Rev's Rundown 2020 Week Seven: Boise State at University of Nevada- Las Vegas ***CANCELED***

 

***CANCELED***

Boise State University (-27) at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Date: Friday December 4th, 2020

Time: 7:30pmMT

Stadium: Allegiant Stadium (65,000)

TV: CBS Sports Network

Know Thy Enemy

Across the street from Mandalay Bay at 333 Al Davis Way is Hey Reb’s new digs. A movin’ on up moment for the Rebels after leaving the projects for Paradise. The Broncos will invade the ‘Death Star’ Friday night against a UNLV team who is in full self destruct mode.

Marus Arroyo probably wishes the phrase ‘what happens in vegas stays in vegas’ was true as his UNLV Rebels (0-5,0-5) have not been able to taste victory at all in this 2020 season. 

Arroyo, the first year head coach, was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the University of Oregon in 2019 and worked heavily with now NFL rookie, Justin Herbert. The offensive minded coach has had a hard time getting the Rebels offense off and running. 

Through five games the Rebels are dead last in the Mountain West in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game and second to last in total offense, averaging just a touch over 300 yards per game. UNLV’s offense will feature a typical spread offense that utilizes the RPO (Run/Pass Option) to get the defense to tip their hand. The Rebels offensive success is predicated on the productions of senior running back Charles Williams. Williams leads the team in total yardage and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns. 

On defense the Rebels are a hot hot mess. UNLV is giving up an average of 38 points per game, 250 rushing yards per game and 222 yards passing. To make matters worse, they can’t seem to get off the field on third down. Opponents are converting on third down 48% of the time which is second to last in the mountain west. 

In all fairness, the Rebels defense is very young and in search of playmakers. When they needed a key defensive stop or big play they leaned heavily on Javin White and Rayshad Jackson. Unfortunately, both of those players have graduated, which means UNLV will need to find players to fill those spots. Sophomore Jacoby Windom seems to be making his case as that bright spot for the Rebels, leading the team in tackles for loss and sacks. 

BSU and UNLV started playing each other back in the early 70’s and played yearly until 1977. After parting ways in 1978, the Broncos and Rebels renewed their series in 2011 when BSU joined the Mountain West. The two teams have played each other 11 times in history with the Broncos leading the series 8-3. Boise State has not lost to UNLV since 2011 winning six straight matchups.

What Happened Last Year 

Coming off of a bye week, the No.16 Boise State Broncos headed to “Sin City” to face the 1-4 Rebels. 

Bachmeier opened the scoring with 11:33 left in the first quarter, finding Garrett Collingham on the right side for a 2-yard scamper through a tackler. Bachmeier then found John Hightower on a bomb to extend the lead to 14-0.

Boise State added on a 52-yard field goal from Joel Velazquez to make it 17-0 on the final play of the first half. A Bachmeier-to-Shakir pass that covered 26 yards set up the field goal.

The Broncos increased their lead to 24-0 with 6:40 left in the third as Akilian Butler scored on a 23-yard wide receiver reverse. 

Hank Bachmeier threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns and Boise State rode a strong defensive effort to a 38-13 win over UNLV.

Players to Watch 

UNLV

FR., DOUG BRUMFIELD, QB #17

The quarterback position has been somewhat of a revolving door for the Rebels this season. Five different quarterbacks have taken snaps for the Rebels, and Doug Brumfield is the latest to fill the job. Brumfield saw his first action of the season last week against Wyoming going 4 of 8 passing for 93 yards. He also added 24 yards rushing with a touchdown. All signs point to Brumfield taking over at quarterback next season so don’t be surprised if coach Arroyo gives Brumfield the start this week to see “what he’s got” in his freshman QB.

SR., CHARLES WILLIAMS, RB #8 

The reigning Mountain West rushing champ is one of, if not the only bright spot on this whole entire UNLV offense. Senior running back Charles Williams is the offense for the Rebels. He leads the team in rushing yards and is tied for the most touchdown scored. Williams started the season off strong rushing for nearly 100 yards in each of their first three games. Since then his production has fallen off with just 55 yards two weeks ago and only 24 yards a week ago. The Rebels are in for a long night if Williams can’t get back on track. 

SO., JACOBY WINDOM, LB #35

Jacoby or “Coby” is the next true leader on the Rebels defense.  This season he is second on the team in tackles with 34 and leads the team in sacks with 5. Windom will sometimes line up as a defensive end and sometimes will line up at outside linebacker. 

