Offensive line coming together as UNLV eyes 1st win

UNLV elder near defender Julio Garcia had a connection Friday for the remainder of the violative enactment earlier the Rebels’ 38-30 roadworthy nonaccomplishment to Fresno State, past the No. 22 squad successful the country.

“Just from past weeks, we were benignant of disquieted astir the schemes and worldly and different things that the different squad was doing,” Garcia said. “But I told the guys, ‘Let’s conscionable attack.’”

UNLV’s violative enactment helped pave the mode for a season-high 433 yards from scrimmage Friday night, including a season-high 281 passing yards successful a crippled the Rebels led midway done the 4th quarter. Senior moving backmost Charles Williams eclipsed the period people for the 2nd clip this season, finishing with 102 yards connected 19 carries.

Quarterbacks Doug Brumfield and Cameron Friel had cleaner pockets from which to throw.

Garica manned his station astatine defender and incumbent starters Leif Fautan and Tiger Shanks assumed their respective posts astatine halfway and close tackle. But Daviyon McDaniel shifted from close defender to near tackle, replacing Clayton Bradley arsenic the starter, and Amani Trigg-Wright made his archetypal commencement of the play astatine close guard.

UNLV manager Marcus Arroyo acknowledged the changes Monday during his play conference, but credited the improved play to the chemistry the radical is opening to develop.

“More than anything, you’re seeing a radical that’s playing together. The surface game, the tally game, doing things much and more, I deliberation are conscionable helping america get a consciousness for who we are,” Arroyo said. “We didn’t spell crazy. You don’t get a accidental to instal a clump of stuff. … More than anything, it’s conscionable the repetition and the continuity.”

Additional signifier and crippled repetitions fig to assistance the violative line, which has been a enactment successful advancement since the Sept. 2 opener against Eastern Washington. The Rebels ran for a season-high 199 yards that night, but issues successful walk extortion resulted successful 4 sacks that proved costly successful the 35-33 loss.

Ranked Power Five foes Arizona State and Iowa State dominated the trenches, limiting UNLV to 155 and 130 rushing yards, respectively. Arroyo teased the changes up beforehand past week during his property league and followed done Friday to cardinal the second-highest yardage output of his 10-game tenure.

“They did a bully occupation for a one-week alteration successful a abbreviated week,” Arroyo said, noting that Bradley played Friday arsenic portion of a rotation. “We didn’t get everything we wanted. There’s immoderate things we’ve got to cleanable up. We’re going to person different rotation acceptable present this week. … I’m excited for them to get done and close the errors from past week.”

Garcia, too, believes there’s inactive country for growth, peculiarly successful walk protection. The Rebels allowed 4 much sacks Friday and are allowing an mean of 4 per crippled frankincense acold this season

“We’ve done a amended occupation of staying connected guys successful the tally and being much physical,” Garcia said. “Once we hole the (pass protection), we’ll beryllium straight.”

Contact newsman Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected Twitter.