Rebels try to fix flaws against Rams

The good news for UNLV: It probably won't face a quarterback like UNR's Colin Kaepernick again this season.

The bad news: The Rebels' 49-27 loss to the Wolf Pack on Saturday might have exposed weaknesses that other teams can exploit.

UNR took advantage of the Rebels' suspect secondary, sacked and hurried quarterback Omar Clayton and shut down their running game.

Now the challenge is to prove that performance was simply one bad night. UNLV coach Mike Sanford said the only risk of Saturday's loss carrying over to future games would be if an opponent fields a dual-threat quarterback like Kaepernick.

"I think if it's in the style of what they do, people will try to exploit it," Sanford said. "If it's not in their style of offense, I don't think that you can manufacture that."

Kaepernick rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 176 and two scores. The Rebels tried in vain to make Kaepernick pitch the ball, assigning safeties, ends, linebackers and cornerbacks to him.

"He was too quick for us," Rebels defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell said.

Colorado State, which runs a more traditional offense that includes a fullback and tight end, isn't expected to hit the Rebels (3-2, 0-1 Mountain West Conference) with a system close to the triple option that Kaepernick ran to near perfection. UNLV visits the Rams (2-2, 0-0) at 11 a.m. PDT Saturday.

"The game can be completely different," Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild said.

Indeed, the Rebels will need a different plan against Rams starter Billy Farris and backup Klay Kubiak, who have combined to average 252.5 yards passing per game and have been sacked 11 times total.

Air Force and Texas Christian are the only teams on UNLV's remaining schedule whose quarterback could provide the kind of double threat that Kaepernick did.

But if the Rebels don't tackle better, it doesn't matter what style of quarterback they face. They missed 24 tackles against UNR.

"It was really our own fault," said UNLV linebacker Jason Beauchamp, who made 21 tackles Saturday. "It wasn't any fantastic play or their fantastic offense."

The Rebels' inconsistent secondary also must make plays. Their defensive pass efficiency rating is 145.0, next to last in the MWC and 107th nationally.

Protecting Clayton also takes on added importance after UNR repeatedly disrupted his rhythm. The Rebels should expect future opponents to take chances going after Clayton, an accurate passer who owns a 59.1 completion percentage and has passed for 1,104 yards and 12 touchdowns with one interception.

But UNLV offensive tackle Evan Marchal said the Wolf Pack didn't design new schemes other defenses can copy. The Rebels, he said, must block the way they did in the first four games when Clayton had time to set his feet and find an open receiver.

"It wasn't our best game," Marchal said. "We don't plan on letting that happen anymore here this year.

"If we came out and played like we wanted to play against Arizona State and Iowa State, it would've been a whole different ballgame. But we just didn't pick up their blitzes."

UNR also bottled up the running game, holding tailback Frank Summers to 20 yards on nine carries. But Summers had a bruised knee, and the Wolf Pack possesses one of the better interior defenses UNLV will face.

There is a quick way to make all these concerns begin to fade -- beat Colorado State.

"I think there were a lot of things we learned about our team last week that we've got to improve on," Sanford said.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.