‘Be where your feet are’: Ranked Rebels focused on Fremont Cannon this week

No. 21 UNLV’s annual rivalry game with UNR always has plenty of stakes.

But this year, winning the Fremont Cannon trophy at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday would also put the Rebels in the Mountain West title game with Boise State for the second straight season. UNLV is second in the league standings thanks to its win at San Jose State on Friday and Colorado State’s loss to Fresno State on Saturday.

Coach Barry Odom isn’t focused on the Rebels’ postseason outlook quite yet.

“Obviously, the chance to go 1-0 this week opens up a lot of doors for us. We know that. We’ve talked about that as a team,” Odom said. “And none of it matters if we don’t take care of business this week. So that’s where our focus is, and how important it is to win this rivalry game.”

Since UNLV’s first loss to Syracuse on Oct. 4, Odom has maintained that everything the team wants to accomplish is still within its control. He maintained that stance after the Rebels’ loss to Boise State on Oct. 25, but he acknowledged the defeat meant they needed some help.

Linebacker Jackson Woodard said Monday it wasn’t difficult to keep morale high in the locker room before Fresno State provided the assistance UNLV needed.

“This team’s resilient, so it wasn’t too hard, honestly,” Woodard said. “We preach, ‘Be where your feet are.’ All we care about is to go 1-0 each week. We really mean that. It’s not just a saying. These leaders that are next to me and also in the locker room, they know the mission. Each week, we’re focused, we’re hungry. So, it hasn’t been too much. Obviously, it’s played out in our hand. Now we have to take advantage of it.”

Senior night

Saturday’s game will be emotional for UNLV as close to 30 players will be honored as part of the team’s senior night.

That group includes all four of the Rebels’ captains: Woodard, defensive back Johnathan Baldwin, kick returner Jacob De Jesus and wide receiver Ricky White III.

Woodard called the senior class his “brothers.”

“They mean everything to me,” Woodard said. “I look up to them in a lot of ways. … Everyone knows how good of players they are on the field, but off the field, they’re special human beings, and mean a lot to me.”

UNLV’s group of seniors also includes starting quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, a sixth-year transfer from Campbell.

“I told them today, they will always remember their last home game as a senior,” Odom said. “And so it’s their responsibility to play really well, and it’s everybody else’s responsibility in the room to make sure they walk out of that stadium a winner.”

White wants to help

Odom said he expects his seniors to be “teachers of the program,” a role White has embraced.

“It’s basically just passing on the game — the habits on how to prepare the right way,” White said. “Preparation, eating, everything that goes along with becoming a great player – taking care of your body. There’s always a little thing that you can just really focus and lock in on. So I definitely pass on my knowledge.”

That’s not the only way White has lifted the Rebels this season.

He leads the nation in blocked punts and almost got another one against the Spartans on Friday. Odom even said White should have played cornerback for UNLV at one point this season.

White lit up when asked about Odom’s comments.

“I would love that,” White said. “I played both sides of the ball in high school. Anytime I know I can help my team win, I’m all for it.”

Dance battle

After the third quarter Friday, both UNLV and San Jose State shocked fans by breaking out of their huddles and dancing on their respective sidelines when “Grove St. Party” by rapper Waka Flocka Flame blasted through the CEFCU Stadium speakers.

The sight was typical for the Rebels. They dance to that song before the fourth quarter every home game at Allegiant Stadium.

“That’s what it’s all about. We didn’t have a crowd behind us. So, we had to basically get our own selves going,” White said. “You know, they put our theme song on for our fourth quarter. We just put it together and just got each other going.”

The UNLV marching band made the trip and chanted and performed in the rain. It can often only attend one road game per season, and Odom said postgame the band made a huge difference. Woodard agreed.

“People don’t understand how much fans can really shift the momentum of the game,” Woodard said. “I think (the band) really helped shift the momentum.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.