The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Nevada @ UNLV

It is one of the fiercest rivalries in the Mountain West and a showdown where you can throw out the records, because you know that both teams are going to bring their best effort. The Wolf Pack and Rebels faced off in an end of the season battle for the Fremont Cannon. UNLV may have come away with the surprising victory, but how did they get there? Let’s revisit the good, bad, and ugly moments from the exciting contest.

The Good:

Armani Rogers

Rogers numbers weren’t mind blowing, but he was efficient in the passing game and ran the ball reasonably well. He finished the game completing 13 of 20 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 14 carries for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Rogers accounted for all five Rebel touchdowns and did an excellent job taking care of the ball.

UNLV’s Rushing Attack

Once again, these stats aren’t crazy. But, the Rebels were efficient, and it allowed them to sustain some long drives and eat at the clock. As a team, UNLV carried the ball 50 times for 226 yards. Tony Sanchez was perfectly content with grinding the game out, and it paid off for UNLV.

Kelton Moore

Moore was the biggest bright spot for the Wolf Pack. He managed 129 yards on only 13 carries, including a 46 yard run. After watching this game back, it was hard not to question why the Nevada staff didn’t utilize Moore more (no pun intended).

Javin White

Two interceptions. I would say that is a pretty efficient day for White. He took advantage of some risky throws by Gangi.

The Bad:

Nevada’s Offensive Approach

I realize that the Wolf Pack want to air it out, but when you are averaging over six yards a carry and your star running back is averaging nearly ten yards, you would think you would try to be more balanced.

Defensive Line Play

Both teams really struggled stopping the run, and both quarterbacks had plenty of time to throw the ball. The two teams combined for nearly 400 yards on the ground. There was only one sack on the game. Considering that the quarterbacks dropped back to pass more than 70 times, that is not very good.

The Ugly:

Ty Gangi

This one was pretty simple, when you throw three interceptions, you put your team in a tough spot and it ended up being the difference in the game. Otherwise, Gangi’s numbers were pretty solid, as he completed 27 of 45 passes for 295 yards. Some of the blame should lie on the coaching staff for this one. Gangi threw way more passes than he should have, considering how dominant the Wolf Pack rushing attack was.

That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Stay tuned, as next week I will be covering the Wyoming-Colorado State rivalry.