New FSM Preview: UNLV vs New Mexico - Week 5

Photo Credit: TQ/Franchise Sports Media

New FSM Preview: UNLV vs New Mexico – Week 5

UNLV Rebels (3-1) | New Mexico Lobos (2-2)

UNLV is back at home for some Friday night lights action as the Lobos roll into Las Vegas looking to halt a surging Rebels team. UNLV has taken seven out of the last ten meetings.

After the most impressive win in the Marcus Arroyo era against Utah State, UNLV will now look to handle their business against a team From which they have seen previous success. Defeating the Mountain West champion Aggies sets up a Friday night after-school special with the Lobos, where many eyes will be on the Rebels to see if this team is legit.

Numbers don’t lie, and UNLV’s offense and defense have drastically improved this year. The Rebels have the #1 ranked scoring offense in the conference, paired with the #5 ranked total defense.

Both transfers have proven impactful; Aiden Robbins and Ricky White are second in the conference regarding rushing and receiving, respectively. It also helps that sophomore quarterback Doug Brumfield is sitting third in the conference in passing while also making significant strides in leading UNLV to this 3-1 start.

The Lobos are a very interesting 2-2 team.

The Lobos are coming off of a loss to the LSU Tigers, where they were shut out 38-0. In that game, New Mexico only generated 88-total yards.

Before the rare SEC meeting with the Tigers, the Lobos started their season blowing out Maine, losing to Boise State, and defeating UTEP. It has been an interesting start to the season for the Lobos, to say the least.

New Mexico’s entire identity is power football. The Lobos want to establish a triple-option that, when effective, is one of the most deceptive rushing plays to perfect at the college level. This year though, the rushing attack has had a tough time getting going. New Mexico ranks #8 in rushing in the entire conference. Their best game on the ground had come in the victory over UTEP, where they ran for 188-yards.

Sherod White is the offensive player to keep an eye on for the Lobos as he is their rushing touchdown leader with three on the season.

Defensively, the Lobos have stayed relatively consistent with the identity of their program. The blow-out to LSU shouldn’t speak to what the defense has been able to do over the years against the Mountain West. The Lobos rank #4 in the conference for total defense this season.

UNLV sits as a 14-point favorite.

There is no secret that UNLV is starting to turn some heads now in Las Vegas. UNLV opens as a 14-point favorite in this game, and rightfully so.

What the program has done over the off-season has now carried over into conference ball, the transfers are making an impact, and the defensive leadership is echoed throughout. After an eight-turnover performance against the Aggies, this defense is buzzing.

Some credit for why the Rebels have been winning games this season by double digits and seeing a 14-point spread is how often they’re winning field position. UNLV’s defense had forced North Texas and Utah State off the field on fourth-down a combined seven times. Those are major momentum-shifting plays that carry to the offense and help a team win field position.

UNLV is also undefeated this season against the spread. So these Rebels seeing a double-digit number as a favorite may be new to bettors and fans, but it is not unique to the team so far this season.