Tag: UNLV Football

What We Learned After Week 14 Of Mountain West Football

One final team we learned about each Mountain West team.

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What We Learned After Week 14 Of Mountain West Football

The regular season is in the books.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

One last go around.

Air Force – Ten wins is a great turnaround from back-to-back five wins for the Falcons team. Quarterback Donald Hammond III is now a passing quarterback? Well, not really but he is one of the better passers in Falcon’s history as he ended the season with 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Boise State – Rename the Broncos quarterback factory. For the third-straight game, Jaylon Henderson led Boise State to a victory. It seemingly does not matter all that much about who is under center. We will see in the title game who gets the start.

Colorado State – The Rams continue to come up short in close games. They had a shot against most of their games this year with five games decided by 10 or fewer points but could not get over the hump.

Fresno State – The Bulldogs took a big step back compared to last year and it started with losses on defense and also quarterback play taking a huge step back. Quarterback Jorge Reyna wasn’t great either with so many late-game miscues. Overall, there were plenty of issues with this team but one of the few bright side of the season was running back Ronnie Rivers.

Hawaii – After 13 games there is still no clear answer as to who the starting quarterback is between Cole McDonald and Chevan Cordeiro, however the swapping back and forth has pretty much worked for the year. It is yet to be seen if it will work in the Mountain West title game.

Nevada – This season has been extremely odd as it saw the Wolf Pack not only used multiple quarterbacks this year en route to becoming bowl eligible. The oddest thing about how the Nevada season is having four of its five losses in the amount of 71, 51, 28, and 26 points.

New Mexico – The Bob Davie era is over is the most significant thing to happen this weekend for the Lobos. Hanging around with Utah State was a good sign despite knowing its head coach was out the door. Time to move on and find its new coach for the Lobos.

San Diego State – The Aztecs went with quarterback Carson Baker to replace the injured Ryan Agnew and he did a solid job. There were no turnovers, a touchdown pass, and an efficient 19 of 24 for 172 yards.

The defense shut down a BYU offense that had been clicking over the past month and the Aztecs shutdown the Cougar attack that was averaging 39.8 points during its five-game winning streak leading into this game.

San Jose State – DeJon Packer had a huge game in helping the Spartans defeat Fresno State for the Valley Trophy, 17-16. Packer had 93 yards rushing and added four receptions for 35 yards with a touchdown. This was his third-straight game with over 100 yards from scrimmage.

UNLV – Tony Sanchez had his final game and the Rebels came out a winner over rival Nevada and keeping the Fremont Cannon red. Wide receiver Steve Jenkins who scored twice, including the game-winning score, on five catches for 140 yards. It was the first time in a month he has had a catch and his best game of the year by far.

Utah State – The running game came back alive — yes,  it was against New Mexico — as Gerold Bright had 113 yards and a score. This was his first 100-yard game since Oct. 19. That ground game is what has been missing over the past month and hindered the Aggies from getting a few more wins.

Wyoming – The surprise in this game is that Tyler Vander Waal got the start at quarterback. He was not the same as he had an interception and his typically solid rushing attack was non-existent.

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Mountain West Football Coaching Updates

Stay up to date with the latest in coaching news surrounding the Mountain West.

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Mountain West Football Coaching Updates

What Mountain West coaches are in and out.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Stay up to date with coaching moves within the league.

This will be a living document that will have updates from coaching changes, rumors and news about the Mountain West.

UNLV

Nov. 25: Tony Sanchez is relieved of his duties. He has a $650,000 buyout, per his contract, and is not subject to an offset.[Mountain West Wire]

Nov. 25: Five early candidates for the UNLV job. One includes LSU passing game coordinator Joe Brady. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

Nov. 29: Tim DeRuyter a serious candidate for UNLV?

