UNLV falls to 0-3 with 35-27 loss to Washington State

UNLV, which opened the season with two gut-wrenching losses, looked as if it at least would be spared the agony of another close call.

Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday spent the early part of Friday's game blasting the Rebels' inexperienced secondary, throwing touchdown passes to wide-open wide receivers to take an 18-point lead late in the second quarter.

It would've been the perfect time for the Rebels to quit - on this game, maybe on their football season.

They didn't come back to win, but they didn't quit, coming within an incomplete pass on the final play from possibly tying the Cougars, who left Sam Boyd Stadium with a 35-27 victory.

"We are a young team, and last year we had some blowout losses," UNLV quarterback Nick Sherry said. "We came into the season, and we said we're taking every game to the fourth quarter, we're going to win more than we're going to lose. We've still got 10 games left. That's a whole season still."

Sherry, a redshirt freshman making his third career start, completed 33 of 49 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage total tied for the 18th highest in school history and was the most since Rocky Hinds threw for that same amount in 2006 against Air Force. Sherry's 33 completions tied Jon Denton's school record, which he set in 1996 against San Jose State.

Marcus Sullivan caught six passes for 136 yards and touchdowns of 37 and 75 yards. Caleb Herring, who lost the starting quarterback job in training camp to Sherry, made his debut at wide receiver and caught five passes for 68 yards.

Sherry dueled Halliday, who, filling in for the injured Jeff Tuel, completed 26 of 45 passes for 378 yards and four TDs.

Beginning 0-3 isn't what the Rebels had in mind, and the losses have been excruciating. They lost in triple overtime to Minnesota, by three points to Northern Arizona and then to Washington State (2-1).

"I think we have a chance to be a decent football team," Rebels coach Bobby Hauck said. "I don't think we're a good team right now, but I also don't think we're a bad team. I think we're an average football team that's come up on the short end of the ledger three times by slim, slim margins."

Now, however, the season gets hard.

UNLV hosts Air Force on Sept. 22 before facing Utah State, Louisiana Tech, UNR, Boise State and San Diego State. Four of those games are on the road, and the Rebels are expected to be considerable underdogs in all six.

They will have to find a way to create their own momentum entering that stretch because the Rebels failed to generate much from the first three games.

Missed opportunities marked all three losses, including the one to Washington State. The Rebels spent most of the second half in the Cougars' side of the 50-yard line but scored just one touchdown. That TD occurred with 1:44 left when Sherry found tight end Jake Phillips for a 4-yard score to come to within 35-27.

UNLV then failed to recover the onside kick, but Washington State gave the Rebels another chance when Cougars coach Mike Leach went for a fourth-and-4 at UNLV's 38. And then Leach stunningly called a run play. Carl Winston was stopped 2 yards short with 40 seconds left.

That gave UNLV one last chance, and two completions moved the ball to the Cougars' 42. Sherry's last-gasp heave hit the turf, leaving the Rebels with another night of what-ifs after rallying back from 28-10 down late in the second quarter.

"I don't think our guys lack confidence, in fact they don't," Hauck said. "I think our guys are invested. I think they've got some potential. Most of them we're going to have for a few more years, so as long as everybody stays healthy and stays employed, we've got a chance to have a good football team."

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

WASHINGTON STATE

35

UNLV

27

¥ KEY: Connor Halliday threw four first-half TD passes for the Cougars, and the Rebels' final drive ended at the WSU 42-yard line.

¥ NEXT: Air Force at UNLV, 7 p.m. Sept. 22, KWWN (1100 AM, 98.9 FM)