UNLV could be in for fight at San Jose State

Mired in a four-game losing streak, a trip to winless San Jose State would seem the perfect tonic for UNLV.

Look closer, though, and the Rebels could be in for quite a test when they visit the Spartans at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

UNLV (2-5, 0-3 Mountain West) is just a 1-point favorite over San Jose State (0-7, 0-3) in the game that will be televised on AT&T SportsNet.

The Spartans easily could have three or four victories if a play here or there had gone a different direction. Among the close calls were a 35-22 loss at then-No. 20 Oregon, a 44-41 defeat in five overtimes to Hawaii and a 16-13 loss Saturday at San Diego State.

“They play hard, they fight,” UNLV coach Tony Sanchez said Monday. “They gave San Diego State all they could handle.

“There are no gimmes out there, and this is another one where we’ve really got to worry about ourselves.”

Until last season, the Spartans had their way with the Rebels. UNLV won that game 41-13 at Sam Boyd Stadium to end a seven-game series losing streak. The Rebels now hope to end their four-game losing streak at San Jose State.

Spartans second-year coach Brent Brennan is trying to rebuilding the long-struggling program. San Jose State went 2-11 last season and has not posted a winning record since 2012 (11-2).

So as pleased as Brennan is with being competitive this season, he knows it’s not enough.

“We can talk about that we’re improving and getting better, and we need to find a way to kick the door down and finish one of those games,” Brennan said. “That’s the hardest part, and that’s the battle we’re going through right now is we get to this point and what are the things that hurt us in a drive or in a situation that hurt our chances of winning? So that’s what we do as we evaluate the game tape and process all of it, but I think this team is working hard.

“As long as we’ll be diligent with our process and continue to work really hard in practice and focus on the details, we’re going to have that breakthrough game. We’re going to have that moment where we find a way to win one.”

UNLV, of course, hopes that isn’t this weekend.

The Rebels haven’t had a winning record since going 7-6 in 2013, and they thought this would be the year to post another one and make a bowl.

Losing quarterback Armani Rogers to a toe injury Sept. 22 at Arkansas State was a killer. That loss began the current skid. Rogers might not return for another month, though Sanchez said he didn’t have a good read on the timetable.

Sanchez said Rogers’ injury affected the entire team, but he likes the fight he saw in Friday’s 41-35 loss to Air Force. The Rebels trailed 41-21 before mounting a late rally.

“There’s no quit in these guys,” Sanchez said. “There’s no one that’s thrown the towel in on the season. We’ve still got five football games left to play, starting with San Jose.”

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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.