Live blog: Rebels fall to Howard in season opener

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017 | 4 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017 | 9:43 p.m.

UNLV's final, last-ditch drive ran out of time, and Howard has handed the Rebels the worst defeat in program history by a score of 43-40.

The UNLV defense never got a handle on Howard's option rushing attack, allowing 309 yards on the ground. Howard quarterback Caylin Newton accounted for most of the damage, piling up 190 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.

The Rebels stepped up their offensive performance in the second half, but key turnovers killed momentum. UNLV turned the ball over three times, compared to just one for Howard.

Instead of dreaming of an eventual bowl berth, as they had been before the game, the Rebels now have to regroup from a stunning defeat and figure out a way to salvage a season that has gone off the rails after just one game.

Howard scores again, takes 43-40 lead over UNLV

The questions about UNLV's defense will be amplified tenfold after tonight's performance. Howard just embarked on a 7-play, 68-yard touchdown drive to retake the lead, 43-40, with 7:34 to play.

Howard has now racked up 430 yards of total offense, and the Rebels are going to have to rely on a late comeback drive if they want to avoid a catastrophic loss.

UNLV takes late lead over Howard

Lexington Thomas scored on a tough 1-yard touchdown run to give UNLV a 40-36 lead over Howard with 10:12 to play in the fourth quarter.

The run capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive that saw UNLV stay on the ground the entire way. Thomas now has 146 yards rushing on 19 carries.

The pressure now shifts to the UNLV defense, which has allowed Howard to rack up 380 total yards through three quarters.

Howard takes 36-33 lead over UNLV in fourth quarter

Just when it looked like UNLV was comfortably in control of this game, Howard has scored back-to-back touchdowns to reclaim a 36-33 lead with 14 minutes to play.

A 14-play, 74-yard touchdown drive pulled the Bison within 33-28, and UNLV freshman Tariq Hollandsworth fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Howard recovered, and eight plays later Anthony Philyaw danced into the end zone to put the Bison ahead.

UNLV has lost two fumbles tonight, and both have led directly to Howard touchdowns.

Rebels lead Howard, 33-21

UNLV has scored 24 unanswered points and now leads Howard, 33-21.

After a sloppy start, the Rebels appear to have found their footing. Sophomore linebacker Gabe McCoy intercepted a Caylin Newton pass at midfield to end Howard's last possession, and Armani Rogers led a 5-play, 53-yard drive (finished by a Charles Williams 1-yard plunge) to give UNLV its biggest lead of the night.

Rebels take lead on Armani Rogers touchdown pass

Never mind Armani Rogers — the Rebels' biggest weapon tonight may be junior kicker Evan Pantels. In addition to his four first-half field goals (4-of-5), he made the biggest play of the second half so far by drilling a 69-yard punt down to the 1-yard line. Howard went 3-and-out on the next possession, and a shanked punt gave UNLV possession on the 25.

On the first play of that drive, Rogers threw his first career touchdown pass, hitting Devonte Boyd over the middle to give the Rebels their first lead of the night.

UNLV now has a 26-21 advantage with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Rogers has completed 7-of-13 passes for 135 yards.

Rebels rally before half, still trail Howard

UNLV scored 10 points in the final two minutes of the first half to trim Howard's lead to 21-19 at the break.

The score is not ideal for UNLV, but things could have been much worse. After Howard scored on a 75-yard fumble return to make it 21-9, the Rebels were stunned. But freshman quarterback Armani Rogers led a 69-yard touchdown drive (capped off by a Lexington Thomas 1-yard plunge) to get things back on track.

After the defense forced a 3-and-out on Howard's ensuing possession, Rogers again led the Rebels downfield. The freshman looked good in his first hurry-up situation, driving UNLV 54 yards in 49 seconds to set up an Evan Pantels field goal at the buzzer. Rogers completed 5-of-5 passes for 64 yards on the final two drives of the half.

UNLV will receive the ball to begin the second half, and a third straight scoring drive would go a long way toward giving Rebels control of this game.

