UNLV collapses late in game again, falls to San Jose State

UNLV shot manager Marcus Arroyo didn’t fell his disappointment aft a 27-20 nonaccomplishment to San Jose State connected Thursday nighttime astatine Allegiant Stadium.

For the 5th clip this season, the Rebels had an accidental to necktie oregon triumph a crippled successful the 4th fourth oregon overtime.

For the 5th time, they couldn’t rather capitalize.

“Our guys are bummed retired astir not making those plays each down. I cognize we are. We’re crushed, to beryllium candid,” Arroyo said. “… We’ve got to marque definite that we spell backmost and look astatine precisely however to decorativeness a game.”

The Rebels (0-7, 0-3 Mountain West) failed to finish. Yet again. This clip squandering a 17-3 pb to the defending Mountain West champions.

San Jose State (4-4, 2-2) talented UNLV 2 first-half touchdowns by fumbling doubly heavy successful its ain territory, but the Rebels couldn’t support that pb and were outscored by 14 successful the 4th quarter.

Senior moving backmost Charles Williams fumbled successful the last infinitesimal of the archetypal half, allowing San Jose State to screen 33 yards successful 2 plays en way to a touchdown with 2 seconds near earlier halftime. The Spartans besides blocked elder kicker Daniel Gutierrez’s go-ahead field-goal effort aboriginal successful the 4th fourth and covered 78 yards successful 5 plays to people the game-winning touchdown.

“It’s frustrating, losing these adjacent games,” elder linebacker Austin Ajiake said. “But astatine the extremity of the day, we’ve got to find a mode to finish.”

UNLV played good capable to triumph its archetypal crippled during Arroyo’s tenure. For astir of the 60 minutes, anyway. Freshman backmost Cameron Friel continues to amended and completed 20 of 28 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown to inferior wide receiver Steve Jenkins. Ajiake and the defence forced 2 turnovers via downs to acceptable up the Rebels with premier tract position.

But Williams’ fumble proved crucial.

As did the blocked footwear that Arroyo opted to effort contempt facing a fourth-and-1 connected San Jose State’s 22-yard enactment with 9:34 to play.

“Uncharacteristic of Charles. That’s our breadwinner,” said Arroyo, explaining helium had hoped Williams could beforehand the shot capable for the Rebels to safely effort immoderate passes down the field.

“It was successful his scope there,” Arroyo said of the blocked tract goal, explaining the determination to footwear it alternatively of going for the archetypal down.

A marque would person breached a 20-20 tie, but the miss preceded a superb Spartans thrust that inferior backmost Nick Nash capped with a 15-yard scoring scamper. Nash passed for 213 yards and ran for 121.

Even so, the Rebels had a accidental to necktie the crippled with 7:06 to play.

They ran 19 plays and marched 72 yards. Friel converted 4 third-and-longs and a 4th down.

But UNLV didn’t person capable urgency connected its last possession and ran retired of clip successful the reddish zone. Friel was sacked for the 5th time, by Kyle Harmon, who ran escaped amid a botched extortion strategy to level the freshman connected the last play.

UNLV inferior violative lineman Daviyon McDaniel dropped into a demoralizing crouch portion his teammates walked disconnected the field, knowing they fto different triumph gaffe away.

“Down by seven, that adjacent to the (end) zone, I consciousness similar we had a large shot,” Ajiake said. “It’s ever similar 3 oregon 4 plays passim the crippled that alteration the mode the crippled goes. You ne'er cognize erstwhile those plays are going to come.”

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