Nov. 30: Five outside the box names for the UNLV coaching job [Mountain West Wire]

New Mexico

Nov. 25: New Mexico will not retain Bob Davie. His buyout is $840,000, per his contract, paid in monthly installments through 2021 and subject to offset from any future coaching job. AD Eddie Nuñez has hinted that a different buyout may be worked out. [Mountain West Wire]

Nov. 27: Arizona State defensive coordinator was asked about the New Mexico and other jobs. He said that, “when people talk, you always listen. And I think that’s the best thing to do. When you’re wanted, it’s always nice.” [AZ Central]

Nov. 30: Five outside the box names for the New Mexico coaching job [Mountain West Wire]

Colorado State

Nov. 29: Barrnig any drastic change by AD Joe Parker, Mike Bobo will not be back in Fort Collins [Football Scoop]


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Mountain West Football: Week 14 Winners and Losers

Steve Jenkins, Mike Bobo, Jorge Reyna and Bryan Harsin are among the winners and losers from the regular season’s last weekend.

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Mountain West Football: Week 14 Winners and Losers

Who came out ahead and who left something to be desired in Week 14 of Mountain West football?

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Some encouragement and some letdowns from the week that was.

College football’s regular season decided to go out with a bang over Thanksgiving weekend and the Mountain West, in particular, was no exception. Between unexpected twists in old rivalries and a slew of a close results, it made for one last healthy crop of heroes and goats.

Here’s how stepped up and who disappointed in the last full slate of Mountain West play this fall.

Winners

1. Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin. It isn’t a stretch to say that this is probably the best coaching that Harsin has done in his time on the blue. With three quarterbacks, a running back shuffle, offensive line troubles, and a few significant injuries on defense, the Broncos still went 8-0 in conference play and are now a break and a win away from the Cotton Bowl. If his name doesn’t come up in Power 5 coaching searches, I’d be genuinely surprised.

2. San Diego State cornerback Luq Barcoo. Curtis Weaver’s coronation as defensive player of the year may not be air-tight after all, especially after the Aztec senior broke up four more passes in their win over BYU. That may not seem especially meaningful by itself, but Barcoo now has the most passes defended (24) of any Mountain West player in the last decade and owns a strong case in what will surely be a heated conversation.

3. UNLV wide receiver Steve Jenkins. There may be no better time to score your first touchdown of the year than against your biggest rival, and Jenkins liked the idea enough to find the end zone twice against Nevada. A 75-yard catch-and-run and the game-winner in overtime were the highlights in a game where Jenkins had five catches for 140 yards, ensuring the Fremont Cannon would stay red for another year.

Losers

1. Nevada cornerback Austin Arnold. Obviously, it’s impossible to speculate what might have led to Arnold’s snap decision after the battle for the Fremont Cannon was decided. We also don’t know what UNLV quarterback Kenyon Oblad said to prompt Arnold to react. The brief melee that ensued, though, is a black eye on a rivalry that has been fun and hotly contested in recent years and Arnold must bear a healthy share of responsibility for how everything unfolded.

2. Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo. If Rams fans wonder why they’ve had “deja vu all over again” all season long, it’s been a hallmark of Bobo’s tenure that consistently winning close games has been elusive. In his five years at the helm, Bobo’s record in games decided by eight points or fewer is 8-14; that includes the seven-point loss on Friday afternoon to Boise State.

It’s difficult to say whether that just makes him the new Matt Wells or something more, but we’re all about to enter a waiting game in which athletic director Joe Parker decides that for himself.

3. Fresno State quarterback Jorge Reyna. Reyna was hardly the Bulldogs’ biggest concern this fall, but his up-and-down performances didn’t help matters and he didn’t give the offense nearly enough to help maintain a 14-point lead against rival San Jose State. The interception he threw didn’t do any lasting damage — the defense came up with a turnover on downs in the red zone — but between that, two fumbles, and a mediocre 15-22-151-1 TD stat line, it’ll be pretty easy for Fresno State fans to look back at 2019 and wonder what might have been with steadier quarterback play.

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Fight Breaks Out After Nevada, UNLV Game

The battle for the Fremont Cannon ended in a fight after UNLV scored the game-winning play in overtime.

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Fight Breaks Out After Nevada, UNLV Game

Things get ugly after Rebels overtime win.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Dirty hits and pulled off helmets.

