UNLV players’ extra hustle in opener rout gets shoutout from Arroyo

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 | 2 a.m.

It was easy to identify the big plays as they happened in UNLV’s 52-21 season-opening win over Idaho State on Saturday.

Doug Brumfield’s 72-yard touchdown pass to Ricky White leapt off the page, as did Aidan Robbins’s three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). Austin Ajiake stepped in front of a screen pass and intercepted it, returning it 47 yards to set up another score. Those game-breaking sequences were hard to miss.

But when Marcus Arroyo went back to analyze the coaches’ tape, he found himself more interested in the plays that didn’t make the highlight reel.

In the second quarter, Kyle Williams caught a short pass on the goal line and ran into a wall of Idaho State defenders. Williams kept driving, and five different UNLV blockers hustled to the pile, eventually using their combined might to push Williams into the end zone.

When it came time to go over the film with his players, Arroyo made sure to emphasize the unsung efforts that made that touchdown possible.

“My favorite play — I talked about it for five minutes yesterday with the team — was the goal line push in the end zone on Kyle’s play,” Arroyo said. “I rewound it 50 times. To watch guys change gear from the play and just turn. Preston [Nichols] had a different speed when he saw he could impact that play and get there, and he weighs 300 pounds. That was a lot of energy. All of those guys.”

White racked up his share of highlights on the day, finishing with eight catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns, but he agreed that the gang pushing Williams into the end zone was an example of a special play.

“To me, that defines us,” White said. “Our bond and the work that we put in all year, all spring, all fall camp, to get to where we’re headed to. We’re a family. That’s going to show every week.”

UNLV maintained that level of intensity even after the outcome had been decided. In the fourth quarter, reserve left tackle Brandon Logan became an unlikely center of attention as he raced downfield to block for Courtney Reese on a long run.

Logan, a 290-pound junior, didn’t actually block anyone on the play, but his teammates took notice as he chugged ahead of the 165-pound Reese for the entire length of the 47-yard gain.

“To have B-Lo out in space running like that, the sidelines were yelling “B-Lo!” as he’s running down the field,” Arroyo said. “He didn’t have the ball. I’m like, ‘What are you guys yelling at?’ Then I see him out front, and I’m like, ‘Oh here we go, big dog.’ It was awesome. That’s just effort.”

In a game where UNLV could have given medium effort and still rolled over an FCS opponent based on the talent disparity alone, Arroyo took satisfaction in knowing his team did not neglect the little things.

“Overall, that’s what we work for,” Arroyo said. “[We are] trying to build a mindset around football that wins. We saw some elements of togetherness.”

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