UNLV’s first game under Odom goes according to plan in 44-14 win

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023 | 5:32 p.m.

Barry Odom doesn’t leave much to chance.

UNLV’s new head football coach is a meticulous planner, down to the last detail. To wit, on Aug. 8, the team’s morning practice was delayed 90 minutes by rain and lightning. After waiting it out and finally completing the day’s session, Odom said he didn’t just leave his players to their own devices during the weather delay — he and his staff coached them on how they should handle it if and when a similar situation cropped up in a real game.

An unlikely scenario, sure, but Odom wanted a plan in place. Just in case.

Jump ahead to Saturday, as UNLV opened its season against Bryant at Allegiant Stadium. Late in the second quarter, as rain intensified outside, water began to leak through the domed ceiling and onto the field.

“There were some folks that lied to me and said it never rained in Vegas,” Odom said with a smile after the game.

Officials stopped the contest for nearly 10 minutes to investigate the issue. That’s right, a weather delay — indoors.

And Odom had UNLV prepared for it.

Following the stoppage, Doug Brumfield scampered for a 19-yard touchdown as time expired in the half, putting UNLV ahead, 24-0. The Scarlet and Gray then cruised through the second half for a 44-14 victory, earning Odom his first win as head coach at UNLV.

Odom may have dodged the rain, but he wasn’t able to escape the Gatorade bath his players gave him after the clock hit zero.

Though Odom couldn’t have specifically predicted the exact type of circumstance that would arise, he emphasized the importance keeping his players ready for anything.

“I’m so thankful for our assistant coaches and everybody who is part of the organization, because there is a plan,” Odom said. “You try to prepare your team for every situation.

“We take TV timeouts in practice,” he continued. “We have them go sit down for five minutes. We work on the mental side, the mental training of what that is.”

UNLV almost certainly would have rolled to an easy win with or without the delay, as the Scarlet and Gray enjoyed a talent advantage on both sides of the ball against Bryant, an FCS opponent. But Odom’s attention to detail was impressive nonetheless, and evident from the very first snap.

After receiving the opening kickoff, UNLV broke the huddle with a play call that Odom and the offensive staff thought might produce a big gain. Senior running back Vincent Davis took the handoff, followed some perfectly executed blocks and broke free for a 69-yard touchdown on the first snap of the game.

The plan to feed the ball to junior wide receiver Jacob De Jesus worked well, too. De Jesus caught a team-high four passes for 50 yards, and he returned two kicks for 127 yards, including a program-record 97-yard runback that saw him tackled on the 2-yard line.

Defensively, Odom’s strategy of flooding the field with six defensive backs also followed the script. Junior cornerback Thomas Anderson snagged an interception, and senior defensive back Jerrae Williams zoomed around the field, posting two tackles for loss and a half-sack (which came on a fourth-down stop).

As expected, junior linebacker Jackson Woodard led the team with nine tackles.

Odom pointed out that during a game, there are plenty of opportunities for the players’ minds to wander, and that he has to be on the lookout and keep his sideline focused.

“Not counting the 20-minute halftime, there’s about 38 more minutes that are just dead time,” Odom said. “So that time, you can give Jackson a couple coaching points.”

There were a few unexpected developments for the Scarlet and Gray. Freshman running back Jai’Den Thomas, listed third on the depth chart, carried eight times for 60 yards and two touchdowns.

As for things that threw a wrench into UNLV’s best laid plans, though Brumfield kept the offense moving, leading five touchdown drives, the passing game struggled to find a rhythm. Brumfield completed 11-of-18 passes for 86, with no touchdowns and one interception.

Brumfield took responsibility for the disjointed passing game.

“We left a lot out there,” Brumfield said. “I take full ownership on that. The offense goes as I go, and as a captain and quarterback, it’s my job to push the offense to the level we want to be at. We definitely did some good things out there, but there’s for sure some room to improve.”

Now that Odom’s got his first win out of the way, UNLV will spend the next week getting ready for its toughest task of the season, as the Scarlet and Gray will hit the road to take on No. 2 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Sept. 9.

The odds will be against them, but Odom won’t bring his team to Ann Arbor unprepared.

He will have a plan.

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