UNLV took home the Fremont Canon and it will be painted red after its 33-30 overtime win over Nevada. However, the game will be marred with what happened after the final score.

A fight broke out after the game-winning score when Steve Jenkins caught a 19-yard pass from Kenyon Oblad.

This also was Tony Sanchez’s last game as head coach for UNLV as he was been relieved of his duties earlier this week.

This blind-side hit seems to have started it all and outside of the game going to the road team Rebels, it seems that there was nothing to start a fight.

The fight had many, many, many instances where things went crazy after that sucker punch.

These two images are after that blindside hit as the teams converge on each other.

Below is UNLV tight end Noah Bean throwing a Nevada player into the wall just below some fans. It is hard to tell what Wolf Pack player that is, but Bean then proceeds to go after the player he threw into the wall. That part is not clear in the video outside of him charging.

These next stills show the teams running to behind the end zone and start scuffling.

 

Finally, there EW Rebel players taunting the crows. There is a glove being thrown, one doing the loser dance from Fortnite and then one waving bye. Those three can be seen more clear in the video at the end of this post.

Here is the full video of the fight.

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UNLV Football: Five Deep Cut Coaching Candidates To Replace Tony Sanchez

Who will become the next head football coach of the UNLV Rebels? There are names out there, but we have some ideas.

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UNLV Football: Five Deep Cut Coaching Candidates To Replace Tony Sanchez

Who will become the next head football coach of the UNLV Rebels? There are names out there, but we have some ideas.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

An attractive job for the right coach.

Another disappointing UNLV football season comes to a close on Saturday and it will bring Tony Sanchez’s five-year stint as head coach to an end. That’s when the real work begins: The next man up will inherit a program which has made substantial investment in becoming successful without much luck thus far.

There are plenty of names attached to the job but, rather than repeat those same candidates here, we’d like to add a few ourselves that may appear off the beaten path. This is more of a thought exercise rooted in conjecture rather than any sources and if you have any names that you think the Rebels should consider, feel free to let us know on Twitter.

1. Troy Taylor, Sacramento State head coach (school bio). It isn’t often we pay attention to big turnarounds at the FCS level, but Taylor’s first year with the Hornets has been a huge success. After building offenses that ranked 45th and 53rd at Utah in 2017 and 2018, he earned Sac State’s first share of a Big Sky title ever this fall.

He’s also a Southern California native, which could be a draw for a program which typically courts recruits from the area, but it’s also anyone’s guess as to whether the one year of head coaching experience is enough to entice UNLV to take a long look.

2. Graham Harrell, USC offensive coordinator (school bio). The Trojans may have had a wildly uneven year, but it’s hard to place too much blame on Harrell’s offense. By SP+, the Trojans enter the season’s final weekend ranked ninth overall on the strength of a passing attack that has largely thrived despite turnover at quarterback.

It isn’t the first time he’s had success developing an offense, either, guiding Mason Fine and the North Texas Mean Green to three straight bowl appearances as Seth Littrell’s offensive coordinator. The Rebels might have to back up the Brinks truck to pull Harrell away from Heritage Hall, though.

3. Ruffin McNeill, Oklahoma assistant head coach/outside linebackers coach (school bio). There are still those people out there who question why East Carolina ever let McNeill go, but he’s done pretty well for himself since landing on his feet in Norman. He’s also spent time in Las Vegas before, too, as the defensive coordinator under Jeff Horton in 1997 and 1998.

At 61 years old, McNeill may be more of a steward than a long-term solution at this point, but that might be all the Rebels need to finally get over the hump with his 42-34 record over six years in Greenville.

4. Keenan McCardell, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receivers coach (team bio). If the program is giving consideration to those with ties to UNLV, the former Rebel receiver should be worth a look. McCardell might be something of a Brent Brennan-esque hire given his exclusive experience working with wide receivers, but he did have a hand in developing Stefon Diggs at Maryland and deserves some credit for D.J. Chark’s breakout in Jacksonville this season.

That narrow band of experience may ultimately be a drawback, however, since Brennan himself had experience in a number of position coach roles for well over a decade before taking the head job at San Jose State.

