Special teams mistakes cost UNLV in loss to Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — UNLV punter Marshall Nichols must’ve felt like he was experiencing deja vu.
Six minutes into the first quarter of the Rebels’ game against Notre Dame on Saturday, Nichols was brought out to attempt a punt from UNLV’s 29-yard line. Fighting Irish defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey barrelled towards Nichols and blocked the punt, allowing the Irish to recover the ball at the UNLV 14.
Two minutes earlier, Foskey had made almost the exact same play, with the same result.
The two blocked punts, which the Irish turned into 10 points, helped condemn UNLV to a 44-21 loss at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.
“Blocked punts, turnovers and lack of execution is going to be hard to overcome against good teams on the road,” UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo said.
The Rebels’ defense held up for stretches of the game, but the special teams mistakes and another stagnant offensive performance were too much to overcome.
The Rebels (4-4) now have a week off before playing at San Diego State on Nov. 5. After a 4-1 start, UNLV has to win two of its last four games to become bowl eligible.
“We’re in the middle rounds of a heavyweight fight,” Arroyo said. “You’re going to take some blows. You’ve got to be able to get up and fight back. We’ve got a great stretch ahead of us.”
Looking for any kind of spark to ignite the Rebels’ offense, Arroyo rotated quarterbacks Saturday with injured starter Doug Brumfield still sidelined. Sophomores Cameron Friel and Harrison Bailey both received opportunities to lead drives early against the Irish (4-3).
Neither was particularly effective.
Friel completed 8 of 15 passes for 80 yards. His longest pass, a 26-yard completion to sophomore Ricky White, was fumbled. Bailey completed 9 of 18 passes for 73 yards and scrambled for a 2-yard touchdown.
The pair started the game a combined 1-for-8 for three yards. UNLV didn’t convert a single third down in the game (0-for-12).
The Rebels’ receiving corps got a brief boost from the return of junior Kyle Williams, who played his first game since Sept. 24 because of a foot injury. He had four catches for 35 yards, but left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.
Junior running back Courtney Reese was UNLV’s best offensive player. Filling in for injured starter Aidan Robbins, he rushed for 142 yards on 11 carries, including a 74-yard run in the first quarter and a 47-yard run in the third to set up UNLV touchdowns.
“Just going out there and playing my hardest,” Reese said. “That’s really it, just playing with my heart.”
Despite being put in poor positions several times by the special teams errors, the Rebels’ defense performed admirably. Safety Johnathan Baldwin had nine tackles and forced a fumble that UNLV cornerback Nohl Williams recovered.
Williams also came up with an interception after defensive lineman Waisale Muavesi tipped a pass from Irish quarterback Drew Pyne at the line of scrimmage, and Williams also broke up a pass in the end zone on a fourth down.
“Doesn’t matter where we step on the field,” senior linebacker Austin Ajiake said. “We’re going to defend it to the best of our ability.”
Besides the two punt blocks, Foskey harassed UNLV on defense with three sacks. Irish tight end Michael Mayer had six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.
