UNLV's football team kicks off their 49th and final season at Sam Boyd Stadium against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday night. It is the season opener for both teams and the game will give UNLV an excellent chance to start the season with a win. This is a crucial year for head coach Tony Sanchez as the fifth-year coach needs to have a winning season and appear in a bowl game because he is on the hot seat.
Key Players For UNLV
Armani Rogers, Quarterback
Armani Rogers will be the UNLV Rebels starting quarterback. He is coming back off of a leg injury after missing six games last season, where he rushed for 565 yards and eight touchdowns in limited action. Also, Rogers passed for 601 yards, 10 touchdowns, but only completed 44.4% of his passes. Rogers is dual-threat quarterback, who can hurt teams with his legs and his feet, but he must improve on his throwing accuracy against the Thunderbirds for the Rebels to be victorious.
“That’s the job,” Rogers said. “Carry the load. Pressure will always be part of it. Keep everyone and everything together.”
Charles Williams, Running Back
Charles Williams is another player returning from injury. Williams ran for 335 yards last season before injuries. The UNLV Rebels were 19th in the nation in rushing last season and should be in the top 20 in rushing again with a healthy Williams and Rogers. Williams replaces Lexington Thomas, who played his final game for UNLV last year and finished as the second-leading rusher in program history at 3,551 yards. Williams had previously set UNLV’s freshman rushing record with 763 yards in 2016 and even beat out Thomas in training camp the following year before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
Tyleek Collins, Receiver
Tyleek Collins has game-breaking speed. Collins caught 31 passes for 422 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Look for him to get a lot of one on one opportunities against the Thunderbirds because they will be focused on stopping the Rebels running game. He caught 31 passes for 422 yards and six touchdowns last season with five of his receptions going for for 20 yards or more.
“Last year he was more of a playmaker rather than a polished receiver,” UNLV receivers coach Cedric Cormier said. “So now we want to polish his game up while keeping that playmaking ability.”
Gabe McCoy, Defensive End
Gabe McCoy moves from linebacker to defensive end to try to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Last season, he had four sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss. McCoy will need to have a tremendous season to help improve the Rebels defense, which was ranked 119th overall and gave up 37.3 points per game.
“He’s a dynamic pass rusher,” Sanchez said. “He’s a guy you want on the field all the time. When you get in that odd front, you don’t have to take him off the field. If you get in an even front, you don’t have to take him off the field. He’s a special guy because he can do a lot of things for us.”
Javin White, Linebacker
Javin White, who had four interceptions last season, will need to play big against the Thunderbirds and help force some turnovers. The Rebels defense lacks playmakers, so White will need to step in that department. He played in all 12 games last season and made 74 tackles. White is a also listed on the Dick Butkus Award watch list heading into the season. A great tackler, his role will be more than just as a defender.
“My job is to keep my energy up, and my intensity,” White told the Las Vegas Sun. “It’s just natural to me. I’ve always been engaged. Coach Sanchez tells us all the time, the team is going to go the way our leaders go. I was recently picked for captain, so I know everybody is looking toward me and I know that they sometimes need my help to get their energy up.”
Key Players For Southern Utah
Jay Green led the Thunderbirds in rushing with 829 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Look for the Thunderbirds to lean on him to keep a struggling defense off the field. Zach Larsen is one of the best players at the FCS level; he has been named to the first-team All-Big Sky selection. Larsen anchors the Thunderbirds offensive line.
Chris Helbig figures to be the Thunderbirds starting quarterback. Before injuring his should last season, Helbig completed 64 percent of his passes and five touchdowns and two interceptions. The Thunderbirds played three different quarterbacks last season and will need stability at the position to be successful.
The strong part of the Thunderbird defense is their defensive line. Lehi Afatasi and Watson Asi lead them. Southern Utah only had 12 sacks last season, they are banking Asi And Afatsi to improve on pressuring the quarterback this season and they will also need to improve on stopping the run. They gave up 269 rushing yards per game last season. Against a quaterback like Rogers, the Thunderbird will need a lot of pressure.
Keys To The Game/Final Analysis
Both teams defenses struggled last year and are trying to rebuild on the defensive side of the ball. UNLV gave 37.3 points per game last season, while the secondary gave up 29 touchdowns and 267 yards per game. Southern Utah gave 41.5 points and 541 yards per game last season so its defense also struggles to stop opposing offenses. They added Brandon Fisher, son of former NFL coach Jeff Fisher, to take over as defensive coordinator.
Look for UNLV to come out and run the ball often and early. With the Southern Utah defensive line being their strength, but not really that good, it will be interesting to see how well the Rebels run game can do. I think the Thunderbirds will focus on stopping on the run and make, Armani Rogers try to beat them with his arm. We will get to see if Rogers has improved on his accuracy in the offseason. I think Tyleek Collins can have a big game because he will see a lot of one on one coverage on the outside.
UNLV will have to stop the run on defense to be successful. But if the Thunderbirds are smart, they will put the Rebels secondary to test since they struggled so much last year.
The game will be very physical, and I expect UNLV to run the ball run well and make some plays down the field. The Rebels will come out on top, 38-20.
