Blog: Rebels get dominated at home in 48-21 loss to Air Force

By Taylor Bern

Published Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014 | noon

Updated Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014 | 4:10 p.m.

Air force 48, UNLV 21

Game over

The Rebels gave up 542 yards and never looked like they had much of a chance after their first drive today at Sam Boyd Stadium, losing to Air Force 48-21. UNLV falls to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in Mountain West play.

Starting quarterback Blake Decker was 18-of-32 with 263 yards before getting knocked out of the game. Freshman Jared Lebowitz went 3-of-12 in relief.

Air Force controlled the line of scrimmage, controlled time of possession and dominated pretty much every facet of the game. UNLV is now has back-to-back road games at BYU and Hawaii before wrapping up with UNR at home.

Check lasvegassun.com later tonight for a full report from this afternoon's game.

Is today the day we finally see Devante Davis back on the field for the Rebels? There are some rumblings that he’s ready to return, but after back-to-back weeks with the senior receiver dressing and then not playing, I’ll believe it when I see it.

If Davis does play for the first time since Sept. 20, it’s obviously good news for UNLV (2-7, 1-4), though I’m not sure how much it impacts today’s matchup against Air Force (6-2, 2-2). The Rebels and Falcons kick off at 1:06 p.m., and the game will stream on the Mountain West Network with support from Campus Insiders.

I think UNLV already has a good advantage on the outside with freshmen receivers Devonte Boyd and Kendal Keys, so while Davis is certainly an upgrade out there, it’s not the area of concern for the Rebels today. That would be the defense, specifically the front seven.

That group’s performance is the biggest question going against the Falcons’ triple-option-based attack. It wasn’t an issue at all last season, when the Rebels went to Colorado Springs and won 41-21 in a game that wasn’t even as close as that score.

But the Falcons are much improved this season, averaging 420.4 yards per game and converting nearly 50 percent of their third-down attempts. UNLV should be able to score a bit today no matter who is on the field, but it’s a question mark whether the Rebels will be able to stop anyone.

Bern’s prediction: I’m taking UNLV to cover in a loss, but honestly I could see this going any number of ways. Tough to call. Air Force 29, UNLV 25

Season: ATS 5-4, O/U 6-3

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.