UNLV football coach Dan Mullen said this week he trusts his coaching staff but that everyone in the program needs to be better, regardless of the outcome of last week's 41-35 loss to Wyoming. The Rebels (5-4, 3-2 Mountain West) travel to face No. 23 New Mexico (8-1, 5-0) on Saturday in a matchup that will test UNLV's ability to stop the run.
Mullen said the issues against Wyoming went beyond a single play, noting the Rebels allowed 173 yards on missed tackles alone. New Mexico leads the conference in rushing touchdowns and ranks second in rushing average, while UNLV allows 207 rushing yards per game. Mullen emphasized the need for faster in-game adjustments after the Rebels surrendered big first-half yardage in each of the last two weeks but only 14 total points after halftime.
"We have to do a better job preparing for the looks we're seeing," Mullen said, adding that Wyoming showed a completely different defense than it had all season. "We have to adjust much quicker during the course of the game with our ability to make plays early instead of having to go in at halftime and say, 'These are all the things they're doing differently.'"
The Rebels no longer control their path to a fourth straight conference title game appearance and likely need to win their final three games while receiving help elsewhere. Safety Mumu Bin-Wahad said the team's focus remains on the immediate challenge, noting that New Mexico won 40-35 at Allegiant Stadium last year. "We have New Mexico next and that's going to be the biggest test for us this year," Bin-Wahad said. "We need to rally as a team and go there."
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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