Rebels can’t run with Pack

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RENO — Imagine how bad it would’ve been for UNLV if UNR hadn’t turned over the football four times.

Those fumbles allowed the Rebels to hang around for most of the game Saturday, but they clearly were outclassed by a team that previously hadn’t beaten anyone.

The Wolf Pack eventually hung onto the ball and blasted UNLV late, totaling a massive 773 yards in a 63-28 victory at Mackay Stadium to keep the Fremont Cannon blue for the fifth consecutive year.

Three Wolf Pack rushers gained at least 170 yards, including Desert Pines High School graduate Mike Ball, who had 184 yards and five touchdowns. UNR just missed matching the 794 yards it put on UNLV in 1993, the most ever by a Rebels opponent.

UNLV coach Mike Sanford, after five tries, still doesn’t know what it’s like to beat the Wolf Pack, and he still doesn’t know what a winning season with the Rebels feels like.

With home games the next two weeks against Brigham Young and Utah, and an end-of-the-month trip to Texas Christian, the chances of UNLV (2-3) having a winning season are growing dim, as perhaps is Sanford’s future at the school.

"That’s the last thing I’m even thinking about," Sanford said. "All I’m thinking about is getting this team back and finding a way to beat BYU."

Interim athletic director Jerry Koloskie said it was premature to speculate about Sanford’s job status because "we have seven games to go, and we’ll evaluate our program at the end of the year like we’ve always done."

UNR (1-3) beat the Rebels in many ways. The Wolf Pack had just seven third-down plays the entire game, converting all of them. They never punted and rushed for 559 yards.

Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick was nearly unstoppable for the second consecutive season. He completed 15 of 18 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 173 yards. Kaepernick rushed for 240 yards and passed for 176 in a 49-27 road victory over the Rebels last season.

UNR probably would have blown open the game early, but four fumbles allowed UNLV to rally from 21-7 down to twice tie the game — 21-all just before halftime and 28-all with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

But then the Wolf Pack stopped being so generous, and UNLV had almost no chance. UNR outscored the Rebels 35-0 the rest of the game.

"They just outplayed us in the second half," said UNLV safety Travis Dixon, who forced two fumbles. "We didn’t feel like we were ready to come out and play for another two quarters. We have to play a complete game."

UNR’s final three touchdowns provided the exclamation marks. On the first, Kaepernick took the snap, tossed the ball behind his back to tailback Luke Lippincott, who then threw back to the quarterback for a 6-yard touchdown. Later, Ball ripped off an 89-yard scoring run, and tailback Courtney Randall had a 26-yarder.

It was as if UNLV’s defense wasn’t even on the field. But the Rebels’ defensive struggles go back beyond this season, and even efforts in recruiting last offseason to upgrade the unit have provided few dividends.

"I think we need to rethink some things," said Rebels linebacker Ronnie Paulo, who had 11/2 tackles for loss and forced a fumble. "I know we’re better than that."

On offense, quarterback Mike Clausen started in place of Omar Clayton, who has an injured throwing shoulder. Clausen completed 26 of 50 passes for 276 yards and a TD.

Wide receiver Phillip Payne caught 10 passes for 112 yards.

Whatever the offense did wasn’t enough, and the schedule doesn’t get easier.

"I believe in this football team, and we’re going to bounce back," Sanford said. "That’s what my job is, and that’s what we have to do."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Read the latest UNLV football updates at lvrj.com/blogs/unlv_sports.