Bishop Gorman products find winning tougher at Fresno State, UNLV

Fresno State starting linebacker Robert Stanley and UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez arrived at Bishop Gorman High School in 2009 and together helped the Gaels go 57-3 over the next four years while winning four consecutive state titles.

Bulldogs linebacker Nela Otukolo arrived at Gorman in 2011 and went 57-3 in his prep career, helping the Gaels win a mythical national title in Sanchez’s final season at the school.

Wins have been much harder to come by in college for Sanchez and his two former players, as they’ve suffered as many losses in four games this season as they did in four years together in high school.

The Rebels will host Fresno State in a matchup of 1-3 teams and the Mountain West opener for both schools at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium. It’s homecoming for UNLV and a homecoming of sorts for Stanley and Otukolo, who was Sanchez’s first oral commit for the Rebels after he was hired in December 2014 but ultimately signed with the Bulldogs.

“He was here for a couple of weeks and he ended up over there,” Sanchez said. “I still love him. That’s part of the recruiting business.

“I’m really proud of those guys. They’re great kids. I have good memories with them. It’ll be fun to run the ball at them.”

Stanley, a junior, and Otukolo, a sophomore, split time at the same inside linebacker spot, with Stanley the starter and Otukolo the backup.

“It’s a friendly competition,” said Otukolo, the 2014 Nevada defensive player of the year, who has 38 career tackles and three sacks to 37 tackles for Stanley.

Stanley, whose older brother, Ronnie, also is a Gorman graduate and rookie starting left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, has helped tutor Otukolo.

“I consider him my family,” Otukolo said. “I’m definitely trying to take him under my wing and kind of be a big brother and mentor to him.”

While Stanley and Otukolo considered playing for UNLV, they ultimately wanted to experience life away from home, and still have great respect for Sanchez.

“He taught me a lot,” Stanley said. “He’s helped me progress in my football career and also in my life.”

Said Otukolo, a native Hawaiian: “He elevated my game. Coming in at a young age from Hawaii to Las Vegas at Bishop Gorman, he took my game to the next step.”

Stanley and Otukolo will try to help the Bulldogs — 122nd in the nation in rushing defense (262.5 yards per game) — slow the Rebels’ rushing offense, ranked 14th in the country (250.3 ypg).

“We’re going to try to stop the run, make them one-dimensional and go from there,” Otukolo said.

Fresno State blew a 31-0 lead Saturday in a 48-41 double-overtime loss to Tulsa, allowing 334 rushing yards, including 242 on 46 carries to D’Angelo Brewer.

“The biggest thing for us is to keep our foot on the gas and finish strong,” Stanley said.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 241-pound Stanley, whom Otukolo refers to as Sumo, said dealing with losing has made him dig deeper.

“One thing I don’t do is accept losing,” he said. “If we lose, we lose. But I’m not going to accept it. I focus on what I need to do to get myself better and help the team out.”

The hometown connection goes toward California as well. UNLV features four players from Fresno high schools: starting linebacker Matt Lea, backup freshman running back Charles Williams and two freshmen expected to redshirt this season in linebacker David Tate Jr. and defensive lineman Leevel Tatum III.

And Rebels cornerbacks coach J.D. Williams was an All-America player at Fresno State before becoming the 16th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft and playing in four consecutive Super Bowls for the Buffalo Bills. He also coached at his alma mater in 2000 and 2001.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow on Twitter: @tdewey33