Wednesday, July 26, 2017
This game would've looked a lot scarier had Sean O'Bradovich taken the UMass job instead of this one. The Minutemen are 0-4 and have one of the worst rated teams in the country according to rivals.com. Rebels Quarterback Nick Sherry no doubt is chomping at the bit to let loose his passing skills.
Laramie, WY -- Rebels quarterback Nick Sherry put up 424 yards through the air in the win over the Wyoming Cowboys. But it was Keith Whitely's day as he broke the school record for touchdowns in a game with 5. Devonte Boyd also had a big game with 116 yards receiving.
This seemed like it was going to be a close game in the beginning as the second quarter started with the score 10-7 Cowboys. But UNLV poured it on with two Whitely touchdown runs before the half. In the third quarter, UNLV and Wyoming traded back and forth scores until the Rebels finally stopped the Cowboys momentum. Whitely sealed the victory with his fifth touchdown of the game.
"I'm proud of Keith for stepping up in the absence of Niko [Kapeli]", said Rebels head coach Sean O'Bradovich. "We had this thing designed for both of them to contribute, but Shannon [Whitaker] is stepping up now and is doing a great job."
The Rebels travel to Wyoming to face the Cowboys (1-3). Wyoming has lost against some fairly weak opponents already. UNLV can quite possibly go 3-0 for the first time in ages.
Las Vegas, NV -- Niko Kapeli was the man who saved the game this week with his dynamic running ability. Unfortunately, he was injured in his efforts. The game started with a back and forth scoring spree that kept things close by the second quarter. Tied 14-14, UNLV held the Spartans to a field goal. That breathing room was all the Rebels needed to start to pull away.
With the score 28-17 in the third quarter, SJSU threatened with a touchdown run by Chris Dadson to bring it back within 4. Starting to lose momentum in the passing game, the Rebels went to Kapeli on the ground as he ripped off a 65 yarder. He would eventually run into the end zone to regain the comfortable lead. But on the next possession, he tore his shoulder and it's been reported he could miss up to 12 weeks. In the fourth quarter, Nick Sherry threw an interception to put life back into San Jose State. Dadson scored again and it was back within one score. But UNLV chewed up the clock on successful runs until Keith Whitely scored a touchdown of his own. Game set.
SJSU is 0-2 and already digging themselves into a hole. The Rebels' home opener is also the conference opener for them. If they can duplicate the performance we saw in Michigan, it's going to spell victory for the new-look Runnin' Rebels.
Ann Arbor, MI -- Nobody saw this one coming. Well, maybe nobody except the Rebels. They went into the Big House and acted like it was theirs. The defense stepped up when it needed to and kept Michigan in check.
UNLV got the ball to start the game, but they couldn't get anything substantial going and had to punt. Michigan took the ball and quarterback Shane Morris took a 44 yard run all the way in for the touchdown. When UNLV got the ball back, quarterback Nick Sherry drove down the field but threw an interception which resulted in a Michigan field goal. UNLV answered finally with a 10 yard touchdown pass from Sherry to Keith Jordan. Michigan looked to fire right back with a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone, but it was overturned because the receiver's foot was out of bounds. Morris tried again for the end zone, but this time it was intercepted by Dashon Hunt.
It was now the third quarter and the interception seemed to breathe new life into the Rebels. They stopped Michigan's ensuing drive, and when they got the ball back, they hit a rhythm reminiscent of O'Bradovich's Texas State offense. Davonte Boyd caught pass after pass until they were in the red zone. Nick Sherry ran the ball into the end zone on a read option. The score was now 14-10 Rebels. Michigan would get stopped again, and UNLV scored again on a run by Niko Kapeli making it 21-10. Michigan found the end zone once more on a pass to tight end Jake Butt, but UNLV recovered the onside kick to preserve the win.
"I'm so proud of our guys today", said head coach Sean O'Bradovich. "I told them not to be intimidated by this crowd or the history of this team. And they didn't. I think these guys can surprise anybody."
Boyd had 153 receiving yards on the day. If this is a look into what the new system can do for UNLV, we have a bright future ahead.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
A tuneup for the already 1-0 Wolverines, UNLV sees this as more of a learning opportunity. It's a lopsided matchup and we just hope it doesn't get too ugly. Hopefully the new offensive system will put enough points on the board to save a little embarrassment.
