Graney: UNLV receiver battles personal loss before return to field
It sometimes gets lost when winning comes this often. When a program that has hungered for success for decades finds it on the football field.
The human element of it all.
Jacob De Jesus has brought that to UNLV the last several weeks. The speedy senior wide receiver is suffering personal loss while also battling a knee injury.
De Jesus returned to the lineup Saturday night in a 41-20 victory against San Diego State at Allegiant Stadium. A week after missing the team’s game at Hawaii, he again showed how valuable his skill set is.
De Jesus was first hurt early in the Rebels’ 29-24 loss to Boise State on Oct. 25. He didn’t return to the game.
“A few short hours later,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said, “he lost his father.”
‘Special human being’
There might not be another UNLV player who garners more respect from teammates than De Jesus. They have seen him lead despite the pain he’s dealing with inside. They have seen his fight, his spirit, his drive.
“Jacob is a special human being,” senior linebacker Jackson Woodard said. “The way he has handled what he has been through has been incredible. It has been inspiring. He’s all about the team. He’s raising a family. He’s so far ahead of me in life. I look up to him in a lot of ways.
“He came in (Saturday) and made a huge impact. He does it every week. I couldn’t be more proud of him as a human and as a football player.”
De Jesus just makes things happen.
He caught a team-high seven passes for 75 yards against the Aztecs and gained 42 rushing yards on two carries. He also had a timely block that sprung quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams for a 12-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
De Jesus’ efforts kept the Rebels in the mix for a second straight trip to the Mountain West title game. All of UNLV’s goals are still within reach.
The Rebels (8-2, 4-1 Mountain West) still have two regular-season games remaining. They play San Jose State on the road Friday and host UNR on Nov. 30. But UNLV will need help to reach the conference championship game even if it wins out.
Colorado State (7-3, 5-0) has yet to lose a league game. The Rams finish with a road game at Fresno State and a home game against Utah State.
Boise State (9-1, 6-0) is also undefeated in Mountain West play and seems primed to return to the title game. It beat UNLV at Allegiant Stadium for the conference crown last year.
“We have developed some things in our program about winning in November and making them meaningful games and competing for championships,” Odom said. “We’ll go control what we can control.
“We’ve got 14 days to make the most of it. Whatever happens happens from there and (we’ll) let the chips fall. But if we don’t do our part, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got a very, very mature team that understands the mission and understands what we have to do to get ourselves in position to play winning ball.”
Makes Go-Go go
Having De Jesus back can only strengthen the Rebels. He adds a different element on offense and on special teams. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
De Jesus is instrumental in the Go-Go offense. He’s a needed piece to ensure things are as explosive as they can be.
And now, playing with the pain of losing his father and the challenge of returning from injury, he is a huge part of the pursuit of those team goals.
“Just seeing his perseverance,” Williams said. “We all go through things, but we lean on each other. He showed up every day this week. It was almost like he was a superhero. We know he’s hurting, but he’s still the one breaking the huddle down.
“We have so much love for that guy. He has all our respect.”
The human element of sports. It gets lost sometimes.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.
