For the first time since hiring coach Dan Mullen this offseason, UNLV will play host to a Power 4 opponent as coach Deshaun Foster and UCLA come to Las Vegas on Saturday after taking a 43-10 trouncing at the hands of Utah last weekend.
The new-look Rebels haven’t passed the first two tests of the Mullen era with flying colors, but they are 2-0 despite struggling in a Week 0 outing against FCS foe Idaho State before an improved effort against Sam Houston State last Friday.
The most impressive part of UNLV’s 38-21 Week 1 win over Sam Houston State was the performance it received from Virginia transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who completed 19 of 23 passes for 249 yards while throwing two touchdowns and an interception.
Despite the gutsy effort from their quarterback, the lack of discipline down the stretch, starting with the offensive line, soured what was otherwise a consistent performance from the Rebels.
“At times, like other things, I thought we played really well on the (offensive) line,” Mullen said. “You saw some mistakes. Some of the mistakes were critical mistakes. I think sometimes in the game, we let one mistake add into two. Not just with the O-line (either), a lot of guys on the team, as you saw, we let one negative play affect us for multiple plays.”
Mullen’s group has a chance to change the narrative with a win over a vulnerable Big Ten opponent. UCLA was gashed for 286 yards on the ground against Utah, which could spell trouble against a UNLV rushing attack that is averaging 227.5 yards per game on the ground through two games.
The Utes held highly touted quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a transfer from Tennessee, to just 136 yards and a 50 percent completion percentage, but it seems unlikely that UNLV’s secondary will have similar success on Saturday.
“We’ve got to get back to the fundamentals and the details,” Foster said. “There are little things that we could have done better at every position. When each position has a little thing, it turns into a huge amount of stuff that we have to improve on.”
The only UCLA ballcarrier who gained more than 17 yards against Utah was Iamaleava with 47. UNLV has allowed 152.5 yards per game on the ground, so there will be a cause for concern if UCLA is unable to generate any production out of their running backs.