UNLV defense comes close to elusive feat in opener: ‘We wanted it bad’

The Rebels were a minute away from their blowout victory against Houston being that much sweeter.

Odom praised his team for its “relentless defense” after its season-opening 27-7 road win Saturday. But he said during his weekly news conference Monday that UNLV really wanted its first shutout since September 22, 2007.

“Those are hard to get,” Odom said. “We wanted it bad. I wanted it, and I wanted the defense and the team to embrace that. We got close. Didn’t get it.”

Odom could at least joke about it Monday. He said the Cougars’ lone touchdown, which came on a two-yard reception by wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV with one minute remaining, came with a silver lining.

“Saved me some money on donuts,” Odom said.

It’s unclear whether Odom had a deal with the defense to buy donuts in the event of a shutout or whether it’s just something he would have done as a reward. Either way, the Rebels had plenty to be proud of despite not getting treated to free pastries.

Senior linebacker Jackson Woodard finished with a game-high 11 tackles and a career-high three sacks. He was named the Mountain West defensive player of the week Monday, earning the first weekly conference honor of his career.

Transfer safety Jalen Catalon, a fifth-year senior, also impressed. He intercepted two passes and returned one for a 36-yard touchdown after tipping the ball to himself.

Junior linebacker Marsel McDuffie had six tackles and a sack Saturday. He then matched his coach’s honesty Monday when asked about UNLV’s near shutout.

“We wanted it bad. That’s something that we’ve been talking about since really the winter,” McDuffie said. “We don’t want anybody scoring on us. … We really don’t want anyone getting past the 50-yard line.”

McDuffie still said the season opener wasn’t “too shabby.” What impressed Odom the most was the Rebels’ average starting field position, something he called “the biggest stat of the day.”

UNLV began its drives at its 45-yard line on average, while Houston started at its own 23-yard line.

“Felt like we played on the right end of the field all game, and that was huge. That’s really complimentary football, and the way that our team needs to be,” Odom said.

It wasn’t all positive, however.

Odom said the Rebels have “a long ways to go to achieve what we want.” The team’s goals include an undefeated season, a Mountain West title and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

One lowlight for the defense was senior defensive back Jett Elad being disqualified in the first quarter for targeting. The rest of UNLV’s deep secondary stepped up, a group that includes Catalon, transfer cornerback Tony Grimes and senior defensive back Johnathan Baldwin.

McDuffie said he’s able to play more freely thanks to the talented players behind him.

“They communicate and let us know what coverages we switch into and things to be on the lookout for,” McDuffie said. “(I’m) confident in what they’re doing, and that helped me gain more confidence in what I’m doing.”

Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.