UNR quells Rebel uprising

Mike Sanford has coached UNLV to its best start in five years, but one major hole remains on his resume.

He still can't beat UNR and Chris Ault.

Or, on Saturday, Wolf Pack quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

He beat the Rebels almost by himself, combining for 416 yards and five touchdowns running and passing to overwhelm UNLV 49-27 before an announced crowd of 33,078 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

So the Fremont Cannon remains blue and in the north, and maybe Sanford will come up with a different approach next season rather than trying to decide whether to refer to the Wolf Pack as "the team up north" or "Nevada, Reno."

Nothing for Sanford has worked in this rivalry, and UNR has beaten the Rebels twice in close games and twice in blowouts to win four in a row against UNLV. All four have been under Sanford's watch.

That looks worse when considering the Rebels had beaten UNR five times in a row before Sanford took over.

But all is not lost this season for UNLV (3-2), no matter how painful and embarrassing this defeat felt. The Rebels enter Mountain West Conference play full time Saturday at Colorado State.

"This is a big game, but there's a lot of football ahead of us, and we've got a lot of opportunities ahead of us," Sanford said.

UNLV will have to play better defense than it did against UNR (2-2), especially Kaepernick. He rushed for 240 yards and three touchdowns, including a 66-yarder, on 18 carries. Kaepernick also completed 11 of 16 passes for 176 yards and two scores, including a 70-yard completion to wide receiver Chris Wellington.

UNR totaled 620 yards, including 444 on the ground. Tailback Vai Taua had 123 yards and a touchdown on 19 rushes.

"Obviously they ran the ball well, and obviously Colin Kaepernick had a tremendous game," Sanford said. "Obviously we did not do a good job defending the option."

It was as if UNLV's defense was standing still.

Same for Rebels quarterback Omar Clayton's pass protection. After UNLV jumped to a 17-7 first-quarter lead, the Wolf Pack turned up the defensive pressure, and Clayton found himself repeatedly facing pass rushers.

The Rebels still moved the ball at times, but their offense wasn't the same after the momentum shifted. UNR outscored the Rebels 42-10 after that.

Kaepernick's scramble to his left and 40-yard touchdown pass to wide-open tight end Virgil Green with 12:49 left in the second quarter put the Wolf Pack in front for good at 21-17.

Clayton finished 18-for-38 for 327 yards, three touchdowns and his first interception of the season. He also rushed for 47 yards on 12 attempts.

Not bad statistics, but he had 142 yards passing and 31 rushing in the first quarter.

He also wasn't helped by the lack of a running game. Tailback Frank Summers, who had consecutive 100-yard games before this one, gained just 20 yards on nine carries.

It was a combination of a staunch Wolf Pack defense and a bruised knee that probably was worse than Sanford let on during the week.

UNLV did have some highlights.

Wide receiver Ryan Wolfe caught eight passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. Casey Flair had five receptions for 84 yards and a TD.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.