UNLV football focused on rivalry game with UNR, not postseason outlook
No. 21 UNLV’s annual rivalry game with UNR always has plenty of stakes.
But this year, winning the Fremont Cannon trophy would also put the Rebels in the Mountain West title game with Boise State for the second straight season. UNLV is second in the league standings thanks to its win against San Jose State on Friday and Colorado State’s loss to Fresno State on Saturday.
Coach Barry Odom isn’t focused on the Rebels’ postseason outlook quite yet.
“Obviously, the chance to go 1-0 this week opens up a lot of doors for us. We know that. We’ve talked about that as a team,” Odom said. “And none of it matters if we don’t take care of business this week. So that’s where our focus is, and how important it is to win this rivalry game.”
Odom, since UNLV’s first loss to Syracuse on Oct. 4, has emphasized everything the team wants to accomplish is still within its control. He maintained that stance after the Rebels’ loss to Boise State on Oct. 25, but he acknowledged the defeat meant they needed some help.
UNLV got it Saturday. Linebacker Jackson Woodard said Monday it wasn’t difficult to keep morale high in the locker room.
“This team’s resilient, so it wasn’t too hard, honestly,” Woodard said. “We preach, ‘Be where your feet are.’ All we care about is to go 1-0 each week. We really mean that. It’s not just a saying. These leaders that are next to me and also in the locker room, they know the mission. Each week, we’re focused, we’re hungry. So, it hasn’t been too much. Obviously, it’s played out in our hand. Now we have to take advantage of it.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.