BOISE STATE 

Rs.SO., STEFAN COBBS, WR #82

Stefan Cobbs from Keller, Tx, isn’t a household name for Bronco Nation, but will be soon enough. The 6’0” receiver seems to be getting more and more playing time as the season progresses. Cobbs has three catches on the year and showed his ability to stretch the field against Hawai’i with his 43-yard catch. Look for Cobbs to get more playing time and targets this week against a weak secondary.  

Rs.FR., ISAIAH BAGNAH, STUD #30

Bagnah the freshman from Alberta has been classified as a “raw” talent." At 6’4” 244lbs, Bagnah has the frame to become a dominant pass rusher for the Broncos in the very near future. With the depth on the defensive line being challenged due to injury and illness Bagnah has seen a lot of playing time in the last couple of weeks and made a very nice tackle for loss against Hawai’i. Don’t be surprised if Bagnah starts and plays a lot this week against UNLV. 

Rs.SO., SCOTT MATLOCK, DT #99

Matlock is driven by the phrase, “Be phenomenal or be forgotten.” Matlock has emerged as one of the leaders on this year’s defensive line and has made immediate impact. This season, Matlock, the local product from Homedale, ID, has 21 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also has blocked 2 kicks! This week he will have a good chance at dominating a disappointing Rebels offensive line. He also has a sweet tattoo sleeve. 

Focus Position Group: Running Back

This year's running game really has never gotten off the ground. After the loss of George Holani in the first quarter of the Air Force game, the rushing attack hasn’t been the same. Andrew Van Buren has carried the bulk of the load and done a decent job, but he isn’t the shifty type of back. He is more of a downhill power back. He did end up having a career game against Hawaii rushing for 117 yards and two touchdowns which was nice. This week he and the rest of the stable of running backs will be going up against a defense that gave up 400 yards of rushing to Wyoming...400 yards! It's time for the running game to really take over a game and this is a good week to do it. 

Rev's Route to a Bronco Win

1. Rebel Rouser 

The Rebels offensive line looks more like a turnstyle then a wall. The UNLV hogmollies have  given up 26 sacks through five games. They have given up more than six sacks twice this season. Bringing pressure should be a top priority for the Broncos defense this week. Shane Irwin and Scott Matlock could be in for a sack buffett this week. 

2. Cover the Spread

The Broncos offense this season has been tops in the Mountain West. They lead the conference in points per game averaging 37.7 ppg. They are also top five in the conference in total, rushing and passing yards. This week they go up against UNLV who is almost the exact opposite on the defensive side. They give up almost the most yards and most points in all the Mountain West. This week the Broncos need to dominate on the offensive side of the ball with both their rushing and passing attacks.  

3. Don’t be fooled

Let’s face it, UNLV is not where they wanted to be at this point of the season. At 0-5 and with their last two games against Boise State and Hawaii the chances of the Rebels finding a win this year are slim. The Rebels are going to be “looking to the future” in the next couple of weeks, getting increased playing time for some of their younger players and seeing what they can do when it counts. The Broncos need to remember that there is a spot in the Mountain West Championship game on the line in these next two weeks and not fool around with the Rebels. 

Editorial Note

Well that was...disappointing. Nothing like waking up Saturday morning, like a kid at Christmas, waiting for two o’clock to watch the Broncos put yet another team in their rightful place...behind the Broncos, to have it CANCELED five hours before kickoff! Oh well, the Broncos should be (cross your fingers and whatever else you got) able to play this week against UNLV. Now, who’s going to be able to play might be a different story. This week defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding said they would need to “get creative” with their defensive personnel. He went on to say they may change some guys around positionally or they might change their defensive scheme a bit to limit how many defensive linemen they might actually need. I have confidence that he and the rest of the defensive coaches will figure it all out. 

With the Nevada loss at Hawai’i last week it left just BSU and SJSU as the only zero loss teams in the conference. This week San Jose will have to go to the island and play survivor. Should Boise State win this week, and they should, it will come down to a “win and you’re in” situation at Wyoming. Winning at Wyoming in the middle of December is a whole other ball of wax (or snow) that only fans and blog writers should worry about. The team needs to take this opportunity to impose its will on a dessamated opponent and not look ahead to next week...or the week after. 

Boise State absolutely dominates all three phases and scores both a defensive and special teams touchdown. 

Broncos 56, Rebels 10