New UNLV Football Preview - UNLV vs San Jose State - Week 4

 

Game Preview: UNLV vs. San Jose State – Week 4

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UNLV (0-3) vs. San Jose State (3-0) – Week 4

 

The Rebels hit the road to battle the undefeated San Jose State Spartans.

 

UNLV looks to win their first game of the season, coming off a 40-27 defeat to Fresno State last week. The Rebels will look to avoid starting 0-4 under new head coach Marcus Arroyo. For San Jose State, they are now 3-0 coming off a big win against San Diego State last week. This game marks a homecoming for coach Arroyo who was hired by UNLV in December after helping Oregon win the Pac-12 Championship (and then Rose Bowl) as offensive coordinator. Arroyo lettered three times at quarterback for the Spartans between 1998-2002, passing for 4,628 yards and 28 touchdowns for SJSU head coaches Dave Baldwin and then Dr. Fitz Hill. SJSU, however, did not face UNLV during Arroyo’s playing career.

San Jose State leads the all-time series 16-7-1, but UNLV has won two of the last three meetings. Last year’s thrilling 38-35 Rebel victory came in the program’s final appearance at its 49-year home venue Sam Boyd Stadium. UNLV has lost five straight trips to San Jose, dating back to its most recent victory in 1993. The Rebels are looking to earn back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since taking three straight in 1992-94 as part of the Big West Conference.

 

 

The UNLV defense has to play better for them to get their first win. 

 

The Rebels have had a rough start to the 2020 season, losing 3 straight games and allowing 30 plus points in each. The young defense struggled again last week in the loss to Fresno State, allowing a total of 487 yards of offense to the Bulldogs, including 243 rushing yards. Despite the defense, the Rebels offense has improved each week, and coach Arroyo has to be pleased with what he has seen from his Senior quarterback Max Gilliam.

Gilliam struggled to throw the ball on Saturday as he was 15/31, throwing for 160 yards and a touchdown. He did have two interceptions, which were his first interceptions of the season. He also had a fumble loss at the beginning of the 2^nd half resulting in a total of 3 turnovers. However, Gilliam was successful using his legs. He led all rushers with 139 yards and a 71-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 27 late in the 3^rd quarter. Charles Williams got his first touchdown of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Rebels failed to score in the 4^th quarter for the third straight game losing 40-27.

San Jose State is coming off an impressive win against San Diego State, improving their record to 3-0 for the first time in a long time. They pulled off the victory 28-17, scoring 21 unanswered points. Although it was a nice win for the Spartans, it did come at a cost. Starting quarterback Nick Starkel got injured and had to be removed from the game, which is a big loss because they are so effective in the passing game.

Backup Nick Nash came in and threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Derrick Deese Jr. was his top target with 76 receiving yards and a touchdown. The San Jose State defense was electric all night, causing three turnovers on two fumbles and an interception. Kyle Harmon had 14 total tackles, leading all players in the game.

 

 

The play of the quarterbacks could determine the outcome of this game.

 

Max Gilliam and Nick Nash will battle each other as Gilliam tries to give UNLV their first win of the season, and Nash tries to keep his SJSU team undefeated. UNLV will have to control the clock, similar to how they did in their previous game against Fresno State. Gilliam was efficient, and UNLV was very good on 3rd down. They have to give their young defense a rest, but the defense has to keep them in the game. The Rebels don’t have an offense built for coming behind, but more of playing while leading.

Senior running back Charles Williams needs 122 rushing yards this weekend to pass Dominique “Neek the Streak” Dorsey (2,834 from 2001-04) into fourth place on UNLV’s career list. Despite having made just 22 total
starts as a Rebel, the “Chuck Wagon” heads into Saturday 12th among all active players in rushing on the FBS level.

The Rebels travel to San Jose State, looking to get their first win and hand the Spartans their first loss of the season.

 

 

The UNLV Rebels play the San Jose Spartans on Saturday at 7:30 on FS2. 

 

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-Jarret Thompson – Franchise Sports Media

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