Rebels face more manageable foe in Colorado State

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – UNLV has no realistic shot at a bowl game this season, and the Rebels can look at only two or three remaining games and argue convincingly they have a reasonable chance to win.

Today is one of those games, adding importance to a matchup that otherwise means little to the Mountain West Conference standings.

So even if the Rebels again are stuck after this football season watching other teams play in bowls, they at least can show progress under first-year coach Bobby Hauck by taking advantage of this opportunity against Colorado State.

Both teams are 1-5 overall entering the 11 a.m. PDT game. UNLV (1-1) owns a slightly better conference record than the Rams (0-2), the benefit of having played New Mexico.

Both teams have played trying schedules with little to show for their efforts. The Rams have lost to three teams that currently are ranked, and UNLV has fallen to four such schools.

“We are really frustrated,” Rebels defensive tackle Isaako Aaitui said. “We are fighting so hard to get back on track.

“It’s a must-win for us.”

UNLV plays a Colorado State defense that is second to last in the league against the pass (223 yards allowed per game) and third from the bottom against the run (210.8).

It could be a great chance for Rebels quarterback Omar Clayton, who has been inconsistent, to put together a strong game. That’s provided he can find dependable receivers.

Hauck hasn’t announced whether suspended wide receiver Phillip Payne will play. But considering Payne spent this week on the scout team, it’s a strong indication he isn’t even on the trip. Michael Johnson is UNLV’s only other proven receiver.

But it’s the Rebels’ running game that could receive the largest boost. Freshman Tim Cornett is slated to make his second straight start, and he has shown promise by averaging 5.8 yards per carry. UNLV has gone 17 games without a 100-yard rusher, so maybe Cornett will break that skid.

He wouldn’t be shocked if it happens.

“I think that’s really what it is, the confidence that I have in myself and the team,” Cornett said. “I expect to do good this week just like I expected to do good last week.”

UNLV, though, needs to prove it can stop someone. The Rebels have allowed at least 30 points in all but one game, and they have given up more than 40 points three times.

Now they face a hot-shot freshman quarterback in Colorado State’s Pete Thomas, who has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 1,333 yards and five touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Perhaps more worrisome for the Rebels is the apparent emergence of Colorado State’s running game. It had been nearly nonexistent, but running back Leonard Mason rushed for 139 yards at Air Force last weekend.

“He’s a really hard-core runner,” Aaitui said. “He breaks tackles, and he doesn’t quit on plays.”

UNLV’s run defense has allowed an average of 206.3 yards per game, and the Rebels gave up more than a 200-yard average in each of the previous two seasons.

Still, this is one of the few legitimately winnable games for UNLV. The Rebels also figure to have a good chance to beat Wyoming at home on Nov. 13, but finding winners elsewhere on the schedule is difficult. Maybe at San Diego State on Nov. 27, but the Aztecs appear to be much improved.

And even Colorado State and Wyoming aren’t sure things. The Rams, in fact, are favored by three points.

But unlike games against opponents such as West Virginia and Wisconsin, this is a chance for UNLV to take inventory of where its program stands.

“We’ve been through a pretty demanding part of the schedule,” Hauck said. “Hopefully in terms of execution this weekend, we’ll be better for it.”

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