5. DeMarco Murray, Arizona running backs coach (school bio). A Las Vegas native, Murray is the deepest of deep cuts. He joined Kevin Sumlin’s staff in Tucson this fall and the early returns have been pretty solid: Four different Wildcat running backs have combined for 264 carries and averaged 5.55 yards per carry.

The fact he has just the one year of coaching experience, however, might be a bridge too far for a program so close to breaking through.

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How To Livestream UNLV vs. Nevada From AT&T SportsNet

The battle for the Fremont Cannon can be found on AT&T SportsNet, but here’s how to watch the livestream from outside the footprint.

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How To Livestream UNLV vs. Nevada From AT&T SportsNet

The Rebels and Wolf Pack battle for the Fremont Cannon on ATTSN. Here’s how to watch the livestream from outside the footprint.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Here’s the info you need to tune in.

WEEK 14: UNLV Rebels (3-8, 1-6 MW) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (7-4, 4-3 MW)

WHEN: Saturday, November 30 — 12:00 PM PT/1:00 PM MT

WHERE: Mackay Stadium; Reno, Nevada (27,000)

TV: AT&T SportsNet

STREAMING: The game can be streamed outside of the ATTSN footprint via Stadium. To find out whether you can do this in your area, refer to the AT&T SportsNet territory map.

Additionally, the radio broadcast can be streamed via TuneIn.

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The UNLV Rebels head north to face off with the Nevada Wolf Pack for the Fremont Cannon on Saturday afternoon. Depending on where you live, you’ll need to find AT&T SportNet on your local cable provider or head to Stadium online in order to stream the game.

It is one of three Mountain West football games which can be streamed over Thanksgiving weekend, with Utah State/New Mexico and Wyoming/Air Force both featured on Facebook, so be sure to tune in and see whether the Rebels can send head coach Tony Sanchez out with a win or whether the Wolf Pack can paint the cannon blue once again.

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Week 14 Mountain West Football Picks, TV Schedule, Scoreboard

Stay up to date with everything on the Mountain West this final week.

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Week 14 Mountain West Football Picks, TV Schedule, Scoreboard

A couple of trophies are on the line.

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Boise State vs. Colorado State start Friday!

Boise State at Colorado State

Friday, 3:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network | Get Tickets
Line: Boise State -14.5 | Staff Picks

Wyoming at Air Force

Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, TV: Facebook | Get Tickets
Line: Air Force -11 | Staff Picks

UNLV at Nevada

Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, TV: AT&T SportsNet | Get Tickets
Line: Nevada -7 |  Staff Picks

Utah State at New Mexico

4 p.m. ET, TV: Facebook | Get Tickets
Line: Utah State State -11.5 | Staff Picks

BYU at San Diego State

9 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network | Get Tickets
Line: BYU -6 | Staff Picks

Fresno State at San Jose State

10:30 p.m. ET, TV: ESPN2 | Get Tickets
Line: Fresno State -3 | Staff Picks

Army at Hawaii

12:30 a.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network | Get Tickets
Line: Fresno State -3 | Staff Picks

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UNLV vs. Nevada: Three Keys To A Rebels Win

The Fremont Cannon is up for grabs in Tony Sanchez’s last game as head coach. Here’s how the Rebels can finish the season with a win.

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UNLV vs. Nevada: Three Keys to a Rebels Win

The Fremont Cannon is up for grabs in Tony Sanchez’s last game as head coach. Here’s how the Rebels can finish the season with a win.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

How can the Rebels paint the cannon red this year?

WEEK 14: UNLV Rebels (3-8, 1-6 MW) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (7-4, 4-3 MW)

WHEN: Saturday, November 30 — 12:00 PM PT/1:00 PM MT

WHERE: Mackay Stadium; Reno, Nevada (27,000)

TV: AT&T SportsNet

STREAMING: Fans outside of the ATTSN footprint can livestream the game here, courtesy of Stadium. The radio broadcast can also be streamed via TuneIn.

