Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Las Vegas, NV -- Our fears almost came true Saturday night as UNLV nearly lost with an experimental defense to an FCS school. Rebels head coach Sean O'Bannion installed the 3-3-5 defense the week of Western Illinois, so there was going to be a lot of learning on the fly. The strange thing is that he ran it throughout the entire game, and you could see the struggle firsthand.
"We weren't getting any pressure with the four man front", said O'Bannion when asked about his decision to switch mid-season. "There was going to be a leaning curve with assignments, but I'm confident that when this defense is completely installed, we're going to be better off for it."
Learning curve is right. Within the first two minutes of the game, Western Illinois drove down the field and scored easily. The Rebels were able to answer. But by the end of the third quarter, the game was tied 10-10. The lack of defense put the offense out of sync as well. Armani Rogers had 3 interceptions and no touchdowns. In the fourth quarter, though, the Rebels scored 14 more points to Western Illinois' 11 points. UNLV escaped with this victory thanks to Charles Williams who came in for the often injured Lexington Thomas. Williams ran for 3 touchdowns.
"We will be much better next week, I can promise you that", said O'Bannion. "I saw a lot of good things this week that didn't show up in the stats. But they will."
We can only hope he's right. New Mexico is next week and they aren't the pushover that Western Illinois is.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
The 2-1 Rebels have one more tune-up game before conference play starts. I don't foresee an upset, but UNLV head coach Sean O'Bannion has been hinting that he might try some different things defensively. He eventually wants this team to go to a 3-3-5, so we might see some of that this week. They need to make sure it's not going to be a detriment to their win/loss record, though.
Las Vegas, NV -- Rebels quarterback Armani Rogers is showing big signs of improvement as he passed for two touchdowns and ran for 87 yards as UNLV dismantled the Central Michigan Chippewas. Though there weren't huge numbers in this game, the Rebels methodically broke down Central Michigan's defense with runs from all three halfbacks, Rogers himself, and even Devonte Boyd when it came to the Jet Sweep.
UNLV's defense looked to be in trouble, though, early in the game. Central Michigan ran on them at will on their first drive and scored from it. The next time the Chippewas had the ball, they did the same. But this time they were held to a field goal. The Rebels kept scoring, and Central Michigan's offense then slowed to a stop. They wouldn't score again for the rest of the game.
If there's an even more glaring weak spot in UNLV's game than the defense itself, it's the kickoff coverage. The Rebels had trouble keeping Central Michigan from crossing the 40 yard line on multiple occasions and it's becoming a trend. We're hoping coach O'Bannion can remedy this before they play really good opponents.
The Chippewas of Central Michigan haven't played a game yet this season, so it's hard to gauge how they'll fare against the Rebels. UNLV is favored because of their 2 game experience if nothing else. Quarterback Armani Rogers is becoming a good running threat and should have a good game against this team. He could also display some passing prowess as Central Michigan looks to be weak against the pass.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Las Vegas, NV -- There was no celebrating after the home opener this time as UNLV evened their record to 1-1. What started out fairly close became a match that was firmly in Arizona's control for most of the game.
Sticking to the run-first game plan, Rebels quarterback Armani Rogers fumbled a triple option pitch that was recovered by the Wildcats. They would score on the next play. UNLV was down, but they managed to march down the field and tie it up with a 2 yard touchdown run by Lexington Thomas. Stopping Arizona's next drive, the game looked to be in UNLV's control. But an interception by Rogers led to an Arizona field goal. The momentum would continue to go Arizona's way as they scored a touchdown soon after. It was never really a contest from that point on.
Playing catchup late in the game, Rogers found his rhythm in the passing game but it was too late. He ended up with 308 yards but only one touchdown. The running game was nonexistent for the most part. This team has a lot of work to do. Fortunately, they play two easier teams before conference play. Let's hope they show us something.
On paper, Arizona looks like the much better team. Their quarterback, junior Brandon Dawkins, threw for 5 touchdowns last week and doesn't have any intention of letting up. Rebels quarterback Armani Rogers may need to test his throwing skills to keep up with the Wildcats for this game.
Minneapolis, MN -- The Rebels stunned the home crowd of the Golden Gophers as they ran pretty much at will, rushing for 265 yards. Starting halfback Lexington Thomas was injured early in the game, but backup Charles Williams picked up the slack with 121 yards and a touchdown. Third stringer Xaviar Campbell had two touchdowns of his own. It was surprising to see so much running considering are Rebel head coach Sean O'Bannion's offenses traditionally attacked through the air.
"Well, you can't force a system when you've got personnel that don't fit", said O'Bannion when he was asked about the playcalling. "We'll get to the point where the pass is utilized, but for now, we want to build confidence on what these guys do best and go from there."
Minnesota quarterback Demry Croft threw for 85% and two touchdowns, but the Gophers also gashed the Rebel defense on the ground. There is a lot of work to be done on defense for UNLV. But as long as we keep seeing this many points being put up, I don't think the Rebels will get embarrassed much this season.
This is a battle of up-and-coming head coaches. Sean O'Bannion, first time college head coach faces P.J. Fleck, newly hired from Western Michigan to turn around the Golden Gophers. Both have something to prove, but Fleck has more head coaching experience to fall back on. What's more, Minnesota is rated higher than UNLV, so O'Bannion has an uphill battle to fight. Will the Rebels' new system see instant results? Will Armani Rogers give this offense a boost? We will find out. It should be a good season opener.
