Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

With bowl hopes slipping away, Rebels trying to rally

UNLV Football VS San Diego State 2

Steve Marcus

UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers (1) hands off to UNLV running back Lexington Thomas (3) during a game against San Diego State at Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017.

Even before UNLV blew a 27-0 lead at Air Force on Saturday, the Rebels’ margin for error for making a bowl game this season was thin. Now, with that devastating 34-30 loss dropping their record to 2-4, they will have to win four of the final six games to finish at .500 and qualify for postseason play.

But before the Rebels can turn their attention toward the second-half schedule, they must first bury any baggage attached to the Air Force breakdown. It’s a similar situation to the one UNLV found itself in after Week 1, when the Rebels were upset by visiting Howard on opening night. The Rebels bounced back from that gruesome loss to beat Idaho the following week, and coach Tony Sanchez expects a similar level of emotional resilience this week.

Sanchez addressed the team before their Sunday night practice and said he saw few lingering effects from the previous day’s disappointment.

“I think we had an appropriate conversation, and it was good,” Sanchez said. “I shared some thoughts on it and I’m really proud of the way the guys responded on Sunday night. If they were faking it, they did a heck of a job because there was energy out there, guys were flying around.”

The Rebels will kick off the second half of the season on Saturday, when 3-4 Utah State comes to Sam Boyd Stadium. Should UNLV find a way to win that game, Sanchez’s squad would keep their bowl hopes alive and flickering. A loss would all but snuff out any chance.

Despite the high stakes, senior left tackle Kyle Saxelid said the locker room is trying to keep everything in perspective.

“You never want to be in a place where you’re too high, and never too low,” Saxelid said. “You’ve got to use your emotions the right way. You can’t let them get too far ahead of yourself; you can’t let them take complete control.”

It will likely be up to Saxelid and the rest of the offensive line to lead the way on Saturday (and beyond). The Rebels jumped out to a 27-point lead by rushing for 7.6 yards per carry in the first half against Air Force; when the running game slowed down in the second half (5.3 yards per carry), the offense floundered and allowed Air Force to make its comeback.

Saxelid thinks his team is prepared to make a late push for the postseason, despite the setback at Air Force.

“I definitely believe this team is capable of making that kind of run,” Saxelid said, “and making possibly even a better run. It doesn’t have to be just 4-2. Why not win out? As coach said, every single game on this schedule is winnable, and we’re definitely going to go in with that attitude. We had a great practice [Tuesday], we had a great practice Sunday. And these guys, it’s a mature group of guys, and I think with the team we have now, over the years we’ve been molding this team, and the players we have now are guys that are willing to fight, guys that are willing to go. Tough guys. And we’re going to go into this with the attitude that hey, we’re going to get to a bowl game this year.”

Saxelid is one of the few Rebels with bowl experience, as he was part of the 2013 team that played in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. He knows what it takes to finish the season strong, and he's looking to use that experience to lead his teammates back to the postseason.

“Personally, for me this is my last year here, and I started my career being able to be a part of a team that went to a bowl game," Saxelid said. "I did my part on scout teams for that one. Now as a senior on the offensive line, my part is to help lead this team to another one.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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