Know the Foe: Wyoming at UNLV

Nov. 9—Andy Yamashita has covered UNLV athletics for the Las Vegas Review-Journal for two years. He weighs in on what University of Wyoming fans get expect during Friday's matchup between the Rebels and Cowboys.

UNLV's offense is No. 1 in the Mountain West in scoring going into this weekend at 36.7 points per game. What's been the biggest difference for the Rebels this year for that type of improvement?

The Rebels' massively improved offense has mostly been attributed to new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. UNLV coach Barry Odom made his name as a defensive coach, and consistently preached letting the coaches he hires do their jobs. Marion arrived following the brief tenure of Bobby Petrino, and brought a unique scheme he calls the, "Go-go offense." It incorporates some triple-option philosophies, encourages vertical passing plays and utilizes UNLV's deep running back rotation. Four different tailbacks will likely see the field against Wyoming, with two on the field at once for most plays, and UNLV's 28 rushing touchdowns are tied for second in the nation with Oregon, trailing USC by one.

Freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava came in for an injured Doug Brumfield in the first quarter in UNLV's dramatic win over Vanderbilt. What have you seen out of Maiava since he became the full-time starter?

Maiava beat out former Tennessee quarterback Harrison Bailey and 2021 Mountain West offensive freshman of the year Cameron Friel for the backup role during the offseason. He came in when starting signal-caller Doug Brumfield was injured early against Vanderbilt, and demonstrated good poise, decision-making and an ability to stretch the field. He's a threat to run, and has good control of the triple-option aspects of the offense, but has also hit the deep shots. Most surprisingly, though, Maiava's been really clutch for a redshirt freshman. He led a game-winning drive against Vanderbilt after throwing a costly interception late and marched UNLV down the field to set up a field goal to beat Colorado State as time expired. His only real error was an interception in the dying moments against Fresno State in the red zone with UNLV trying to force overtime.

Wide receiver Ricky White is third in the conference at 6.1 receptions per game. What kind of spark has he provided for this Rebels offense?

White has been Maiava's most trusted weapon this season. During his first season at UNLV, White had to fight for targets with Kyle Williams, but entered this season as the undisputed No. 1 after Williams transferred to Washington State. He's been the most consistent UNLV receiver, and the team's best vertical threat. The Rebels are still figuring out how to incorporate some of their other receivers, and tight end Kaleo Ballungay is emerging in the offense, but Maiava and White's chemistry has just been locked in ever since the redshirt freshman took over at quarterback.

UNLV is sixth in the conference in total defense at 390.7 yards allowed per game. What will Wyoming need to do offensively to beat the Rebels?

Fresno State was trailing at halftime and won, in part, because of a disastrous third quarter for UNLV. To beat the Rebels, a team probably has to win the turnover margin. UNLV had four giveaways against Fresno State and still had it come down to the final possession. The Rebels are sixth nationally in turnover margin at plus-9, and have 12 interceptions, which is tied for seventh in the country.

UNLV's lone conference loss came to Fresno State on a dropped touchdown pass with less than 10 seconds left of regulation. How important was it for the Rebels to bounce back against New Mexico last weekend to stay in the MW title race?

New Mexico was a great bounce-back game for UNLV. Odom stated from the beginning that conference championships were the goal. They had a strong enough roster remaining from Marcus Arroyo's tenure, and proving they can compete and even beat Fresno State was a good statement of intent. UNLV's done a good job under Odom of simply taking care of business and beating the teams they're supposed to beat, so the New Mexico result was kind of expected. Outside Fresno State and the walk-off win against Colorado State, UNLV hasn't played too many teams closer to their level, so Wyoming will be an intriguing matchup.

Did you expect UNLV to be 7-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play at this point in the season?

I'm generally a sports cynic who has to see a lot of proof before I acknowledge something is legit, and considering the long history of UNLV's football struggles, I wasn't expecting a season like this one. I thought they were going to hover right around bowl eligibility, like they did in 2022.

The Cowboys are in must-win mode after falling on the road to Air Force and Boise State last month. How important is this game in terms of the MW title game in December?

I think this is a crucial game in the title race. UNLV needs to keep winning, because it doesn't have the head-to-head tiebreaker against Fresno State. It misses Boise State this year, but still has Air Force remaining. The Rebels are 6-18 all-time against the Falcons, and haven't beaten them since 2013. This game is probably just as important to UNLV's title hopes as it is to Wyoming's.

UNLV opened as 5-point favorites at home against Wyoming. What do you expect to see Friday night?

I don't usually like to give predictions, but I think it will be a close game either way. UNLV hasn't lost at home yet, and Wyoming hasn't won away, so that might be the separating factor. Broadly, I think UNLV wins, but by less than five.

Alex Taylor is the assistant editor for WyoSports and covers University of Wyoming athletics. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @alex_m_taylor22.