UNLV Rebels quarterback Armani Rogers (1) evades a tackle attempt by Hawaii Warriors linebacker Solomon Matautia (27) during the first half of their game at Sam Boyd Stadium.
Published Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 | 2 a.m.
Updated Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017 | 6:36 p.m.
The UNLV defense held at the end, and the Rebels pulled off a 31-23 win over Hawaii.
The Rainbow Warriors' final drive made it all the way to the UNLV 23-yard line, but Dru Brown's final pass sailed out of the back of the end zone as time expired.
UNLV senior quarterback Johnny Stanton led four scoring drives in the second half and finished the game with 244 passing yards, two TD passes and one scoring run. His top target was sophomore receiver Brandon Presley, who caught four balls for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Junior running back Lexington Thomas totaled 98 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
The win improves UNLV to 4-5 on the season. With three games remaining, the Rebels would have to notch two more wins in order to become bowl eligible.
UNLV leads Hawaii heading into fourth quarter
UNLV closed out the third quarter with back-to-back touchdowns, and the Rebels will take a 28-13 lead into the fourth quarter.
Johnny Stanton hit Kendal Keys in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown to extend UNLV's lead to 21-13, and the Rebels followed that by springing a surprise onside kick. UNLV recovered in Hawaii territory, and four plays later Lexington Thomas scooted across the goal line for a 3-yard TD and a 28-13 lead.
Stanton has now completed 13-of-20 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns, while Thomas has gained 85 yards on 18 carries.
Stanton touchdown pass gives UNLV 14-13 lead
Hawaii took a 13-7 lead on a Dru Brown touchdown pass early in the third quarter, but the Rebels responded quickly. Johnny Stanton hit Brandon Presley on a short slant, and the sophomore wide receiver outran the Hawaii defense to turn it into a 52-yard touchdown.
UNLV now leads, 14-13, with 8:22 left in the third quarter.
Presley now has three catches for 65 yards on the day. Stanton has completed 10-of-15 passes for 156 yards, and he's responsible for both of the Rebels' touchdowns (he ran for UNLV's first score on a QB keeper early in the game).
UNLV leads Hawaii 7-6 at half
UNLV leads Hawaii, 7-6, at halftime, but the situation could have been worse for the Rebels.
Armani Rogers led UNLV inside the Hawaii red zone with less than two minutes remaining in the half, but he was sacked on a 3rd-and-8 play. Instead of attempting a 40-yard field goal into the wind on fourth down, Tony Sanchez elected to go for it on 4th-and-15. Rogers' pass over the middle was intercepted, and Hawaii returned the pick to midfield.
The Rainbow Warriors then drove deep into UNLV territory and threatened to get into the end zone, but the Rebels defense held and limited the damage to a 38-yard field goal.
Rogers completed 2-of-5 passes for 37 yards and the interception, while Johnny Stanton went 7-of-10 for 81 yards. Stanton also led the Rebels to their lone touchdown, scoring on a 4-yard quarterback keeper on UNLV's opening drive.
Rebels lead Hawaii, 7-0
After two straight unproductive drives with Johnny Stanton at the helm, the Rebels inserted freshman quarterback Armani Rogers for the first time since he suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Utah State.
Rogers missed on his only pass attempt, a 3rd-and-5 throw intended for Devonte Boyd, and UNLV was forced to punt.
The Rebels' defense has stood its ground so far, and UNLV leads Hawaii, 7-0, with 12:46 remaining in the first half.
Stanton gives UNLV early 7-0 lead over Hawaii
Johnny Stanton got the start at quarterback for the Rebels, and after one drive, it appears as though Tony Sanchez made the correct decision. Stanton completed 4-of-5 passes for 54 yards on UNLV's opening possession, and he finished off the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Rebels a 7-0 lead over Hawaii with 11:01 to play.
The key play on the drive was a third-down swing pass to running back Lexington Thomas for 19 yards. That moved the ball inside the 5-yard line, and on the next play, Stanton faked a handoff to Thomas before running around the left side for an easy score.
Three keys for a rejuvenated UNLV football team against Hawaii
Don’t look now, but UNLV football is back in the hunt. With last week’s win at Fresno State, the Rebels are 3-5, and the rejuvenated squad can draw even closer to bowl qualification with a home victory today against Hawaii (3 p.m., Sam Boyd Stadium).
A quick look at what the Rebels will need to do in order to secure a win:
Stanton in the saddle
Freshman quarterback Armani Rogers participated in individual portions of practice this week, but Tony Sanchez said he won’t get his starting job back until he’s 100 percent healthy and ready to outplay the team’s other options at the position. That means senior Johnny Stanton will likely get the call for the second week in a row, and given the way he performed at Fresno State, there’s no reason the Rebels can’t win with him.
Against Fresno, Stanton completed an efficient 17-of-29 passes for 155 yards, and he ran for a touchdown while committing zero turnovers. UNLV may not be planning to throw the ball 30 times against Hawaii, but Stanton is experienced enough that he should be able to execute the game plan.
At his mid-week press conference, Sanchez said Stanton’s poise was the most impressive thing about his performance last week.
“Some of the stuff you don’t see is in timeouts and in the huddle and just his communication with the team and the energy he provided and the leadership,” Sanchez said. “When you’re doing things like that, it means you’re playing with confidence and you have a real understanding of the offense and you’re not panicking, which was a real good thing to see. So I’m confident in him.”
Big plays on the ground
Stanton didn’t take any deep shots against Fresno State, and the coaching staff probably won’t ask him to throw deep very often this week. The Hawaii run defense is horrendous (5.4 yards per carry allowed, 115th out of 130 Division I teams), so if the Rebels are going to produce big plays, they will probably come on the ground.
This should be a Lexington Thomas game. The junior running back has scored in all but one game this season, and he’s just 35 yards shy of a 1,000-yard campaign. And, most important, he’s one of the nation’s top home-run threats, as six of his 12 rushing touchdowns have been on plays of 40 yards or longer.
If UNLV decides to keep the passing game short and safe against Hawaii, then Thomas will need to provide some of that explosiveness on the ground.
Defensive momentum
UNLV played its best defensive game of the season at Fresno State. The Rebels didn’t pressure the quarterback much, but they covered well in the secondary and limited a potent FSU offense to 152 passing yards while holding the Bulldogs to 3-of-10 on third-down conversions.
Hawaii’s offense is not as potent as Fresno State; the Rainbow Warriors are built around running back Diocemy Saint Juste (1,134 rushing yards, 5.7 yards per carry), but they lost top receiver John Ursua (667 yards, five touchdowns) to an ACL injury, so the passing game may be limited.
If the Rebels’ defensive backs cover like they did at Fresno State, they should be able to get Hawaii off the field, win this game and pump some serious life into their bowl hopes.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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