Dalton Sneed is the new quarterback at UNLV and you should let your emotions run away with you

Over the course of the next few weeks, UNLV Rebels head coach Tony Sanchez will be asked a familiar question packaged in very different ways. It’s the question that is always asked when a struggling quarterback goes down due to injury. He’ll tell you the same thing, the diplomatic thing. But we all know the answer.

DALTON SNEED IS THE NEW QUARTERBACK OF THE UNLV REBELS. Johnny Stanton is going to return from a small tear in his lateral collateral ligament in his right knee and hamstring in a few weeks, and Sneed will still be the quarterback. It will not be Kurt Palandech, it will not be Armani Rogers. Barring injury, Sneed is the future of UNLV Rebels football.

It’s time to be absurdly unrealistic. It’s time to go ahead and completely distance yourself from Johnny Stanton. It’s over. It didn’t work. For those who watched Sneed and UNLV roll over Fresno State Saturday night 45-20, it is time to let your emotions run away with you.

DON’T TELL ME IT’S JUST FRESNO STATE.

In his first game as starting quarterback this kid entered the UNLV record book. He had thrown one meaningless pass at Jackson State in his collegiate career, but looked very much like a veteran quarterback when given the opportunity. If you’re going to flip out and be completely unrealistic about the future of UNLV football, the time is now.

Sneed ripped off a 91 yard touchdown run in the third quarter, a school record. The freshman racked up a staggering 147 yards on the ground, and when he threw he threw well, certainly better than Stanton outside of the Jackson State game. Sneed connected on 8 of his 16 passes and totaled 129 yards through the air. HE’S THE TOTAL PACKAGE.

DON’T TELL ME IT’S JUST FRESNO STATE.

So as fans, let’s put the discussion to rest before the discussion gets started. Johnny Stanton to Devonte Boyd for a 56 yard touchdown pass 3 plays into the 2016 season felt great, and the Rebels did everything they were supposed to do against Jackson State. Then the wheels fell off. THIS THING IS SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL. Sneed gives us the best opportunity to be able to say that we took a step forward in year two of the Tony Sanchez era. Obviously this team is not prepared to compete for a West Division championship. There are still wins left on the schedule, though. So if there’s four or five games left for UNLV in 2016 when Stanton returns......you know what? It doesn’t matter. UNLV is going to at least win the Hawaii game on October 15th, easily, and that’s going to keep the job in Sneed’s hands.

After UNLV’s crushing loss to Idaho in overtime last week, Tony Sanchez talked about those invested in the program no longer tolerating pedestrian results from UNLV football. He sounded like someone that was talking about change. A lot of it. And fast. Sneed is that change.

Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium felt like the first game of the season for UNLV football. QUARTERBACK OF THE FUTURE: DALTON SNEED. Because we’re not going to accept losing to the Idahos of the world anymore.