Armani Rogers’ return for UNLV should boost Lexington Thomas

When he lined up in the same backfield with quarterback Armani Rogers, Lexington Thomas knew he would get his opportunity to pop big runs.

But after Rogers went out after four weeks with a toe injury, Thomas had to get used to a more wide-open offense with Max Gilliam at quarterback. It was quite a struggle, but Thomas broke through last Saturday at San Diego State.

Now Thomas might have to adjust again, with Gilliam expected to start Saturday’s 8 p.m. game against Hawaii in Honolulu but with Rogers healthy and expected to play. How playing time is divided will be a balancing act for UNLV coaches, who would like to mix Gilliam’s passing ability with Rogers’ running skills.

“That, to me, is when we are at our best, when we’re a 50-50 team running the ball and we can play-action pass,” Rebels coach Tony Sanchez said. “We need Lex to have a big game, and we’d like to get some of those other backs going and involved, too.”

UNLV (3-7, 1-5 Mountain West) hopes to build on its 27-24 victory over the Aztecs, which ended a six-game losing streak. The Rebels face a Hawaii team that is one victory from bowl eligibility but has lost four straight.

Hawaii (6-5, 3-3) is a 6½-point favorite; the game can be seen on phones and tablets through the free Stadium app.

The Rebels’ best path to victory should be on the ground against a Warriors team that gives up 204.7 yards per game. That vulnerability might make Rogers’ return more urgent.

He shared first-team snaps with Gilliam in practice and was behind center in a team drill Wednesday against the starting defense. Rogers averages 122 yards rushing per game and 6.9 per carry.

Thomas was averaging 116.3 yards and 5.9 per rush when Rogers was injured. Thomas also had rushed for six touchdowns. In the six games since, he has averaged 72 yards per game and 4.7 per carry with four rushing TDs.

But he broke through against the Aztecs, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. His 75-yard TD run, on which he made two spectacular cutbacks, with 3:27 left proved to be the winning play.

“We all came together,” Thomas said. “It felt like we all had the same goals. Some games, it felt like we weren’t all in it together. As you can see from the result, on the sideline, everybody was in the game from offense, defense, special teams. We were all pumping each other up.”

Much of the success against San Diego State was because UNLV had become a more balanced offense under Gilliam. With his growth came gradual improvement with the running game because defenses couldn’t crowd the box as much.

That obviously benefits Thomas, who is 103 yards from reaching 1,000 for the second consecutive season. Only Mike Thomas in 1973 and 1974 and Tim Cornett in 2012 and 2013 have accomplished that feat at UNLV.

“If I have 5 yards, as long as we win, I’m not tripping,” Lexington Thomas said. “Having back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing years, that would be a good accomplishment.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.