While UH makes progress, UNLV football struggles
ASSOCIATED PRESS
UNLV coach Tony Sanchez shouts from the sideline during the first half of the team’s NCAA college football game against San Diego State, Saturday in San Diego.
The University of Nevada-Las Vegas football team has changed its uniforms and its head coach since the last time the Rebels visited Aloha Stadium.
What has little changed entering Saturday’s game against Hawaii is the number of victories.
Each of the three previous times the Rebels, now 2-4, played in Halawa they also arrived toting a two-win record: 2-10 (2014), 2-10 (2012) and 2-10 (2010).
In fact, UNLV was 2-6 when it hooked up with UH last year in the desert and the Rebels have finished eight of the last 12 seasons with just two victories each.
Which brings up the question: With all that it would seem to have going for it, why hasn’t UNLV football fared better over the years?
Basketball has historically done well there but football has floundered with just two winning seasons in 21 years. UH, despite the recent drought and the barren Fred vonAppen period, has managed eight.
Eight times in its 17-year Mountain West Conference tenure UNLV has finished last or tied for the cellar.
This while the school has dared to dream big, even submitting a bid for Big 12 membership this summer. (It was put in the thanks, but no thanks pile).
UNLV has invested in five head coaches and as many approaches in the 21 years. It grabbed Jeff Horton, who won at archrival Nevada, and tried the venerable John Robinson, who won at USC and the Los Angeles Rams. It tapped Mike Sanford, a promising offensive coordinator from Utah, and proven Bobby Hauck, who took Montana to three FCS national championship games.
And, now, it has Tony Sanchez, a celebrated high school coach who was 85-5 with a national title at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas.
Sanchez, with his Gorman connections, where the children of many of the Las Vegas elite attend, has gotten off to a promising start in recruiting and even helped to secure a $10 million donation from the former owners of UFC for a planned 73,000-square foot, $24 million Fertitta Football Complex.
Yet, until those efforts kick in, the more things change the more they have so far remained the same for the Rebels.
And there is some surprise to that given UNLV’s pluses. It is a growing university smack dab in a metropolitan area of more than two million residents. An area that, on average, can boast 294 sunny days a year.
In addition, Los Angeles, Orange County San Diego and Phoenix, four metro areas with a combined population of nearly 20 million, are all four and a half hours or less away by car.
Nor is it like Las Vegas is bereft of talent. A 247Sports Composite, which aggregates blue chip lists of recruiting agencies over a five-year period, ranked Nevada ahead of 26 other states in producing elite prospects.
The problem, as UH knows, is keeping them home. For example, the top player in the MWC, running back Donnel Pumphrey, played his high school football about 12 miles away from UNLV, but is breaking Marshall Faulk’s records at San Diego State.
Meanwhile, the record has little changed since UNLV’s last trip here and, for UH, that’s not all bad.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
15 responses to “While UH makes progress, UNLV football struggles”
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This article begs the question, “Then how did UNLV out-recruit UH is getting OLB Tau Lotulelei and NG/DT Salanoa-Alo Wily?”
The bigger question is, does the braddahs wish now that they were Warriors and defending Pride Rock instead the 9th Hawaiian Island slowing sinking in the West….Mountain West that is.
True, but on the flip side UH has two freshmen (LB and DB) from Bishop Gorman and one has been a beast on special teams. The other might be redshirted, but both are quality players.
Out recruit would imply that they landed these two player who you hold in higher esteem then the ones UH got in their place. Is that the case? From where I’m sitting, it appears that whoever UH got instead of these two are equal or better deals. Never assume that because we didn’t get certain names, we ended up on the short end. UH ending up with Dru Brown for QB because change of mind Milton is a prime example of a better addition by a subtraction. Recruitment is not totally about who didn’t sign but about who did. From that perspective, I see no negatives here.
No negatives, but it would’ve been cool to get all 4, the BG players and keeping the 2 Hawaii boys.
Maybe the parents wanted to visit Las Vegas.
Don’t tempt the football gods with unwarranted hubris. UNLV is a much better opponent than this article implies. The UH has faced a running attack like this one yet … two starting quality dual threat QBs (both with wins under their belt) who will put new stresses on the defense. Mix in an all-conference receiver who will be targeted when least expected … we should be happy if we get a win.
Agree. The last thing we can afford is to look past the Rebels. Confidence is good, but overconfidence kills. Go Bows!
I don’t think we’re overlooking anybody. The coaches better make sure the boys don’t either.
SangamonKeith says:”UNLV is a much better opponent than this article implies”.
Agree 100%.
UNLV recruited JUCO ALL AMERICAN QB Johnny Stranton from Saddleback (Colt Brennan) JC. Also was also a blue chip recruit from Nebraska. Stranton went down in a loss to Idaho 3 weeks ago with an injury to his right knee. He passed for 676 yards and 6 TDs before his injury and UNLV was in the top 10 nationally in rushing.
He is expected back in 3-4 weeks but no news yet whether he is OK to go against Hawaii. The Rebels still rush for 247 Yards per game (17th) BUT their QB Frosh replacement has been a disaster at passing totaling 9 yards against San Diego State. Although, the kid can scoot running out of his end zone against Fresno State and sprinting goal to goal to score. I do not believe Dave Reardon’s broad stroke indictment on UNLV’s Coach Tony Sanchez is fair. Coach Sanchez has done things for the UNLV program we have not seen. Especially in getting support from donors to redo facilities that attract recruits (which Reardon gives credit).
UNLV has quality athletes and I know for sure Coach Rolo is prepping his team for a slug-fest and a dangerous running game Las Vegas will hit Hawaii with on Saturday. These are the kind of games in which we do not need condescending press comments to light a fire in the Rebels locker room. Like ROLO said, take it one game at a time and focus on execution. IF we do not–these Rebels will shove that pigskin where the sun doesnt shine.
Just goes to show you that the pound and ground running game in H.S. doesn’t necessarily translate into success in FBS/College. Ain’t easy getting the OLs needed with the necessary backups when you are trying to compete with the SEC and Pac12 schools for the same players. But UH has had problems with defending the run in the past, made some adjustments so hopefully the D shows up again.
Perhaps there are too many distractions in Las Vegas for UNLV football…..
UNLV is in a going up mode just like UH. They will get better. Dont take them lightly.
Most of the Bishop Gorman 5 stars do not see UNLV as a Top 25 team. Even if the youngeR Sanchez is coaching and the Fertitta brothers is $$$ both programs, they are running to OHIO STATE or Pac 12.
Case in point: 247 Sports gave Bishop Gorman’s star QB Tate Martell a five-star rating. Unfortunately for UNLV, Martell has already committed to Ohio State. He is widely considered to be the top dual-threat QB in the nation–and I wouldn’t doubt that at all as Martell threw for 4 TDs and ran for another against Hawaii powerhouse Kahuku, one month ago.