College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the UNLV season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– UNLV Rebels Schedule Analysis
– UNLV Rebels Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2020 Record: 0-6 overall, 0-6 in Mountain West
Head Coach: Marcus Arroyo, 2nd year, 0-6
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 120
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 109
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 106
UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: Offense
– The Rebels were going to need a total redo no matter what, but the hope was for head coach Marcus Arroyo to be able to do a whole lot more with the offense in his first season. The O averaged just 331 yards and 17 points per game, there weren’t many downfield pass plays, and the ground game struggled. It all starts with an improvement on …
– The offensive line. The Rebels had good size, but now that bulk is being transformed a bit with a load of massive 300+ pounders who should be stronger and more of a force. Now the group has to do something to keep the quarterback from getting popped. At least the experience is there with three starters back to bang away for a good-looking backfield.
Getting Jayvaun Wilson from Oregon is big, but having Charles Williams back for a super-senior season is the biggest positive. He’s a tough, quick back along with the speedy Courtney Reese.
– QB Max Gilliam is done, but 6-4, 220-pound former TCU transfer Justin Rogers is a big, mobile passer who wasn’t used enough. He’ll have to battle with 6-5, 215-pound sophomore Doug Brumfield to try speeding up the offense a bit. The receivers are there to make it happen.
Kyle Williams is a good No. 1 target who stepped in and led the way with 35 catches for 426 yards and two scores, and 6-2, 190-pound Zyell Griffin adds more size. The tight end situation is deep enough to utilize more, starting with super-senior Giovanni Fauolo coming off an 11-catch, 108-yard season.
– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– UNLV Rebels Schedule Analysis
NEXT: UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: Defense
4. UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: Defense
– The defense was miserable. It allowed 482 yards and 38 points per game, having the biggest problem against the run as team after team was able to move the ball at will. The Rebels allowed 34 points or more in all six games, but all 11 starters are back, and the coaching staff did a nice job of upping the talent level with the recruiting class and transfer portal.
– The defensive line wasn’t all that bad at getting into the backfield, but the group has to be a whole lot stronger against the run. Landing Connor Murphy from USC in the transfer portal was a big plus, and the other ends aren’t bad starting with five-sack junior Jacoby Windmon to go along with Arizona transfer Kylan Wilborn and top tackle for loss guy Adam Plant.
They’re more hybrids who’ll work as linebackers, and former TCU transfer Adam Plant is more of a true end. The tackle rotation is deeper now than it’s been for UNLV in a long while.
– Former Minnesota quarterback Vic Viramontes has turned into a solid linebacker, coming up with 31 stops in the middle as he grew into the role, and the rest of the corps will be full of hybrids both for the line and the secondary.
The team only came up with two picks, but the secondary could tackle – it had to make too many stops. Bryce Jackson is a smallish 5-9, 190-pound safety, but he led the team with 42 tackles and 6-1, 200-pound former Colgate transfer Tre Caine was third with 34 stops.
– What You Need To Know: Offense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– UNLV Rebels Schedule Analysis
NEXT: UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: Top Players
Best UNLV Rebels Offensive Player
RB Charles Williams, Sr.
There are super seniors, and there are super-duper seniors. A whole lot of players across college football are getting a fifth season, but this is the sixth season for the 5-9, 200-pound Williams.
He ran for 763 yards and three scores as a freshman, had injury issues, ripped off over 1,200 yards with 11 scores in 2019, and struggled to get going last year. However, when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s dangerous with the toughness to handle the work.
2. WR Kyle Williams, Soph.
3. QB Justin Rogers, Jr.
4. OG Julio Garcia, Sr.
5. WR Zyell Griffin, Soph.
Best UNLV Rebels Defensive Player
DE/LB Jacoby Windmon, Jr.
The 6-2, 225-pounder might not be all that big, but he’s able to work as an end as well as a pass rushing hybrid linebacker. He finished second on the team with 39 tackles, but his real worth was a as a pass rusher, leading the team with five sacks with 6.5 tackles for loss.
