Instant Analysis: Rebels, Stanton gain confidence in dominating 50-point win

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 | 10:27 p.m.

On the third play of the UNLV football season, just 67 seconds into tonight’s game against overmatched Jackson State, Johnny Stanton dropped back to throw his first career Rebel pass.

He found Devonte Boyd sprinting across the middle of the field. Boyd caught the ball in stride and won the footrace to the endzone for a 56-yard touchdown.

As expected, UNLV made quick work of the lower-level opponent in a 63-13 win. And, as expected, we didn’t learn much about the Rebels. Jackson State, especially its secondary, was brutally bad.

Here are some observations:

What the game means: Tonight was all about gaining confidence for the season, especially for Stanton at quarterback. The junior college transfer struggled to win the starting job in fall camp, and at times looked like he wouldn’t beat out Kurt Palandech, but was great tonight in passing for 217 yards and three touchdowns. In the first half alone he was 7-of-8 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. It didn’t matter who the opponent was, Stanton needed an opportunity to be great. With the exception of botched snap that led to a fumble in the third quarter, Stanton showed he was the right choice as starter. And, more important, he should feel pretty good about himself moving forward. The same should be true for UNLV’s other players.

Attention to detail: UNLV led by 28 points — it felt like 58 — early in the second quarter when standount defender Tim Hough nearly committed a blunder on special teams. He carelessly jumped over the bouncing ball on punt return, nearly touching the ball to make it live and potentially give possession back to Jackson State. The correct play was to run out of the way; not jump over the ball. When Hough returned to the sideline, he was greeted by a not-so-happy coach Tony Sanchez. Sanchez was stern in delivering his message, and picked the right time. Many of UNLV’s key players are still developing and it would have been easy to let their guard down in a blowout game. Credit Sanchez for taking advantage of a teaching moment.

Charles Williams’ strong debut:Sanchez earlier this month told reporters that freshman running back Charles Williams would become the best in the Mountain West before his career is over. That’s a pretty bold statement before Williams had played a game. But Williams was as good as advertised today, rushing for a game-high 96 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He was aggressive in running the ball through the line and quick when carrying it around the outside. And on one play, he was patient enough to wait for a hole to open to run through. Super impressed. Sanchez may be right on his prediction.

A look at the stat sheet: The 42 first-half points by UNLV were the second most scored in a half in program history. They couldn’t beat last year’s 56-point second half against Idaho State. UNLV led 14-0 less than two minutes into the game. After Boyd’s touchdown, Troy Hawthorne recorded an interception on Jackson State’s first offensive play to give UNLV the ball back. Two plays later, Boyd scored again. ...Boyd finished with four catches for 135 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the third all-time UNLV player with at least nine games of 100 or more receiving yards. He didn’t play in the second half ...UNLV didn’t commit a penalty until the third quarter, but still committed six penalties for 61 yards ... The Rebels first punt was at the 11:42 mark of the third quarter and went for 45 yards from Evan Pantels. ...UNLV outgained Jackson State, 503-252 ...UNLV recorded two defensive touchdowns, a 28-yard fumble return by defensive lineman Nick Dehdashtian and 43-yard interception return by Torry McTyer just 75 seconds later ...The attendance was 18,575. ..Hawthorne, a senior safety who started his career at quarterback, had his best UNLV game with five tackles (one for a loss), an interception and forced fumble.

Up next: The Rebels play at UCLA next Saturday in the return game of a home-and-home series. A matchup against the nation’s 16th ranked team will provide a better gauge as to how the season could play out — obviously a better gauge than tonight. The Rebels aren’t predicted to win at UCLA, but I’d be shocked if they lose in blowout fashion. Last year, UCLA had its way in a 37-3 win, meaning a closer game would signal the Rebels are an improved program in Sanchez’s second season. One of these weeks, I’m convinced, UNLV will knockoff an opponent it’s not supposed to.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21