Another UNLV loss: run game

UNLV had good -- or at least explainable -- reasons for getting away from its running game the past two weeks.

The Rebels have at least equally compelling reasons to return to that attack.

"I think we're a better offense when we're balanced," coach Mike Sanford said.

Now it's a matter of committing to the running game when UNLV (2-4, 0-2 Mountain West Conference) plays No. 24 Utah (4-1, 1-0) at 7 p.m. today at Sam Boyd Stadium.

The running game -- at least the part involving the tailbacks -- was nearly nonexistent the past two outings.

Of UNLV's 27 rushes for 70 yards in a 63-28 loss at UNR, only seven were by tailbacks. Quarterback Mike Clausen, filling in for injured starter Omar Clayton, ran 15 times.

In last week's 59-21 defeat to Brigham Young, the Rebels ran 19 times for 45 yards. Tailbacks again had just seven carries compared with a combined 10 by Clayton and Clausen.

The Rebels threw a combined 91 passes in those two games, including 50 at UNR because the Wolf Pack loaded the box.

"They basically dared us to throw it," offensive coordinator Todd Berry said.

Against BYU, the Rebels fell behind quickly and passed in an effort to catch up.

"I think we were too much in a hurry to score, and we got out of what we do best on offense, and that's mixing run and pass," Sanford said.

UNLV has a solid, if not spectacular, running game. Tailback Channing Trotter, who routinely pushes piles for extra yardage, had 295 yards through the first four games while averaging 5 yards per carry. But in the past two weeks, he carried eight times for 16 yards.

Trotter said he understood the situation in each game, but the competitor in him doesn't want to be on the sideline.

"I feel like that's my job to help us out," Trotter said. "It's been very, very frustrating not winning, not carrying the ball. It's frustrating not being able to help us out in the ways I feel like I can help us out."

Using Trotter more often would figure to take pressure off Clayton, who remains effective but is more turnover prone this season than in 2008. Clayton has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for a 247.2-yard average, but his seven interceptions are three more than he had in his nine starts last season.

On the other side, Utah's Terrance Cain leads Mountain West quarterbacks in yards rushing per game with 56.2, and his 288.6-yard total offense average is second.

The Utes also average 205.2 yards rushing. Cimarron-Memorial High School graduate Eddie Wide replaced injured starting tailback Matt Asiata and produced consecutive 100-yard games.

It's a bad matchup for the Rebels, who allow a 216.7-yard rushing average, last in the league.

Utah doesn't exactly have a run-stopping defense, but the Utes are more respectable in allowing 138 yards per game.

So succeeding on the ground isn't a given, but there is opportunity. Now it's a matter of whether UNLV commits to that part of its game.

"The team you're playing has an awful lot to do with that, not just what they're showing on defense but what they're showing on offense," Berry said. "We're always looking for ways to try to run it, and we're looking for ways to try to throw it."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Read the latest UNLV football updates at lvrj.com/blogs/unlv_sports.