RADIO: The UNLV broadcast can be found in and around Las Vegas on ESPN 1100 AM and 100.9 FM, while the Nevada broadcast can be found in and around that town up north on ESPN 94.5 FM.

SERIES RECORD: Nevada leads the series 26-18. In the last meeting on November 24, 2018, UNLV defeated the Wolf Pack, 34-29, in Las Vegas.

LAST WEEK: UNLV won its final game at Sam Boyd Stadium over San Jose State, 38-35, while Nevada won on the road at Fresno State, 31-28.

WEBSITES: UNLVRebels.com, the official UNLV athletics website | NevadaWolfPack.com, the official Nevada athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Nevada | UNLV

ODDS (via OddsShark): Nevada -7

SP+ PROJECTION: Nevada by 9.7 (71% win probability)

FEI PROJECTION: Nevada by 1.9

One of the best rivalry trophies in college football is up for grabs on Saturday afternoon when the UNLV Rebels head to Reno to face the Nevada Wolf Pack.

The battle for the Fremont Cannon may be overshadowed, however, by the fact that Rebels head coach Tony Sanchez will be on the sideline for the last time, having been notified that he will be relieved of his duties no matter the result. He’s had the Wolf Pack’s number more than once, though, and he could leave the rivalry with a winning record if his Rebels emerge victorous.

Here’s our preview of how UNLV can beat the Wolf Pack and paint the cannon red.

Three Keys to a UNLV Victory

1. Don’t let the Wolf Pack ground game a head of steam.

Nevada’s outburst last week against Fresno State, in which they ran for 254 yards on 34 carries, was far and away their best ground performance of the year because they have otherwise averaged 2.7 yards per carry in Mountain West play. The latter figure is good news for the Rebels, who gave up 7.32 YPC over a four-game stretch through most of October but have improved to allowing just 4.57 YPC in the last four games.

One big reason for this is the emergence of linebacker Rayshad Jackson, who is averaging 10.5 tackles per game and has tallied seven tackles for loss over the last month. For a defense that has struggled to consistently disrupt, every little bit counts against a hard-running duo like Toa Taua and Devonte Lee.

2. Brother, can you spare a sack?

It’s not a stretch now to say that the Rebels own one of the worst pass rushes in college football: The only team in the country with a lower sack rate than UNLV’s 2.6% is Middle Tennessee State, and it doesn’t matter much whether you look at standard downs (128th) or passing downs (121st).

Can the Rebels, with zero sacks in four of the last five games, get any consistent pressure on Nevada quarterback Carson Strong? They absolutely must if they want to have a chance because he’s having a pretty solid November, completing 69.1% of his passes with six touchdowns and just one interception this month.

3. Win third downs on offense.

This is something that both teams actually have in common because they have both been miserable when it comes to moving the chains, and that is especially true in Mountain West play, where the Wolf Pack (36.3%) and Rebels (24.8%) are the two worst teams in the conference.

Don’t make the mistake, though, of thinking this doesn’t apply on defense, too. The difference is that both teams have been rock solid on that front against conference foes, with UNLV’s 37.5% ranking fourth and Nevada’s 37.9% ranking fifth.

One guy who could have an outsized influence on this is Kenyon Oblad, who has struggled mightily on third downs. Among FBS quarterbacks with more than 50 third-down pass attempts, Oblad has the lowest completion percentage, 38.1%, and only Northwestern’s Aidan Smith has a lower passer rating than his 69.52. In converting just 12-of-63 tries through the air, he’s been a major hindrance, but a one-week turnaround could make him a hero.

Prediction

The Rebels don’t seem like they’ll be able to run the football like they did against San Jose State last week since Nevada’s defensive front is a much tougher one, and things haven’t gone particularly well when UNLV has been forced to put the game in their quarterback’s hands. It should be a close one overall, but look for the Wolf Pack to turn the cannon blue again.

Nevada 24, UNLV 20

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Week 14 Mountain West Football Expert Picks

Final week of picks for the regular season.

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Week 14 Mountain West Football Expert Picks

Final week of the season is here.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Who are you taking this week?

