Rebels hoping to put more than a scare into visiting Broncos

By Taylor Bern

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015 | 2 a.m.

One side is trying to build something that lasts while the other side has become one of the best-ever examples of how to do so, so it made sense that with Boise State coming to town much of UNLV’s weekly news conference was spent on the Broncos.

Less than 20 years ago, Boise State moved up to Division I-A and in that time there have been as many trips to the Fiesta Bowl (three) as seasons without a bowl berth. The Broncos also used a potential move to the Big East a few years ago to get whatever they wanted from the Mountain West in a move that Commissioner Craig Thompson said was necessary to keep the league intact.

Ultimately, said UNLV coach Tony Sanchez, no program can succeed on any kind of sustained level without resources. The support from Boise State’s fan base helped them leverage the league into a favorable deal, but that infrastructure was already in place.

It’s something that the coach knows about and must factor into recruiting discussions, but as far as Boise State’s overall history, Sanchez doesn’t see that coming into play when the teams kick off at 12:32 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium on ESPNU …

• “In the week that we’re in, none of these guys are concerned about their history or tradition.”

Boise State (6-2, 3-1) is the program everyone else in the league is trying to emulate, but that’s a long, uphill battle. On Halloween, the Rebels (2-5, 1-2) see only another Mountain West opponent and a chance to get back to .500 in league play.

The Broncos started to take shape when true freshman Brett Rypien took over at quarterback, and then two weeks ago while UNLV squandered an opportunity at Fresno State, Boise State was busy getting shellacked 52-26 at Utah State because of eight turnovers.

That could end up being the key if UNLV (plus-20) manages to keep this one close. The Rebels have a top-20 national turnover margin (plus-6) in large part because they have only one lost fumble and the defense hunts for game-swinging plays …

• “When you play a team like this, you’re not going to win this game blue-collar style. You have to have some explosive plays.”

Whether it’s defense, special teams or small offensive plays that turn into huge gains, the Rebels know they can’t play just OK and expect to stay in this one. The defensive line hasn’t been able to generate much of a pass rush this season, something senior defensive end Sonny Sanitoa said is needed in order to give the offense some extra energy.

That offense will be looking for a more consistent performance as senior Blake Decker returns to the starting position. When Decker went down, UNLV had a lead at UNR and two winnable games upcoming.

Sophomore quarterback Kurt Palandech and the Rebels defeated the Wolf Pack, but two close losses since then have them effectively out of the West Division race. That was tough for Decker to witness from the sidelines …

• “Watching them grind and go after it and not feeling like I’m fully a part of it, but I’ve had opportunities on the sidelines to talk to Kurt, to be with the guys and try to be motivating.”

Now that Decker is back in the lineup, expect UNLV to take more shots down the field. Just the threat of the passing game helps, but the Rebels need to actually connect on some those in order for it to really affect the outcome.

Something else Sanchez hopes affects the outcome is a raucous home crowd. UNLV is giving out hats to the first 5,000 fans, handing candy to children at the pregame block party, and the early afternoon kickoff allows time to see the whole game before taking the kids out trick-or-treating. That’s what Sanchez has planned …

• “I’m going to be Captain Jack Sparrow or something. … I’m hoping to dress up as a winner.”

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