Quarterback Nick Sherry leads this team on offense. The senior might be the best pocket passer that O'Bradovich has had, and that's saying something considering he's had Jordan Moore. At backup we have junior Troy Hawthorne. And the third stringer, sophomore Jared Lebowitz is the scrambling option whenever they want to go run heavy.
Niko Kapeli is the starting halfback. The 5'8" 212 lb junior will carry the workload, but will be spelled by junior Keith Whitley mostly. We are hoping for big things from this duo this year in the new system.
O'Bradovich always has a "Trio" of receivers, and this year it will be senior Anthony Williams, sophomore Devonte Boyd, and redshirt freshman Keith Jordan. Not a lot of speed with this receiving corps, but the new system promises to give them a lot of opportunity. At tight end, senior Tyler Bergsten barely beat out senior Jake Phillips for the starting role. It will be interesting because this duo could be fighting for the starting spot all year.
The offensive line is suspect, but the two that standout are the guards, seniors Ron Scoggins and Andrew Oberg.
As far as defense, there isn't much to write home about. Dashon Hunt is the captain of the defense and probably their best hope for turnovers. He's only a sophomore so he has a lot of promise ahead of him. At strong safety, senior Peni Via anchors a hybrid front 8 look for the 4-2-5 defense that O'Bradovich has announced will be run this year.
And that leaves us with special teams. Logan Yunker, the senior punter, will also handle kicking duties as the sophomore Jarrett Cole hasn't impressed the coaching staff enough to win the spot.
Realistic expectations for this year's team is that we all hope O'Bradovich brings his exciting brand of football and attracts new fans. Then he can build on that for the future. But for now, we're not putting any money on them winning the conference.
9/5 - @Michigan
9/12 - BYE
9/19 - San Jose St.
9/26 - @Wyoming
10/3 - @UMass
10/10 - Hawaii
10/17 - UCLA
10/24 - @Nevada
10/31 - @Fresno St.
11/7 - Boise
11/14 - BYU
11/21 - @Colorado St.
11/28 - San Diego St.
"I'm thankful for the opportunity to see if I can help put this program on top of the Mountain West and perhaps beyond", said O'Bradovich. "Everyone has been really helpful and treated me well around here. I hope I can live up to the expectations.
"I need to make it clear that this isn't going to be some quick turnaround. I've looked over the roster and the existing pieces in place and there is a lot of work to be done. I specialize in offense, so there is going to be an aggressive approach at developing this defense through recruiting and hiring the right people to develop those recruits. I ask for your patience."
There was a mention of O'Bradovich being able to pile on points to compensate for bad defenses, but he blew those claims off.
"At Texas State, we had all of the right pieces in place for all three phases to click. Yes, we could score a lot of points, but that all changes when you can't stop the opponent from doing the same thing. No matter what it looks like, you need all three phases. Please don't expect instant gratification. But believe that we will put football on the map in Vegas. People will be excited to watch this team."
"I want to thank Texas State and especially coach Franchione for the opportunity to become part of something special these last couple of years. I have learned so much in my time at San Marcos, and I hope I can take that with me." said O'Bradovich in a statement.
A lot of the Bobcat faithful wanted to see Dennis Franchione move on and have O'Bradovich promoted to head coach. But that wasn't in the cards as O'B was the one getting the offers and not Franchione. I truly hope Texas State doesn't fall off due to Sean's departure. And dare I say, I hope coach Franchione learned something from O'Bradovich as well.
"I want to thank everyone who helped get me here", said Moore. "Obviously coach Franchione, but also coach O'Bradovich for installing a system that makes this possible."
New Orleans, LA -- Bobcats quarterback Jordan Moore had a career day, and that's saying something considering the gaudy numbers he has put up over the last two years. He broke his own records for yards in a game (558), touchdowns in a game (7), touchdowns in a season (48), and passing yards in a season (5439) on the way to help Texas State defeat Middle Tennessee State in the New Orleans Bowl. Wide receiver Brandon Smith also broke the school record for receiving yards in a season.
It started out as a tight game. Texas State scored first but missed the extra point. MTSU followed that with a score and a one point lead. The Bobcats scored two more touchdowns it looked to be in good hands with the score by halftime being 23-13 Bobcats. However, in the third quarter, MTSU tacked on 9 more points to cut the lead to 1. The fourth quarter was all Texas State, though, as they scored 28 and made victory inevitable.
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