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UNLV football left to rue season of missed opportunities

Less than two months ago, the UNLV football team was 4-1.

The Rebels had just stormed back from a 17-9 deficit to beat New Mexico, sophomore quarterback Doug Brumfield looked like the answer to the UNLV fans’ prayers for consistent quarterback play, and the defense was forcing turnovers and pressuring opposing signal-callers with ease.

UNLV was 2-0 in the Mountain West, too. Discussions about a potential conference championship game berth, or even an appearance in Jimmy Kimmel’s LA Bowl, didn’t seem far-fetched. At worst, bowl eligibility for the first time since 2013 seemed more than possible. After all, the Rebels only had to win two of their remaining seven games.

During the past two months, however, UNLV’s dream season has fallen off a cliff.

Brumfield suffered a concussion and ankle injury that cost him essentially three games right as the Rebels hit their most difficult stretch of the schedule, beginning a precipitous six-game losing streak.

UNLV’s slump culminated Saturday in Honolulu in an uninspiring 31-25 loss to Hawaii, a team that entered the game with two wins all season.

“We got outplayed,” UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo told reporters after the game.

UNLV’s bowl drought will continue for at least another season. The progress the Rebels (4-7, 2-5 Mountain West) seemed like they’d made now comes with an asterisk. Arroyo bemoaned a lack of focus and effort from his team after the loss to Hawaii (3-9, 2-5), but also admitted he’s responsible for the product the Rebels put on the field.

“We’ve got to do a better job,” he said. “We’ve got to do a much better job.”

The Rebels led 13-7 at halftime, but the Rainbow Warriors took a 24-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Rebels forced two late turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

Before the season began, UNLV fans might’ve been encouraged by a four-win season after Arroyo won two games across his first two seasons — one amid the shortened 2020 COVID-19 campaign.

UNLV now has to wonder what it left on the table this season. Four turnovers doomed it in a 14-10 loss against San Diego State. The defense was unable to force a punt, and UNLV settled for five field goals in a 37-30 loss to Fresno State. One touchdown drive in the fourth quarter against California would have given UNLV a program-boosting win against a Power Five team.

After the Fresno State loss Nov. 11, Arroyo said he didn’t believe the entire season should be judged on the final two games.

“It’s much bigger than these two games,” he said at the time. “These two games are big, but I think you’ve got to look back at the whole thing and say, have we improved? What was our culture like? Where can we make gains, and where can we improve? Where did we fall short?

“But it’s a much bigger picture than two games.”

Now, there is one game remaining — the Battle for the Fremont Cannon on Saturday against UNR, which has one of its worst teams in recent memory. The Rebels are heavy favorites to reach five wins.

But after a 4-1 start, this season seemed to offer the hope for more.

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

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