Live blog: UNLV wins at Fresno State, 26-16

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 | 2 a.m.

Updated Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 | 9:43 p.m.

Just when it seemed like UNLV's season was dead and buried, the zombie Rebels rose from the grave and notched their biggest win of the season on Saturday, beating Fresno State, 26-16.

Fresno State entered the game undefeated in Mountain West play, and UNLV was coming off back-to-back humiliating losses, but the Rebels turned things around behind backup quarterback Johnny Stanton, who completed 17-of-29 passes for 155 yards. Stanton led two second-half touchdown drives as UNLV outscored FSU, 17-7, after the break.

Lexington Thomas powered UNLV's ground attack, compiling 88 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Stanton also rushed for a touchdown.

The Rebels are now 3-5 on the season, and improbable as it may seem, they are still alive for a bowl berth.

Rebels have late 26-16 lead at Fresno State

With five minutes remaining at Fresno State, the Rebels have a shocking 26-16 lead.

Fresno State contributed mightily to UNLV's last score. The Bulldogs opted to punt on 4th-and-1 on their last possession, but the snap sailed over the kicker's head and UNLV gained possession inside the FSU 20. The Rebels advanced the ball inside the 10, and Daniel Gutierrez kicked his fourth field goal of the night to give the Rebels a 10-point advantage.

As long as the Rebels don't allow any quick-strike touchdowns, they are looking good to pull off a big upset tonight.

UNLV takes surprising fourth-quarter lead at Fresno State

With 14:53 remaining in the fourth quarter, UNLV has taken a surprising 23-16 lead at Fresno State.

The Rebels were forced to punt from midfield late in the third quarter, but Fresno fumbled the ball and UNLV recovered inside the 20. Four plays later, Lexington Thomas bounced off a pair of defenders to score a 2-yard touchdown and give the Rebels the lead.

Thomas now has 70 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Rebels take third-quarter lead at Fresno State

UNLV scored its first second-half touchdown of the month, as Johnny Stanton barreled in from 7 yards out, and the Rebels have their first lead of the night, 16-9 over Fresno State.

The Rebels received the kickoff after halftime and marched 75 yards on 11 plays, with Stanton's keeper finishing things off.

The score must have been cathartic on the UNLV sideline. The Rebels hadn't scored a second-half touchdown in any of their last three games, and they got inside the 10-yard line twice in the first half only to be held to field goals.

Stanton has now completed 15-of-21 passes for 125 yards, and he's rushed for 23 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

Rebels tied at Fresno State, 9-9

UNLV kicked field goals on each of its three first-half drives, and the Rebels are tied with Fresno State at the break, 9-9.

Quarterback Johnny Stanton has been surprisingly effective in his first action of the season, as he completed 11-of-17 passes for 95 yards. Senior receiver Devonte Boyd has been his favorite target, with four catches for 47 yards.

The Rebels had a golden opportunity to go ahead late in the second quarter with a 1st-and-goal situation, but despite running seven plays inside the FSU 10—a pass interference penalty drawn by Boyd extended the possession—UNLV was unable to find the end zone.

Fresno State opened the game with a dominant, 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, but the Bulldogs missed the PAT and their offense hasn't quite clicked since. At the half, UNLV owns a time-of-possession advantage of 18:08 to 11:52.

The Rebels have consistently struggled to score in the second half this season, but considering the state of both teams coming into this game, UNLV fans will gladly take a tie game at the half.

Fresno State leads UNLV, 9-6

UNLV has kicked field goals on each of its first two drives, and with 10:18 remaining in the second quarter, Fresno State leads, 9-6.

Johnny Stanton is 9-of-12 for 65 yards so far, but his third-down toss to Kendal Keys in the back of the end zone came up incomplete to stall the Rebels' most recent drive.

So far, the usually run-heavy Rebels have relied on the pass, throwing the ball on 12 of 22 offensive plays.

Stanton starts, Fresno State leads UNLV, 9-3

Johnny Stanton got the start at quarterback for the Rebels, and he led the team to a field goal on his first drive by completing 3-of-4 passes for 26 yards.

Fresno State leads, 9-3, with 2:58 left in the first quarter.

UNLV's defense hasn't had much success stopping the Fresno State offense. The Bulldogs have averaged 6.7 yards per play on their first two drives, which resulted in a touchdown and a field goal.

Armani Rogers not warming up for Fresno State

There has been no official announcement yet, but it looks like UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers will not play against Fresno State.

The Rebels' quarterback group was on the field about an hour before kickoff, going through warmup drills, and Rogers did not participate. Senior reserves Kurt Palandech and Johnny Stanton took the snaps and it looks like one of them will get the starting nod. Head coach Tony Sanchez indicated earlier in the week that if Rogers is unavailable for this game, Palandech and Stanton could both see playing time, depending on the situation.

Three keys for UNLV football at Fresno State

UNLV is currently riding a three-game losing streak, with the two most recent defeats standing out as particularly ugly. And with starting quarterback Armani Rogers’ status doubtful due to a concussion, the Rebels (2-5) will face a tough task on Saturday when they travel to play the Mountain West’s most surprising team, first-place Fresno State (5-2).

What can UNLV do to give itself a chance at Bulldog Stadium? Here are three keys to watch:

Quarterback play

With Rogers appearing to be a game-time decision, there’s a very good chance that UNLV will start either Kurt Palandech or Johnny Stanton. Both players have experience in the Rebels’ system, and the team has confidence that they can play winning football under the right circumstances. But which one will get the call?

Palandech has technically been listed as the No. 2 QB this season, and he came on in relief of Rogers when he got hurt against Utah State, but that doesn’t mean he’ll start over Stanton on Saturday. When the team conducted a three-way battle for the starting job in training camp, head coach Tony Sanchez said Stanton same within “the width of a hair” of beating out Rogers for the No. 1 role. Stanton’s emergency appearance at linebacker last week prohibited him from practicing with the quarterbacks, but now that he’s had time to prepare, his passing ability may give him an advantage over the run-oriented Palandech.

Whoever gets the job — or even if Rogers makes a miraculous recovery and takes his customary spot under center — it will be more imperative than usual for UNLV to manage the quarterback position this week. A bad performance from that position will make it impossible to beat Fresno State.

Third and short

Fresno State’s defense has been transformed under new head coach Jeff Tedford. The Bulldogs are tenacious when it comes to combatting the passing game, as they’ve held opponents to just 6.4 yards per pass attempt (which ranks No. 33 in the nation), and they’re especially tough on third downs. Opponents have converted just 32.5 percent of third-down attempts this season, which ranks 27th in the nation.

UNLV is not a throwing team by nature, and Sanchez always wants his offense to avoid third-and-long situations at all costs. That will be more important than ever against FSU. The Rebels will need to be successful on first and second down in order to stay out of obvious passing situations. Throwing into the teeth of the Fresno State defense will not be productive.

Take the ball

UNLV’s defense has taken a step further backward this season, but the Rebels have been performing quite well recently in one particularly important aspect — forcing turnovers. The unit forced five turnovers against Air Force and jogged the ball loose another two times against Utah State. UNLV still lost both games, so turnovers are no magic elixir, but it gives hope that the Rebels might be able to make a few plays on Saturday. Fresno State won’t do it willingly — the Bulldogs are 28th in the nation in turnovers, as they’ve committed just seven in seven games—so one of UNLV’s playmakers will probably have to step up and make something happen. Winning the turnover margin is a necessity if the Rebels are to keep this game close into the second half.

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