Can UNLV shore up the defense for the stretch run?

LAS VEGAS — It may not seem like it, but UNLV still has a lot to play for despite the Rebels losing on Oct. 18.

Yes, getting throttled 56-31 by Boise State kind of threw a monkery wrench into Dan Mullen’s plans and hopes of earning a spot in the College Football Playoff. But the reality is, even if things went perfectly for UNLV, it still might not have been enough to get into the 12-team field.

At 6-1, they’ve already got a bowl game invitation tucked away in their back pocket. Maybe a trip to Hawaii is in the cards for Christmas. More than likely, it’s a return visit to Los Angeles and another get-together with Rob Gronkowski. Perhaps they go to Tucson as was the case a couple of years ago.

Still, you’d like to give yourselves the best possible shot at joining the CFP party. So that means winning the entire final stretch of five games, beginning Saturday at Allegiant Stadium against New Mexico and hope Boise State beats San Diego State on Nov. 15 at Snapdragon Stadium to set up a rematch for the Mountain West championship with the winner at least getting serious consideration for the playoff.

For that possibility to exist, UNLV better figure out how to stop someone, and quick. The Rebels have had three different bye weeks to come up with the right scheme with the personnel they have available in order to stop allowing 400, 500-plus yards a game.

When Mullen hired his friend Paul Guenther to run the defense, it was hailed as a smart move, bordering on brilliant, given Guenther’s resume. But then came the season-opener where FCS Idaho State put up 555 yards in offense and scared the bejeezus out of the Rebels.  

Since then, the UNLV defense has been hit-and-miss, mostly a lot of miss with failure to tackle, senseless penalties and allowing opponents to hit big plays. The numbers are staggering — 33.4 points per game allowed, 461.1 yards per game in total offense, 6.7 yards per play, 31 touchdowns.

Thank God for Anthony Colandrera, Jet Thomas and the UNLV offense. Or we wouldn’t be having any conversation about December football.

Mullen said after the Boise State debacle that he and his staff have to coach better. Part of that is preparation. There have been times this season where UNLV did not look like a team that was ready to make plays on defense. And since there are no trades in college football (yet), Mullen and Guenther are going to have to coach up the guys they have and hope a few of them can act like defensive back Aamaris Brown, the Rebels’ top defensive player. Or perhaps emulate linebacker Marsel McDuffie and DB Jake Pope.

Maybe the emergence of senior linebacker Bryce Edmonson will help. Edmonson was hurt in spring practice and only recently returned to the field. He has started the last two games and he’s still playing his way back with severn total tackles.

“For a first-year defense, we’ve seen a lot of different offenses,” Mullen said Monday. “During the bye, we looked at the things we did well and looked at the things we need to correct. Everybody took ownership, starting with me. If you don’t take ownership, you can’t improve.

“We need to make sure our defense is causing challenges for the other team. Are we making sure we’re getting better?”

Junior defensive back Andrew Powdrell said despite the surrendering of huge chunks of yardage and points, the defense is making progress.

“We’ve got a lot of hungry guys,” he said. “We’re communicating a lot better. Everyone just needs to do their job every snap.”

Of the five remaining opponents, three have overall records of .500 or better. New Mexico is 5-3, Hawaii is 6-2 and Utah State is 4-4. Only Colorado State (2-6) and Nevada (1-7) are having losing seasons. So there are some challenges left for Mullen and his team down the stretch.

But as he said Monday, his only concern is New Mexico, which of course is the right answer. The Lobos have won their last two, including a 33-14 win over Utah State which saw New Mexico roll up 407 yards in offense. Jason Eck has come in and turned things around in his first season in Albuquerque.

So Mullen has every right to be concerned. This will not be a walkover and if UNLV hasn’t made the necessary adjustments and tweaks on defense from last week’s bye, we’re looking at another potential high-scoring shootout.
 
Still, Mullen has produced a 6-1 record so far. He must be doing something right. The challenge now is to finish strong and see where it takes the Rebels.

“Our goal is to be a better team at the end of the year than we were at the beginning of the year,” Powdrell said.