Beautiful Allegiant Stadium will play host to an opening weekend college football game between the Idaho State Bengals and the UNLV Rebels. The FCS Bengals (1-10) finished a dismal 2021 campaign on a six-game losing streak and lost 49-10 at Nevada in week two. First year head coach Charlie Ragle will be tasked with turning around a program that averaged 15.3 points per game.
Idaho State's defense failed to force many turnovers and scored just 30 points off turnovers a year ago. The Bengals surrendered an average of 4.9 yards per rush and 34.1 points per contest.
UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo has won just two games in his first two seasons at the helm and needs to get this program headed in the right direction. The roster is improved and the team plays in the best stadium in the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels will turn to sophomore QB Harrison Bailey, a former five star prospect, who transferred from Tennessee to lead the offense.'
UNLV has been undersized on defense and has struggled to stop the run during Arroyo's tenure. That should change, as the Rebels have bulked up on the defensive line and return a pair of experienced cornerbacks.
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UNLV Rebels