UNLV Rebels head coach Barry Odom talks with reporters after the UNLV Spring Showcase at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, April 8, 2023.
Tuesday, July 25, 2023 | 2 a.m.
It took divine intervention to keep the UNLV football team out of a bowl game last season.
A string of devastating losses, a rash of injuries at the most impactful positions and a tropical monsoon all contributed to the team’s downfall, and UNLV still had to wait out the results of a makeup game between Buffalo and Akron following the final week of the regular season before the bowl door was officially slammed shut.
So it stands to reason that although UNLV has changed coaches and undergone a moderate roster overhaul, the program should be in contention for a postseason berth again this year.
New coach Barry Odom is on board with that assessment.
“It’s not a long-term project,” Odom said Thursday at Mountain West media day. “It’s a right-now project to go win, and win as fast as we can.”
How can UNLV make the leap from 5-7 in 2022 to 6-6 (or better)? Here’s a road map for qualifying for a bowl game in 2023:
Keep quarterback Doug Brumfield upright
The single most important factor in UNLV reaching or even exceeding expectations will be the health of starting quarterback Doug Brumfield.
Brumfield came out hot last year, passing for 1,223 yards and eight touchdowns in the first five games, with five rushing touchdowns. He suffered an injury the next week at San Jose State and was not the same over the second half of the season. After missing two weeks, he returned for the final month and tossed just two touchdowns while UNLV spiraled to a 1-3 record to close the season.
Injuries have plagued Brumfield throughout his college career, as his long, lanky frame gives opponents a big target when he scrambles out of the pocket. But better blocking and more open receivers would also help keep Brumfield out of harm’s way.
“We need durability out of Doug,” Odom said. “We need to be really good around him. We’ve got to be able to protect him. We’ve got to be able to have our playmakers make plays and make his job a little bit easier.”
UNLV football restart
Brumfield is also taking some responsibility. Odom said Brumfield has added almost 20 pounds through the team’s offseason workout program.
While Brumfield is still officially listed at the same weight as last season (225 pounds), an adjustment to the roster could be coming soon.
“He’s gained some really good weight,” Odom said. “Doug needed to gain some weight. I wish I could give him a few of my pounds, that would be better for both of us, but he’s had a really good offseason.”
Twelve healthy games out of Brumfield would give UNLV a chance to be competitive almost every week.
Win early games
UNLV pulled this off last year, topping Idaho State and North Texas at home to lock in a pair of nonconference wins. Another 2-2 record outside the Mountain West would give the 2023 Scarlet and Gray a strong head start toward a bowl berth.
The first win should be a gimme, as UNLV hosts Bryant on Sept. 2. It gets a little tricky after that, as Odom will take his squad to Michigan (Sept. 9) for a likely loss. Then it’s a home tilt against Vanderbilt (Sept. 16) and a road game at UTEP (Sept. 23).
The Vanderbilt game may be the most winnable. It’s at Allegiant Stadium, and though the Commodores are an SEC program, the last time the teams met, in 2019, UNLV won comfortably in Nashville.
UTEP and Vanderbilt both went 5-7 last year, so neither contest is unwinnable. Can UNLV figure out a way to snare one of those games and bank a second victory before Mountain West play begins?
Win two conference road games
Of all the entries on this checklist, this may sound the most outlandish. UNLV is historically terrible on the road, and that was the case last year, when it went 1-5 away from home — including a devastating defeat at Hawaii that sabotaged the season.
But a fortunate schedule could provide a chance to sneak away with multiple road wins this year.
UNLV’s first conference road game is at UNR on Oct. 14, and a few weeks later, on Nov. 4, is a date with New Mexico. According to the Mountain West preseason poll, those are the two worst teams in the league, as UNR finished 11th in the poll and New Mexico slotted in dead last.
The other two road games are at Fresno State and Air Force, two teams that are expected to contend for the conference title, so if UNLV wants to score a couple away from home, the best bet is the UNR/New Mexico duo.
One complicating factor could be the scheduling adjustment that moves the UNR contest from the final week of the season — traditionally when rivalry games are played — to an early October date. Will UNLV be able to get up for that game if it comes in the middle of the slate?
Odom said he would have his team ready to defend the Fremont Cannon regardless of the schedule.
“Whenever they tell us we’re going to play, wherever we’re going to play, our team will be ready to go,” Odom said. “They understand the importance of that game. I do as well. I’ve been told, if not daily, then weekly how important the game is to the state and to UNLV. It’s our responsibility to make sure we keep the cannon.”
Win a close game
UNLV posted a 1-4 record last season in games decided by a single possession, and the lone win — a 27-22 victory against UNR in the season finale — came in spite of UNLV’s best efforts to give it away.
Coaching was the biggest issue.
Coach Marcus Arroyo could never quite figure out how to manage the clock or use his time-
outs, and his philosophy on when to kick and when to go for it on fourth down changed from week to week, seemingly with no reasoning behind the decisions. Upgrading to Odom and offensive coordinator Brennan Marion should result in less late-game flailing on the sidelines.
The other issue UNLV has to fix is making mistakes in the most important moments. Defensive lapses, interceptions and fumbles all contributed to crushing losses.
Brumfield said eliminating those monumental miscues would go a long way toward rectifying UNLV’s late-game woes.
“Things can change so quickly,” Brumfield said. “It kind of revealed how important consistency is. One slip-up and things can change drastically. One mistake can really change the course of the future.”
If UNLV can win a close game, especially early in the season, it would instill a lot of confidence in the players and the coaching staff, while setting a tone that this is a new year.
Develop a true No. 2 receiver
UNLV has a very good No. 1 receiver in junior Ricky White, who is coming off a breakout campaign in his first year in Las Vegas (51 catches, 619 yards, four touchdowns). After him, the depth chart gets a little questionable.
The program lost two dependable targets to the transfer portal this offseason, with Kyle Williams and Jeff Weimer both headed for the exit. They combined for 66 catches and more than 800 yards a year ago, so replacing that production will be key.
Junior college transfer Jacob De Jesus was an offseason star, highlighted by a 10-catch, 136-yard performance with a touchdown in the team’s spring showcase, but at 5-foot-7, 175 pounds we’ll have to see him produce in the regular season before anointing him a true No. 2 receiver.
Program players Senika McKie and Zyell Griffin are seniors and could be positioned for bigger roles in the passing game. Senior transfers Gavin Thomson (Pitt) and Dominic Gicinto (New Mexico State) combined for just four catches last season.
Condition the defense
UNLV’s defense fell apart down the stretch in 2022, as injuries and high snap counts wore down some of the core players. If Odom can get the defense to maintain a consistent performance level for 12 games, it could be the difference between a postseason berth or another disappointing season.
There’s only so much a coach can do to keep players fresh, especially when the program lacks sufficient depth (which is to be expected in any coach’s first year at the helm). So Odom has directed his offseason conditioning plan to focus on keeping his guys fast and spry.
Odom said the plan was less about raw strength and a little more attuned to functional movements relevant to football.
“I want to be as strong as we can be, but if you can bench 550 pounds (and) you can’t move on the field, that’s no value,” Odom said.
One player who has bought in is senior defensive tackle Naki Fahina. Though he is coming off a season-ending injury suffered in Week 1 of the 2022 campaign, Fahina is a believer in Odom’s approach to offseason work.
“Once Odom got here, the whole atmosphere within our workouts and conditioning and stuff, it’s been different,” Fahina said. “Guys are really competing.”
UNLV allowed 22.4 points over the first five games last year, and 32.9 over the final seven. Bridging that gap may be Odom’s toughest assignment.
