Poor execution kills Rebels

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- UNLV's defense figured to have trouble stopping Hawaii quarterback Greg Alexander and the run-and-shoot offense a week ago.

The task didn't seem as daunting Saturday.

Wyoming entered the game thinking an offensive touchdown was a rumor, and freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels was making his first start.

But if the Rebels' defensive effort last week -- in a 34-33 victory over the Warriors -- can be excused, what is the explanation for what happened in their 30-27 loss at Wyoming?

Defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell offered several reasons, summing up, "We didn't execute like we should have."

UNLV's defense did more than give up big plays, the Rebels became tentative.

Therrell talked about calling some zone blitzes in the second half, but the Rebels didn't throw many -- if any -- noticeable blitzes at the Cowboys in the last 30 minutes.

Coach Mike Sanford said it was because Carta-Samuels hurt UNLV with his legs early, so the defensive players needed to keep him in front of them.

"We want to take more chances and be more aggressive, but that was a decision we made that we felt was in the best interest of winning that football game," Sanford said.

Not that there was much hint the Cowboys would break out offensively.

Wyoming had no passing touchdowns before Saturday, and one period into the game had gone 10 quarters without an offensive TD.

Then the Cowboys spent the final three quarters going through a UNLV defense that played safe rather than attack, and didn't tackle as well as it should have.

Carta-Samuels completed 24 of 37 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed for 34 yards and escaped several sacks.

"He can definitely run," end/linebacker Jason Beauchamp said. But "if I make a great move and Malo (Taumua) or somebody on the other end doesn't beat his guy, it's not going to work. So that was happening all (game). If one guy wins, the other guy's got to win, too, so you can get a cage rush."

Carta-Samuels' biggest play scrambling occurred when he converted a third-and-5 in the fourth quarter by rushing 19 yards to UNLV's 38-yard line. That set up the tying touchdown with 8:16 left.

Other times, he simply bought time until a receiver came open.

"The bottom line is we let him scramble around ... and he beat us," Therrell said.

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