Howard stunning UNLV, lead Rebels 21-9

Is UNLV on the verge of a catastrophic loss? Howard is now up 21-9 late in the second quarter after Devin Rollins scooped up a fumble by UNLV running back Charles Williams and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown.

The Rebels came into this game as 45-point favorites, but so far they have been outplayed on both sides of the ball. UNLV has put itself in the position of having to play a near-perfect second half if they want to avoid what would go down as one of the worst losses in school history.

Howard leads UNLV, 14-9, in second quarter

UNLV once again faltered at the goal line, as a pair of penalties inside the 5-yard line forced the Rebels to settle for their third field goal of the game to trim Howard's lead to 14-9.

Lexington Thomas gave UNLV a spark on the drive, as he rolled up 71 yards on just five carries. But once he got inside the 5, a pair of false starts knocked the Rebels back.

With nine minutes left in the first half, the onus is now on the UNLV defense to get a stop — Howard's last drive went for 13 plays, 75 yards and a touchdown.

Rebels trail Howard early

The good news for UNLV is that Armani Rogers has registered the first big play of his career, as the freshman quarterback began his second drive by hitting Devonte Boyd deep for a 46-yard gain. The bad news is, Boyd was tackled at the 1-yard-line, and after a negative play and a false start penalty, Rogers missed on third-and-goal from the 11 and the Rebels had to settle for a field goal.

Midway through the first quarter, Howard is still holding a 7-6 lead.

Howard jumps out to early lead over UNLV

Howard quarterback Caylin Newton stunned the UNLV defense on the opening drive, breaking free for a 51-yard touchdown run to give the Bison a 7-0 lead.

UNLV's mistakes began on the opening kickoff, as the Rebels were flagged for being offsides. Just five plays later, Newton kept the ball on an option play and sprung through the right side of the line for the long touchdown.

Three keys for UNLV in season opener vs. Howard

When UNLV opens its 2017 campaign today against Howard (Sam Boyd Stadium, 6 p.m., Mountain West Network), the focus shouldn't be on the scoreboard. If everything goes according to plan for the Rebels, the game should never be in doubt, as UNLV should roll over its FCS opponent (most sportsbooks have the Rebels as 45-point favorites) and pick up an easy win to start the season.

So what should you watch for instead? Let's run through three keys to follow for Week 1:

Points on the board

UNLV is going to lean on its offense to win games this season, and it should start today. The Rebels have a big advantage up front, where their veteran offensive line is capable of pushing around the Howard defensive line, so look for Tony Sanchez to call a steady stream of running plays early. The running back duo of sophomore Charles Williams and Lexington Thomas should feast, and once they get rolling, Sanchez may feel more comfortable about unleashing freshman quarterback Armani Rogers in the passing game.

If offense is going to carry UNLV to a bowl game this year, it should be on display in Week 1. If the Rebels struggle to put points on the board against Howard, that would be more concerning than any other outcome.

Deep defense

Finding tape of Howard freshman quarterback Caylin Newton is difficult, so UNLV isn't going into this game with a very detailed scouting report. What the Rebels should have, however, is an accurate self-report from last season, when the secondary was beaten by deep passes on a regular basis. It was a fatal flaw, and Sanchez has isolated it as a point of emphasis throughout the entire offseason.

Can UNLV's defensive backs keep stride and limit Howard's big-play opportunities? A clean game in coverage — no deep completions, no penalties on deep balls — would help put last year's bombs in the rearview mirror.

Take care

Sanchez acknowledges that UNLV hasn't always taken care of business against "cupcake" opponents, and that doesn't fly at a program with serious bowl aspirations. Howard brings culture and flair to this matchup, but on the field, the Rebels have to treat them like the FCS opponent they are. That means UNLV can't allow Howard to make any big, confidence-boosting plays early in the game, and the Rebels can't let them hang around into the second quarter.

Last year, UNLV did a fine job of routing Jackson State in Week 1 by a score of 63-13. If the Rebels are serious about making a run at a postseason bowl, this game should be a similar no-doubter.

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