The UNLV Rebels (2-1, 3-0 ATS, 2-1 O/U) battle the Utah State Aggies (1-2, 0-3 ATS, 0-3 O/U) in an MWC showdown on Saturday night. The Rebels earned a dominating home win against North Texas last week. The Aggies had a bye last week after losing to Alabama in week two. Utah State posted a 28-24 win against UNLV last season.
The UNLV Rebels head into the MWC opener with another win. They were labeled 13-point dogs in a narrow 20-13 road loss to California and rebounded nicely in a dominating 58-27 home win against North Texas last week to cover the small 2.5-point spread. The Rebels are an improved team after a disastrous 2021 season. They have covered the spread in all three games.
Doug Brumfield has been outstanding. The sophomore QB was kept in check against California of the Pac-12 but was dangerous in his other two performances and has 773 passing yards accompanied by a 7:1 TD to INT ratio. Aidan Robbins is having a breakout season. The junior RB rushed for a whopping 227 yards against North Texas last week and now has 346 yards in an average of 6.5 yards per carry.
UNLV has a talented receiving core. Ricky White has made at least four catches in all three games and has registered 317 receiving yards. The offense is quite balanced but has opted for the run slightly more than the pass.
That's TD #3 on the day for @theaidanrobbins ??????#BEaREBEL pic.twitter.com/l0PFGxulMi
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) September 17, 2022
The Rebels' defense has been effective for the most part. They struggled last week, allowing 474 total yards but were effective on third downs. The pass defense needs work, ranking 96th however the rush defense is 42nd. UNLV is scoring an average of 41.3 points, good for 25th overall. The defense is conceding an average of 22.7 points, placing them 58th in the FBS.