UNLV focuses on fundamentals as season resumes against Utah State

There are a mates traits UNLV shot manager Marcus Arroyo wanted to spot successful his squad during the archetypal 5 weeks of the season. It was a agelong successful which the Rebels played 3 ranked teams, a FCS juggernaut and an further unbeaten hostile from Conference USA.

“You privation to spot guys’ resiliency, and you privation to spot togetherness,” Arroyo said. “There’s immoderate positives successful the mode that we’re moving the football. There’s positives successful the mode that we’re stopping the run. Outside of that are the things that we request to correct. … Is it intelligence errors? Is it not knowing what you’re doing? Or is it method and each time cardinal stuff.

“It’s much method and fundamentals successful the aboriginal stages of our programme against truly bully opponents. It’s coachable. It’s not terminal.”

The Rebels instrumentality Saturday aft a one-week hiatus, and volition hunt for their archetypal triumph nether Arroyo against Utah State and Allegiant Stadium. They’ve travel ohio truthful adjacent this twelvemonth connected 3 occassions, falling by 1 people oregon little successful the opener to Eastern Washington, then-No. 22 Fresno State and unbeaten Texas-San Antonio.

The margins betwixt triumph and decision are truthful slim astatine this point, Arroyo said. And the winless Rebels are a fewer mishaps distant from a triumph oregon 2 frankincense far.

“It’s the quality of a gait extracurricular this alignment. The quality of staying successful a lane connected a footwear return,” Arroyo said. “How we person to look astatine things truly has to alteration and however we travel to work. … I deliberation guys recognize and spot that.”

Arroyo is right. There are decidedly immoderate positives.

True freshman backmost Cameron Friel eclipsed the 300-yard passing people successful the nonaccomplishment to UTSA successful his 2nd vocation start, connecting with playmakers similar Steve Jenkins, Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen, Zyell Griffin and Kyle Williams. Senior moving backmost Charles Williams has cracked 100 yards doubly volition moving down an violative enactment that’s inactive moving to find its way.

The Rebels sported the sixth worst rushing defence successful the FBS past season, allowing 255.5 yards per crippled connected the ground. That fig this twelvemonth is 165.2, a tangible motion of improvement.

“Guys person been focused connected trying to get that win,” said inferior linebacker Jacoby Windmon. “As the weeks spell on, we’ve been focusing fundamentals and technique. … We consciousness similar that’s the 2 oregon 3 percent that’s stopping america from getting that win.”

The idle clip afforded the Rebels an accidental to absorption connected those things arsenic they broach the remainder of the season, knowing afloat good that they tin vie with the teams connected their schedule.

“That bye week truly helped america get our assemblage and caput right,” Williams said. “It was besides an other week conscionable to hole for Utah State.”

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