Boise State at Colorado State (+13.5)

Jeremy: SU: Boise State | ATS: Boise State | Score: Boise State 35, Colorado Stare 17

Raj: SU/ATS: Boise State, 34-17

Brandon T: SU/ATS: Boise State 41-21

Jesse: SU: Boise State | ATS: Colorado State

Brad: SU: BSU | ATS: BSU | BSU 38 – CSU 17

Matt K: SU: | ATS: | Score: Boise State 42-21

Sean: SU: BSU | ATS: BSU | BSU 31 – CSU 17

Wyoming at Air Force (-11)

Jeremy: SU: Air Force | ATS: Wyoming | Score: Air Force 28, Wyoming 18

Raj: SU: Air Force | ATS: Wyoming

Brandon T: SU/ATS: Air Force 38-17

Jesse: SU: Wyoming | ATS: Wyoming

Brad: S: WYO | ATS: WYO | WYO 24 – AF 21

Matt K: SU: Air Force | ATS: Air Force | Score: Air Force 24, Wyoming 14

Sean: SU: Air Force | ATS: Wyoming | Score: Air Force 17, Wyoming 14

UNLV at Nevada (-7)

Jeremy: SU: Nevada | ATS: UNLV | Score: Nevada 28, UNLV 27

Raj: SU/ATS: Nevada

Brandon T: SU/ATS: Nevada 28-14

Jesse: SU: UNLV ATS: UNLV

Brad: SU: UNR | ATS: UNLV | UNR 33 – UNLV 30

Matt K: SU: | ATS: | Score: Nevada 24, UNLV 20

Sean: SU: Nevada | ATS: Nevada | Score: Nevada 24, UNLV 17

Utah State at New Mexico (+11.5)

Jeremy: SU: Utah State | ATS: Utah State | Score: Utah State 46, New Mexico 13

Raj: SU: Utah State | ATS: New Mexico

Brandon T: SU/ATS: Utah State 31-14

Jesse: SU: Utah State ATS: Utah State

Brad: SU: USU | ATS: USU | USU 48 – UNM 20

Matt K: SU: Utah State | ATS:  Utah State | Score: Utah State 35, New Mexico 24

Sean: SU: Utah State | ATS:  Utah State | Score: Utah State 31, New Mexico 17

BYU at San Diego State (+3)

Jeremy: SU: BYU | ATS: BYU | Score: BYU 21, San Diego State 17

Raj: SU/ATS: BYU

Brandon T: SU/ATS: SDSU 10-3

Jesse: SU: BYU ATS: BYU

Brad: SU: BYU | ATS: BYU | BYU 26 SDSU 17

Matt K: BYU 17, San Diego 12

Sean: SU: BYU | ATS: BYU | BYU 24 SDSU 14

Fresno State at San Jose State (+3)

Jeremy: SU: San Jose State | ATS: San Jose State | Score: San Jose State 35, Fresno State 31

Raj: SU/ATS: Fresno State

Brandon T: SU/ATS: SJSU 38-28

Jesse: SU: SJSU ATS: SJSU

Brad: SU: SJSU | ATS: SJSU | SJSU 30 – FSU 24

Matt K: SU: | ATS: | Score: San Jose State 35, Fresno State 28

Sean: SU: SJSU | ATS: SJSU | Score: San Jose State 31, Fresno State 28

Army at Hawaii (-3)

Jeremy: SU: Hawaii | ATS: Hawaii | Score: Hawaii 35, Army 28

Raj: SU/ATS: Army (Upset Alert!)

Brandon T: SU/ATS: Hawaii 28-21

Jesse: SU: Hawaii ATS: Hawaii

Brad: SU: Hawaii | ATS: Army | Hawaii 45 – Army 43

Hawai 31, Army 21

Sean: SU: Army | ATS: Army | Hawaii 24 – Army 28

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Looking Back At The Tony Sanchez Era At UNLV

UNLV Tony Sanchez was let go as Rebels head coach. He did have some good moments to go along with the not so good moments.

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Looking Back At The Tony Sanchez Era At UNLV

How will we remember the Tony Sanchez era at UNLV?

