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A beaten and bruised Lobo football team heads to Las Vegas, Nev., to face the UNLV Rebels on Saturday. UNM is coming off a 49-32 drubbing by Fresno State, and is likely to lose senior quarterback B.R. Holbrook for the rest of the season after he separated his shoulder against the Bulldogs.
Head football coach Bob Davie said last Saturday’s loss to Fresno, blowing a 21-point first-half advantage, took a lot out of the team.
“We left Saturday a beat-up and demoralized team,” he said. “I’m always concerned about that; it’s critical with this team.”
However, the Lobos will now have true freshman quarterback Cole Gautsche back in the lineup. Gautsche suffered a neck injury in the first quarter against Fresno and did not return to the game.
Davie said barring a setback, Gautsche should be able to play against the Rebels.
“A lot depends on Cole, if Cole is able to go,” Davie said. “Cole is really a good option quarterback with his footwork, the way he exchanges his weight on the ride. It’s just different with Cole in there; he’s actually pretty natural at it.”
UNLV heads into Saturday’s contest on a five-game losing streak following a 24-13 loss at SDSU. The Rebels sit at 1-8, 1-3 MW on the year with their only victory coming against Air Force 38-35 on Sept. 22.
The Rebels are led by redshirt freshman Nick Sherry and junior tailback Tim Cornett. Sherry’s 2,001 passing yards on the season are the sixth highest ever for a MW freshman signal caller.
Davie said the UNM defense must pressure Sherry in order to slow down the UNLV aerial game.
“People have been able to rattle him — he admitted it, he said he took a shot against Boise State that rattled him,” Davie said. “He’s a big strong player, but teams have come after him … He’s still a young guy and I’m pretty sure they’re looking at Cole the same way. We’re both in similar situations.”
Running the football hasn’t been a problem for the Lobos, and it shouldn’t be one in the match against the Rebels. UNLV is ranked 103rd in rushing offense, giving up an average of 213.3 yards per game, while UNM averages 302.7 rushing yards per game to rank fifth in the country. The Lobos are dead last in the Football Bowl Subdivision throwing the pigskin, ranking 120th out of 120 programs and averaging only 12 pass attempts per game. With Holbrook out and a passing attack limited, UNM (4-5, 1-3) will look to implement the wildcat formation more in the upcoming weeks. In the wildcat formation, a wide receiver or running back lines up at quarterback and takes the snap.
“We’ve expanded that package a little bit; just following the plan we’re following, we’ve been able to hang in games,” Davie said. “The more you do, the more of the risk you have of putting the ball on the ground. We have to have a contingency to get through these next four games.”
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Football at UNLV
2 p.m.
Comcast Channel 77
