New FSM Recap: UNLV vs Notre Dame - Week 8

New FSM Recap: UNLV vs Notre Dame – Week 8

Franchise Sports Media

UNLV Rebels (4-4)  |  Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-3)

 

The Rebels are now 4-4 on the year after another loss, this time to the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. UNLV will head into the bye, looking to regroup and be primed to turn their season back around before taking on four straight Mountain West opponents that will determine whether or not they go to a Bowl this season.

 

UNLV knew making the trip to South Bend was not going to be easy, whether they were rolling into this game fully healthy or not. The Rebels were without their two biggest offensive playmakers, starting quarterback Doug Brumfield (concussion) and running back Aidan Robbins (knee). Without the two starters and a slow, mistake-filled start, UNLV lost at the hands of the Fighting Irish, 44-21.

Although taking another blow-out loss is tough to handle and puts the Rebels in dire need of a turn-around in regards to competing in the Mountain West, UNLV handled themselves well and played valiantly for four quarters. They showed fight and never quit when they very well could have.

UNLV saw one of their main highlights of the game come early when Courtney Reese ran for a 74-yard rush to set up a Jordan Younge-Humphrey touchdown. Most of this game was filled with punting by the Rebels, and at times, some serious struggles containing splash plays from the Irish offense. UNLV trailed at halftime for the fourth game in a row by the score of 30-7. No matter the level of competition, these massive first-half deficits are becoming very hard to erase.

 

UNLV put both QBs to work, with split reps between Harrison Bailey and Cameron Friel.

 

Without Doug Brumfield at quarterback, UNLV has now dropped to 0-2. In the loss to Notre Dame, Harrison Bailey and Cameron Friel both saw some action, which can benefit the longer Brumfield is out. Neither performance really stole the show, but they were a combined 17/33 passing on the day, with zero touchdowns through the air. Bailey had a quarterback scamper for a rushing touchdown, and Ricky White did his best to stay involved with the four receptions for 47-yards.

The bulk of the offense in this outing for UNLV was stale, as, without Aiden Robbins, Reese carried 11 times for 142-yards. Outside of that, UNLV punter Marshall Nichols deserves a bronze leg and an ice bath after this one, as he punted seven times in this loss. Granted, again, Notre Dame holds legitimate NFL talent, but this was just another performance in a string of losses that has UNLV sitting at .500.

UNLV will now get a much-needed bye before heading to their final Mountain West stretch run to close out the season.

Nobody around the UNLV football program will be opposed to a week off. After dropping their third straight loss, UNLV is in need of recovery and regrouping to be primed to go on a run to close this season strong. What once was a strong start is still historical for this program. UNLV wants to see more out of this batch of players as they will face San Diego State. Fresno State, Hawaii, and UNR to close out the campaign. With returns from some key players, UNLV may find a way to get back to their winning ways down the stretch.

 

UNLV will hit the bye week, then return back to action as they travel to San Diego to take on the Aztecs at the new Snap Dragon Stadium on November 5th. Kick-off is scheduled for 4 pm and can be seen on CBS Sports Network. 

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– Brandon Steele – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Brandon on Twitter and IG @SteeleBomb17

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