NFL
By: Brock Vierra
To say that Barry Odom’s first year has been a success would be an understatement. In six games, he’s already eclipsed the single-season wins mark of the Marcus Arroyo tenure and with Mike Sanford and Tony Sanchez failing to win more than five games in a season, Odom has been a welcomed sight for disheartened fans. He has already secured the Fremont Cannon and the Golden Pineapple along with an undefeated conference record up to this point. Now Odom and UNLV football will set their eyes on a new goal, bowl eligibility.
Welcoming Colorado State to Vegas on Saturday, a victory would give Odom that coveted sixth win that would send the Rebels to their first bowl game since 2013. However, Colorado State is no joke. Coming off of an improbable win against Boise State, the Mountain West’s highest-paid coaching staff is starting to show the potential that was promised when head coach Jay Norvell was hired in 2022.
Norvell and the majority of his staff are familiar with UNLV. They went to Fort Collins after a successful five years at Nevada. In his final year with the Wolfpack, Norvell and Nevada ruined UNLV’s debut in Allegiant Stadium with a 37-19 win to take the Cannon up north. Now in his second year with Colorado State, Norvell is 3-3 and looking to get his second conference win of the year. So will the Rams’ ambition stall UNLV’s quest for bowl eligibility?
No. As previously mentioned, Colorado State had an improbable win over Boise State. Let me put it like this, Colorado State’s win took the biggest amount of luck I have ever seen in my life. With 5:45 remaining in the game, CSU was down 30-10. They would subsequently score a touchdown, recover an onside kick that Boise completely whiffed on, got bailed out on fourth down with a DPI penalty, scored another touchdown, recovered another onside kick, committed a penalty on said kick, backed up five yards and then failed to recover that kick. However, CSU still had 2 timeouts left and Boise would go three and out. CSU had the ball at their own 12 with 33 seconds left yet they quickly advanced the ball to the Boise 33 with six seconds left setting up the game-winning Hail Mary and subsequent extra point to win it. UNLV won’t let that happen. They’re too stout defensively.
Also, Colorado State’s defense has surrendered about 37 points per game while their starting QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has shown his youth throughout the season. The redshirt freshman has thrown 11 interceptions in six games while suffering 7 sacks on the year. Though he has impressed and will be one for the future, his tendency to put the ball in danger will give UNLV an edge defensively.
As for the UNLV offense, their run game will continue to find success. They left Reno after putting 259 rushing yards on Nevada including 99 yards from Donavyn Lester. Lester also had three rushing scores with Vincent Davis adding a touchdown as well. Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty ran for 212 yards and three scores just by himself against CSU so that’s another advantage for UNLV.
As long as UNLV plays hard, limit turnovers and provide the physical impact that sets the tempo for a game, they should find it easy to find success against Colorado State. With it being homecoming for the Rebels, UNLV is expecting what could be the biggest crowd in UNLV football history since their move to Allegiant. The crowd will be going crazy, the energy will be intense. As long as the Rebels play within the system that has provided the foundation to their success, they will beat Colorado State. CSU has already been blown out by Washington State and Utah State. CSU already has had two emotional games this year. They will be hard-pressed to find the inner energy that can sustain a winning effort. UNLV should be bowl bound after Saturday night.
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