What to expect as UNLV revs up its potent go-go offense

UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s go-go offense couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

In last year’s season opener, the first play from scrimmage saw running back Vincent Davis take a handoff, hit a hole and race down the sideline for a 69-yard touchdown. The Scarlet and Gray went on to score five touchdowns in a 44-14 dismantling of Bryant.

The offense barely slowed from there, going on to average 33.7 points per game, good for 17th in the nation, while UNLV went 9-3 in the regular season and hosted the Mountain West championship game. The offense was consistently explosive, produced star players at several positions, and helped the program reach its first bowl game since 2013. But it’s easy to sneak up on people.

What does Marion have in store for Year 2 of the go-go?

The short answer: More of everything.

Push the pace

In his second year in charge of UNLV’s offense, Marion understands that opponents are going to be better prepared to defend his unique system this time around. The onus will be on him to evolve the playbook and make the necessary tweaks to keep the Scarlet and Gray one (or two, or three) steps ahead.

It starts, as it always does in the go-go, with speed. Marion wants his offense to be up-tempo at all times, creating a frenetic pace that not only confuses defenses, but wears them out physically.

For most of the 2023 campaign, UNLV did that effectively, averaging 68.1 plays from scrimmage per game in the regular season. That breakneck pace dipped down the stretch, however; UNLV averaged just 62.2 plays over the final four contests, including the MWC title game and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.

Marion believes his players have enough experience in the system to streamline the process between whistles, which will help the offense get in and out of the huddle faster and allow them to run more plays.

“Absolutely,” Marion says when asked if he’s committed to going faster in 2024. “I think the communication is a little bit different for us this year from the standpoint that the line knows what’s going on a lot more in Year 2. The quarterback’s not having to say every single thing to them. They can get lined up faster, so we can go a little bit faster and push the pace and push the tempo.”

Expanded running game

UNLV is still going to be a run-heavy team in 2024, and that’s good. The offensive line is the envy of the Mountain West, and Marion can mix and match from a stable of running backs headlined by Jai’Den Thomas, who set a school freshman record by rushing for 12 touchdowns last year. The two top options at quarterback, transfers Hajj-Malik Williams and Matthew Sluka, are also better equipped to run the ball than last year’s starter, Jayden Maiava.

This is not news to opponents. UNLV ranked No. 36 in the nation last year in rushing rate, running the ball on 55.5% of its plays. The team’s 39 rushing touchdowns ranked third in the nation, one behind Georgia and national champion Michigan.

To keep defenses from keying on the run, Marion has diversified the ground attack, adding wrinkles designed to keep opponents off balance.

“I’m sure (opponents) will be little gung-ho for us,” running backs coach Cornell Ford says. “I like to think we’re bringing a little bit more to the table this year. They saw just the tip of what we can do. The challenge for us is to go out and keep it consistent. I like what we’re doing, I like where we’re at, and I think we’ve got a few more big-play type players.”

Thomas is one of those big-play specialists. The speedster averaged 4.7 yards per carry last year and has added muscle so he can shoulder a bigger workload as a sophomore. He’ll be flanked by 3-star freshman Greg Burrell, a Desert Pines High School product, who has flashed in training camp.

While UNLV will remain a spread-power team when it comes to running the ball, Thomas likes the way Marion has tinkered with the rushing concepts over the offseason.

“We’ve added a little H-back,” Thomas says. “They help us out a lot. We just talk, just trying to get better reads for each other, see what angles we can take.

“There’s a lot of difference in the run game,” he continues. “We do a lot of stretch, iso, gap schemes. Just more variety this year.”

And when they really want some sizzle, Marion can call on senior receiver Jacob De Jesus to line up in the backfield.

UNLV used De Jesus as a running back against Kansas in last year’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl out of necessity — Thomas missed the contest due to injury. De Jesus popped, using his shiftiness and vision to carve up the Jayhawks to the tune of six carries for 40 yards and a touchdown.

De Jesus expects Marion to sprinkle him into the game plan as a rusher in 2024.

“I told him, however you can get me the ball, I’m down for it,” De Jesus says. “I go and practice with the running backs sometimes and also practice with the receivers. Just being more diverse and being able to do multiple things is going to be good for me, and any way I can help the team, I’m all for it. I tell him, give me the ball how ever.”

White-hot receivers

The passing game really came around midway through last season, when receiver Ricky White went on a stretch of 100+ yards in six of seven games. UNLV went 6-1 in those contests as White hauled in seven touchdowns; he finished the year with 88 receptions, 1,483 yards and eight scores.

White is back for his senior campaign and once again figures to be one of the country’s most productive pass-catchers. He has been largely uncoverable in training camp, creating big plays no matter which quarterback has been throwing the ball.

But White is a known quantity. What should be different this year is an expanded playbook that utilizes multiple receiving options — especially if opponents intend on double-teaming White.

“I’d love for them to double-team him,” Alexander says. “I’d love for them to rotate the coverage to him, because we’ve got a couple other guys and running backs and quarterbacks that are dual threats who will expose that.”

De Jesus is a threat out of the slot, capable of running short over the middle or pressing down the seam for chunk plays. And Marion and the staff made a concerted effort to shore up the X-receiver position opposite White, with Texas transfer Casey Cain (6-foot-3) and Charlotte transfer Jaden Bradley (6-foot-4) providing a big targets down the field and in the red zone.

When Marion calls a pass, he wants an explosive play, and this group of receivers can make it happen.

“It’s still the same concept as far as the go-go offense and vertical plays down the field,” De Jesus says. “But I think it’s getting stronger in terms of quicker options to the flat. I think he’s doing a lot of different things with the X-receivers, too, because we have two good X-receivers this year that can make plays down the field and in the middle of the field.”

Keep it fresh

The go-go offense is still novel, with its funky formations, confusing motion and deceiving play fakes. But will all the window dressing be as effective the second time around?

That will come into play this season, as UNLV is set to square off against six teams from the 2023 schedule. That means exactly half of the opponents have recent experience defending the go-go offense, perhaps offsetting the element of surprise that helped UNLV rack up such enormous offensive numbers last year.

At Marion’s past stops, however, his go-go has stood up to the scrutiny of repeat matchups. During his combined three seasons as the offensive coordinator at Howard and William & Mary, his squads met an opponent for a rematch on nine occasions, with no significant dropoff in production. In the first meeting, Marion’s teams averaged 29.9 points per game; in the rematch, they scored 28.4 points.

The goal is to run so many plays, with so many playmakers, that defenses are overwhelmed no matter how many times they’ve seen it on film.

“We specialize in volume,” Alexander says. “Like any great offense, once you establish that you have a lot of volume and inventory, then you start to move the pieces and plays around that are specific to the players that year, and also what the defense is giving you.”

The Scarlet and Gray won’t even have to wait until conference play for their first rematch; they’ll head on the road to face Kansas in Week 3 (Sept. 13). Though UNLV was defeated in the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, the offense performed adequately, ringing up 386 yards and 36 points.

While UNLV is still deciding on its quarterback — three contenders are still competing for the No. 1 job as the team preps for the season opener at Houston a week from today — there should be enough talent on the offensive side of the ball to keep the go-go fresh and effective in Year 2.

“We think the offense is a pretty potent offense,” Ford says. “We can hurt you in a lot of different ways — through the air, and we want to run the football. That’s really what we want to do.

“We’ve got playmakers all over the field. We’re pretty talented all the way around. We just have to make plays.”

 

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