UNLV Rebels head coach Marcus Arroyo calls out to players during the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Idaho State Bengals at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, in Las Vegas.
Friday, Sept. 23, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Though the wins haven’t been there for the UNLV football team since head coach Marcus Arroyo arrived, the Rebels have bought into the culture he’s built.
It’s a way of life that’s defined by four letters: E.D.C.T — effort, discipline, commitment and toughness.
“We try to bring that every day,” wide receiver Kyle Williams said. “Practice, workouts, meetings. Just find a way to have E.D.C.T. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”
Through three games, the Rebels have reason to believe that Arroyo’s system is working. UNLV is 2-1 for the first time since 2018, already matching last season’s win total.
The Rebels will try for their first 3-1 start since 2008 when they open conference play at Utah State on Saturday (4 p.m., CBS Sports Network), an accomplishment that has seemed out of reach since Arroyo arrived in Las Vegas in 2020. UNLV lost 16 of 18 games in Arroyo's first two seasons.
The optimism comes from a long-running sore spot within the UNLV program: defense. Strength of schedule aside, the Rebels opened the year holding Idaho State to fewer than 300 total yards, followed by keeping Pac-12 opponent Cal to fewer than 400 yards of offense and fewer than 100 rushing yards.
“Versus Cal, we came out and tried to play aggressive the entire game,” defensive back Johnathan Baldwin said. “It didn’t work out as far as the score, but in the second half, we only kept them to three points. That just shows we’re a tough defense, and we want to keep that going moving forward.”
Saturday’s 58-27 win over North Texas was the first game from a numbers standpoint (476 total yards for UNT) that didn’t look great for the UNLV defense, but the Rebels held the Mean Green to seven points in the second half and stopped them three times on fourth down.
“Staying humble is an important piece of the progression,” Arroyo said. “The mindset, the ability to be humble and gritty and hungry for these opportunities is starting to take shape.”
UNLV left Berkeley on Sept. 10, following a 20-14 loss to the Golden Bears, feeling like they let one slip away in what would have been a big moment for the Arroyo regime. The Rebels returned home to put on one of the best complete displays on both sides of the ball in recent memory.
The Rebels were paced by a career-high 227 yards and three touchdowns from running back Aidan Robbins en route to being named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, the second time this season for a UNLV player (quarterback Doug Brumfield received the honor in Week 1).
Brumfield accumulated 311 total yards, 100 of them on the ground, to pace UNLV to 576 yards of offense. Arroyo said the threat of Brumfield using his legs and getting out of the pocket is a big help to the running backs.
“That’s a big piece of it,” Arroyo said. “Doug can be effective and beat the defense with his feet on the backside of a run, which changes the backside of a defense. It’s a big point of the offense, the ability to extend plays. It’s something we’re emphasizing.”
With excitement surrounding the UNLV program for its 2-1 start, the same sense of jubilation can’t be claimed by Utah State. The defending Mountain West Conference champions have dropped two of their first three games, the latest a 35-7 loss to FCS Weber State on Saturday.
Aggies quarterback Logan Bonner was intercepted three times and held to just 120 yards on 12 of 31 passing.
Arroyo said he’s not looking at what Utah State struggled to do against Weber State, but rather what UNLV has to do. Simply put, the Rebels need to finish the job in this year’s matchup. They jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter last year against the Aggies before losing 28-24 at Allegiant Stadium.
Should UNLV accomplish the mission, the Rebels will be three wins from bowl eligibility. Given how the team started two years ago, the little victories are important.
“All throughout the facility, there’s just more excitement. People are bought-in,” Williams said. “It’s just that good feeling when you walk off the field with the ‘W,’ rather than the past two years I’ve been here. Having back-to-back losses, that’s not a good feeling.
“Everybody wants to get used to [the winning feeling]. We want more of that. We don’t want to take it for granted.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
