UNLV hopes to write new history against UTEP, Prairie View

There was the hint of irritation in UNLV coach Tony Sanchez’s voice when he was asked about the Rebels’ struggles against teams they are expected to easily beat.

Sanchez and his players might not like the question, but it won’t go away unless the Rebels convincingly beat teams like the ones that visit Sam Boyd Stadium the next two weeks.

Games against Texas-El Paso at 6 p.m. Saturday and Prairie View A&M on Sept. 15 should show whether UNLV is the bowl contender it appears, or whether this football season will follow the pattern of so many others.

These next two weeks are shut-up games — the chance for the Rebels to quiet their critics. Or the criticism will only worsen.

“We’ve got the right mindset,” Sanchez said. “We don’t even talk about (struggling against lesser teams). I know everyone likes to talk about that, and it is what it is. We’ve got to go out there, and we’ve got to focus on our stuff. It’s kind of an interesting deal because at times it can be a very negative climate around here because people are so used to being let down.

“So everyone turns negative really fast. Some of the commentary I hear and some of the things (players) see is immediately negative, but our guys, they’ve done a really great job of not worrying about any of that stuff. We’re focusing on what we’re doing.”

UNLV (0-1) is a 23½-point favorite over the Miners (0-1) in the game that will be televised on AT&T SportsNet. The Rebels come off a 43-21 loss at Southern California in which they trailed just 19-14 entering the fourth quarter. UTEP was defeated 30-10 at home by FCS member Northern Arizona.

Sanchez in his fourth season and needs to take the step of making a bowl after falling one victory shy of eligibility last season. UTEP coach Dana Dimel in his first season of a program that carries a 13-game losing streak, the nation’s longest.

“I think (Sanchez) is putting together a good program,” Dimel said. “I see them already better this year from that first ballgame. I see them as a better football team than from what they were last season. They’re continuing to improve their athleticism. I like what I saw.”

UNLV, however, doesn’t have to look far back to find struggles in games like this one.

— The Rebels entered last season as a 45-point favorite over Howard, but lost 43-40. It’s believed to be the biggest upset, according to point spread, in college football history.

— UNLV escaped with a 13-12 victory over Northern Colorado in 2014.

— NAU beat the Rebels 17-14 in 2012.

— Southern Utah smoked UNLV 41-16 in 2011.

Only the Howard loss came under Sanchez; Bobby Hauck was UNLV’s coach for the others.

And, for Sanchez, the Howard defeat was an outlier. UNLV drubbed Idaho State 80-8 in his first season and Jackson State 63-13 in 2016.

But the stench from Howard won’t completely go away unless the Rebels make a statement against UTEP and then again against Prairie View.

If the Rebels want the kind of season they’ve been hoping for, they need to bring the same kind of effort against those teams that they brought against USC.

“We started the season with the mentality we were going to win the first game,” UNLV safety Dalton Baker said. “As far as getting up for UTEP, the coaches can get us fired up, but that starts in the locker room. The players have to get the players fired up.”

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