2. S Bryce Jackson, Sr.
3. DE Adam Plant, Jr.
4. S Tre Caine, Sr.
5. LB Vic Viramontes, Sr.
Top Incoming UNLV Rebels Transfer
DE Connor Murphy, Sr.
The Rebels could use all the reinforcements they can get up front, and that’s where the 6-7, 270-pound Murphy comes in, The USC transfer wasn’t able to do too much in the rotation with just 19 tackles and a sack inches five years of work – he played 13 games – but now he’ll get a shot to give the UNLV line more bulk and versatility.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– UNLV Rebels Schedule Analysis
NEXT: UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
UNLV Rebels Biggest Key: Offense
The offensive line has to be a whole lot tighter in pass protection. The running game will be okay – there are enough good backs to be effective – but the line has to give the quarterbacks time to work.
In just six games, the Rebel line allowed 29 sacks and 59 tackles for loss. That’s after allowing 29 sacks and 66 tackles for loss in 12 games in 2019.
There’s bulk, there’s experience, and there are more options in the mix even with two starters gone. Now this massive group of blockers must be more effective.
UNLV Rebels Biggest Key: Defense
Stop … the … run. It was impossible for the Rebels to ever get any semblance of control over games with team after team blasting away with the ground attack. Those that didn’t put up massive number on the ground didn’t really try – they were too effective throwing the ball.
The Rebels kept wearing down, allowing over 240 yards on the ground in four of the six games after not allowing more than 185 yards in seven of the last eight games of 2019.
UNLV Rebels Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Justin Rogers, Jr. and/or Doug Brumfield, Soph.
The UNLV quarterback play has been fine, but it should be a whole lot stronger. That starts with getting better blocking from the offensive front, and the defense has to help the cause with more meaningful stops, but the quarterback situation has be settled, too.
Three quarterbacks threw at least 20 passes in the six game 2020 season with mediocre success, and it all starts with simply being able to complete passes. 2013 – that was the last time a UNLV passing game hit at least 60% of its throws, and that was the only time it got there in the last decade.
UNLV Rebels Key Game To The 2021 Season
at Fresno State, Sept. 25
It’s not even about winning this game on the road against an improved Fresno State – losing three straight in the series including 40-27 last year. How close will UNLV be to being dangerous?
It’s the Mountain West opener for the Rebels, and they should be 1-2 – Eastern Washington, Arizona State and Iowa State are before it – and there’s a trip to UTSA to follow.
– UNLV Rebels Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2020 UNLV Rebels Fun Stats
– 4th Quarter Scoring: Opponents 43 – UNLV 7
– Sacks: Opponents 29 for 161 yards – UNLV 14 for 82 yards
– Fumbles: UNLV 5 (lost 5) – Opponents 5 (lost 3)
NEXT: UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
UNLV Rebels College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
It’s been next to impossible to make UNLV work, but the program seems like it has the right guy in Marcus Arroyo to do it.
He’s a young, energetic head coach who’s recruiting his tail off. He’s getting an upgrade in talent, but that’s going to take a while to show up with meaningful production. However, the young talent combining with a team loaded with veterans – seven starters are back on offense and all 11 are back on D – to hope for a big improvement after a rough 0-6 2020 season.
Set The UNLV Rebels Regular Season Win Total At … 4
It took a full year for the team to start to mold into the way Arroyo wants. From conditioning, to schemes, to figuring out all of the parts of the puzzle, things should be far better this year with time to finally work.
It gets lost that teams weren’t able to put things together in 2020 like normal, and UNLV was front and center with that.
Eastern Washington is dangerous, but UNLV has to win that at home, and it has to be good enough to beat UTSA and New Mexico on the road. And then comes the upset factor.
Can the Rebels beat Hawaii at home? How about Utah State? How about shocking Nevada or Air Force on the road?
It’s been seven years since UNLV had a winning season. It’s not going to happen this year, but the program will get a whole lot closer.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– UNLV Rebels Schedule Analysis
