Struggling Rebel D gets no reprieve against UNR’s high-powered attack

UNLV typically brings an offensive and defensive representative to its weekly football news conference, but no defensive player was there Monday.

Someone joked with offensive tackle Yusef Rodgers that he would be the spokesman for the defense.

"Or lack thereof," coach Bobby Hauck quickly interjected.

UNLV's defense has been missing, and not just from the interview room. If the Rebels (1-5, 1-0 Mountain West Conference) are to have a realistic chance to beat UNR (5-1, 2-0) at noon today, they must find a way to make key stops.

It's not UNLV's only task at Sam Boyd Stadium, but it's an important one to complement an improving offense. An offense Hauck hopes doesn't need to score 40-plus points to win.

"You never know how games are going to play out, you just don't," Hauck said. "It seems like over the years, every time you say it's going to be a shootout, it's 6-3. And every time you think it's a defensive struggle, it's 48-49."

The evidence would point more to a high-scoring game.

UNR averages 40.8 points and 558.8 yards per game. Stefphon Jefferson has rushed for 955 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

The Wolf Pack, however, could be without sophomore quarterback Cody Fajardo, who has an injured back. If he doesn't play, sophomore Devin Combs will start.

But as Hauck pointed out, UNR's offense shouldn't change no matter who is running it.

And it's not as if backup quarterbacks haven't hurt the Rebels this season. Reserves led Northern Arizona and Washington State to victories over UNLV.

So if Combs runs onto the field to take the first snap, perhaps the Rebels should be concerned. But they should be worried anyway about fielding a defense that allows 35 points and 475.8 yards per game. Unless UNLV improves, it will be the most yards per game the team has allowed since 1996.

UNLV has made tremendous strides offensively behind redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Sherry. The Rebels have scored more than 30 points in two of their past three games, raising their season average to 25.

They also average 409.8 yards, which, if it holds, would be their best since 1997.

"It's the best team they've had since Bobby's been there," UNR coach Chris Ault said. "They're playing hard."

Sherry already is third in UNLV history among freshmen with 1,528 yards passing, and he's second with 10 touchdowns thrown.

"I'm starting to get a little more feel for the offense," Sherry said. "Coaches are starting to get me seeing things I wasn't seeing before. The line is giving me more and more time, and I'm starting to feel where I need to be protection-wise and where I need to step up. I'm starting to get comfortable with the receivers."

As much as the offense has improved, it must eliminate mistakes and take advantage of opportunities if UNLV is to end its seven-game skid to UNR.

The Rebels were undone the past two weeks, first at Utah State and then at Louisiana Tech, by inexcusable errors (sure touchdowns blown on a dropped pass and a slip on a kickoff return) and missed chances (three failures inside the 10-yard line to reach the end zone).

"There are things that we've been better week in and week out, too," Hauck said. "The things we've done the last couple of weeks that have cost us the game are not finishing drives on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, we have not stopped the run game well enough along with the big play. And then in the kicking game, we can't have one good play here and one bad play there."

And now, UNLV must improve in all three areas with UNR in town.

"I don't like our record," Hauck said. "I don't like the fact that we only have one win so far. So everything else is tempered by that. I think we're a vastly improved football team. I think we've played well at different times, but not well enough to win the games that have been on our schedule."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.