by defensive lineman Cade Hall, the Spartans (4-1, 2-0) had three sacks and six tackles for loss. They also contained running back Aidan Robbins, who had 55 rushing yards on 13 attempts but didn’t score a touchdown for the first time this season.

“They’ve got a ton of time together,” Arroyo said. “Their continuity with the staff, guys who’ve been there four or five years, the front line is really good, a lot of cohesion.”

As UNLV’s offense sputtered — Marshall Nichols punted seven times — its defense was worn down by quarterback Chevan Cordeiro and running back Kairee Robinson.

Cordeiro completed 18 of 27 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 109 yards and two TDs on 14 carries. His favorite target was Dominick Mazotti, who caught seven passes for 100 yards and one TD.

Robinson ran for 61 yards and a touchdown, consistently finding holes to sneak through or bouncing out of tackles and beating defenders around the edge. He was the player targeted by Thompkins on his ejection.

“We’ve still got a lot of games left; it’s a long season,” Ajiake said. “We’re not where we want to be, but we know we can get there.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.