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

The Tony Sanchez era at UNLV is coming to a close.

This week UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois announced that Saturday’s game against arch-rival Nevada would be Tony Sanchez’s last. The Rebels head coach for the last five seasons has two years remaining on his contract with a buyout of $600,000.

For his part, Sanchez handled the news with class.

“I’m disappointed that I’m not going to get a chance to continue on. This is not something I wanted, but in competitive Division I athletics, it’s part of the life.

“So my legacy here? I don’t know. That’s not for me to say. All I know is I showed up to work every day, worked as hard as I could. We made a difference.”

It’s not for him to say, but it is for us to say. What legacy does Sanchez leave after five years in Sin City?

The Bad

The Rebels lost a lot under Tony Sanchez, which can be said for most coaches, in what has been a mostly forgettable fifty years of UNLV football.

Win or lose against the Wolf Pack on Saturday, Sanchez will depart UNLV as the school’s most successful coach of the last fifteen years. He was preceded by Bobby Hauck who went 15-49 in five seasons, though did lead his team to the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the end of the 2013 season. Before Hauck, Mike Sanford cobbled together a 16-43 record.

Still, for reasons fair and not, the expectations were different for Sanchez. He was in the spotlight from day one, being one of the few coaches in Division 1 history to make the leap straight from high school.

Sanchez won three games in year one. Four in year two. Five in year three. That’s no small accomplishment. Since John Robinson left as head coach in 2004, UNLV’s only had four seasons of five wins.

So, then the expectation is a bowl game. And that’s fair. The Rebs won four games last season, and that number will be the same if they knock off Reno this week.

Sanchez had a lot of talent in his tenure. Running back Charles Williams has put together a fine career, rushing for over 2300 yards placing him sixth on the all-time list at UNLV. Lexington Thomas is arguably the greatest ball carrier in school history. Thomas is second on that list, carrying the ball for over 3500 yards.

But you don’t have to look hard to figure out why Sanchez is on the way out. His prized recruit was quarterback Armani Rogers. Rogers didn’t produce, UNLV lost games, and now they’re looking for a new head football coach.

After a redshirt freshman year, Rogers played in 10 games in 2017. UNLV won five of those games. Rogers won MWC Freshman of the Year.

The next year, due to injury, Rogers only saw the field for six games. So, a down year can be forgiven.

This season Rogers played, played poorly and got hurt. Bowl game aspirations disappeared and Sanchez will be replaced. It’s that simple.

Kenyon Oblad played admirably filling in for Rogers. But not well enough for Sanchez to be retained. Still, you cannot help but feel like UNLV would be moving forward with its head coach were it not for a handful of dropped passes in 2019. The Rebels have been notorious for this in 2019. A couple catches, maybe Tony’s still around.

The Good

Few first-time head coaches have had an impact on a program the same way Tony Sa

nchez did at UNLV. The Rebels may very soon become a more high-profile destination based on the impact he has had in Las Vegas.

It’s no secret that Sanchez played in important role in getting the Fertitta Football Complex built. The $34 million facility features barbershop, a larger locker room, a 10,000-square-foot weight-room, underwater treadmills, a player’s lounge, a dining hall, and an academic center. It is a benchmark for UNLV athletics and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held just last month.

Due to Sanchez’s work with the Fretittas top recruits are already expressing interest in playing for the Rebels. Recruits that he’ll not have the opportunity to lead.

That’s a tangible mark that he has had on the program and the community. Often times when head coaches are jettisoned, many like to reference a “change in culture.” I can’t tell you that the culture of UNLV football has changed. What I can tell you is that there is a big, bright, brand new, sparkling facility associated with UNLV football, and he played a critical role in bringing that into existence.

Being able to bring in a player like Armani Rogers, on the field performance aside, made some noise in Las Vegas. He was a highly sought-after recruit. He picked UNLV. That was a big deal.

When Bobby Hauck left UNLV was a middling Mountain West Conference team nobody was talking about. When Sanchez departs UNLV will be a middling Mountain West Conference team that some people are talking about.

His time with the Rebels was a good thing.

 

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