Blog: UNLV’s defense can’t keep up in 49-35 loss at CSU

By Taylor Bern

Published Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 | 2:52 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 | 7:35 p.m.

Colorado State 49, UNLV 35

Game over

From the start, UNLV's defense wasn't up to the task today. No matter what the offense was able to accomplish it wasn't going to matter with the Rams easily moving up and down the field all evening in a 49-35 victory at Hughes Stadium.

Colorado State amassed 535 yards on offense and didn't punt until midway through the third quarter. Receiver Rashard Higgins caught three touchdowns and as a team the Rams averaged 7.2 yards per carry.

UNLV's highlight was the play of sophomore receiver Kendal Keys and freshman running back Lexington Thomas. Keys tied or set career highs with six catches for 87 yards and three touchdowns and Thomas piled up 118 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Keys caught his first two on the same play from Blake Decker and then caught his third from Kurt Palandech.

Decker was hit hard in the second quarter and left the game, watching most of the remainder from the sidelines on crutches. Palandech had some nice plays in relief, including a 14-yard touchdown run on his first play, but there were far too many plays left out there for an offense that needed to reach another level to keep up with Colorado State.

Check lasvegassun.com later tonight for a full report from the Rebels' defeat.

In different circumstances, this would be a game that perhaps UNLV would be overlooked in. That likely won’t be the case today.

On the opposite sideline of first-year coach Tony Sanchez is first-year coach Mike Bobo, and after a pair of overtime nonconference losses the schedule sets up for the Rams (4-5, 2-3) to get to seven victories. With Bobo still trying to prove himself and something sort of tangible for the Rams to play for, the Rebels (3-6, 2-3) should expect Colorado State’s full attention.

The game kicks off at 4 p.m. Las Vegas time at Hughes Stadium. It will air on Root Sports, which isn’t widely available in Vegas, and it will also stream on the Mountain West Network and UNLVRebels.com.

Bobo built up a solid reputation as a quarterback, quarterbacks coach and eventually offensive coordinator at Georgia, and he’s not that far from a 6-3 start in his first head-coaching job. In back-to-back September weekends the Rams lost 23-20 at home to Minnesota and then 27-24 to Colorado in Denver.

In league play CSU has lost handily to the Mountain West’s best teams (Boise State, Utah State and San Diego State) but it could be the best of the rest. The last four weeks of the season set up nicely for the Rams to go on a run starting with last week’s victory at Wyoming.

After today it’s road trips to New Mexico and Fresno State. Colorado State will be favored in all of them, including playing today as a 7.5-point favorite.

So UNLV probably isn’t going to be able to sneak up on anyone today. The Rebels are trying to prove something and inspire belief with a run of their own, and to do it they will have to go out and take a victory today.

Prediction: Sophomore receiver Devonte Boyd and this UNLV passing game are going to have some success, but doesn’t feel like a spot in which the Rebels can go on the road and win. Colorado State 26, UNLV 20

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