8/29 - @ Minnesota
9/7 - Arizona
9/14 - Central Michigan
9/21 - Western Illinois
9/28 - @ New Mexico
10/5 - BYE
10/12 - Hawaii
10/19 - @ Fresno State
10/26 - @ Nevada
11/2 - San Jose State
11/9 - Utah State
11/23 - @ Air Force
11/30 - San Diego State
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Offense
Redshirt freshman Armani Rogers leads this offensive squad and by all indications, there will be a lot of inexperience. Having said that, he has unseated senior Kurt Palandech as the starting quarterback, so we could be looking at a major upgrade at that position. But the brightest spot is senior wide receiver Devonte Boyd. He is one of the best receivers in the Mountain West, and he fits the mold of what head coach Sean O'Bannion looks for.
"He runs routes well and he can catch the ball in traffic", said O'Bannion. "He's also got the speed to get out in space. And he works like a mad man."
Brandon Presley and Mekhi Stevenson will be the other receivers getting a lot of Rogers' throws.
Lining up in the backfield is Lexington Thomas. He's the most explosive back out of the bunch, but look for Charles Williams to spell him often.
The offensive line looks capable of holding up against the conference. Center Zack Singer is probably the best offensive lineman in terms of overall ability, while right tackle Nathan Jacobson has the most strength and raw talent.
Defense
Middle linebacker and defensive captain Brian Keyes Jr. is a speedy and smart guy in the middle of this defense. But the best player on this side of the ball is Darius Mouton. He can cover as well as tackle, and I look for him to have a big year.
The defensive line had a lot of trouble getting off their blocks last year, and it's hard to imagine anything has changed. This is something that's going to need to be addressed through O'Bannion's recruiting process.
Another area of concern is the strong safety position. We only have two on the roster, and Dalton Baker is the only halfway decent one. O'Bannion wants to run a 3-3-5 defense, which requires two good safeties to play a hybrid linebacker/defensive back position. He already had to change to a 4-2-5 for this year because of personnel fit, so it's certain that there is a huge recruiting challenge ahead of him.
Special Teams
Punter Evan Pantels will need to pull double duty as both punter and place kicker for the Rebels, as there is no other kicker on this roster that gives us a better chance to win. That should tell you all you need to know about the kicking game this year.
Backup runningback Charles Williams will handle the return duties for now. O'Bannion said that's not set in stone, though. There are a lot of players with similar talent, and there will be a continuing evaluation of performance.
Overall Grade: C-
Based on the strength of the O'Bannion hiring alone, I think this team pulls off at least two unexpected wins. My prediction is 7-5 for this team. I know it's bold considering the installation of a whole new system. But it really feels like a change is going to happen.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
"I appreciate the opportunity to help turn this program around", said O'Bannion. "I'm confident that my experience can make this a winning and exciting team. I know that sounds like coach speak now, but if you saw our offenses at Texas State, you can imagine the potential we have here."
O'Bannion's offenses led the country in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and rushing touchdowns. His players broke school records in season and career marks. Before that, he did pretty much the same with Missouri State. Before that, he coached a high school team to multiple state championships. So it's not hard to imagine success. He's been a winner his entire career.
Coach Profile
Name: Sean OBannion
Age: 40
Coaching career:
2000-2001: UCF (Graduate Assistant)
2002: Olathe, KS High School (Assistant Coach)
2005-2011: Olathe, KS High School (Head Coach)
2012-2014: Missouri State (Offensive Coordinator)
2015-2016: Texas State (Offensive Coordinator)
Console: PS3
Difficulty: Heisman on all
Length: 5/6 min quarters depending on how much time I have to play
Sliders: matt10's OS community sliders
Rosters: vikesfan059's 2017 rosters
Job: Head Coach, UNLV
Bowl Tie-Ins: All At-Large. For some reason, this rewards strength of schedule more than record, so undefeated small schools don't always get the #1 ranking. It also pits #1 vs. #2 AND #3 vs. #4.
Custom Conferences: Updated 2017 FBS Conferences minus the new schools that have been promoted to FBS level (Charlotte, Appilachian State, etc.)
House Rules: I have a set of offensive plays that I'm really good at. I will only use those plays if I'm down by two scores or if I'm down by any amount in the last two minutes of the game. I will never dissuade transfers from leaving, and will accept all transfers. As of now, I will have no recruiting restrictions. If I build this team into a powerhouse and I leave for another challenge, I will impose some recruiting restrictions to be determined at that time. I will also switch to J-kits sliders if this challenge becomes too easy.
Friday, August 4, 2017
So after thinking it over today, I've decided to start over. (Dreadful sigh). I'll start in present day with the real 2017 rosters, and I'll probably play as the head coach of UNLV again as long as they're still rated in the 70s or below. I'm also going to change every bowl tie-in to "At Large" because it somehow recognizes strength of schedule a lot better according to some people who have tried it. And just for kicks and grins, I'll freshen it up by altering the coach's name from O'Bradovich to O'Bannion, starting again as the first year head coach after being OC at Texas State.
So there you have it. It should be a seamless transition as I'm sure nobody reads this blog except me anyway. I'll probably still play the BCS Title game for fun and post my results of the "O'Bradovich era".
Thursday, August 3, 2017
"This will no doubt be the toughest team any of us have faced, probably in our lives", said Rebels head coach Sean O'Bradovich. "They have talent from all directions and we can't start slow against them."
The Buckeyes have All-Americans at halfback, wide receiver, and several defensive spots. The Rebel magic has worked against everyone so far, but Ohio State is on a whole other level. And everybody knows it. Twitter is abuzz with the rhetoric. One guy tweets: "This will be the most one-sided title game ever." Another tweets: Texas A&M was robbed. At least they'd have a chance against Ohio State."
"Yes, we did what we had to do to get here", said O'Bradovich when asked if he thought his team deserved to play for the title game. "All we can do is handle our business. And that's what we did. There's nothing more we could've done."
There will undoubtedly be more discussion on whether or not the BCS needs revamped, especially if UNLV is laughed out of the building on January 9.
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