UNLV (5-3, 3-1 Mountain West) faces Wyoming (5-3, 4-1) on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in what coach Dan Mullen called the biggest conference game of the season so far. The Rebels control their path to the Mountain West championship game along with Wyoming and New Mexico, making the matchup critical for November positioning.
The urgency comes after UNLV narrowly escaped winless Northern Illinois 31-24 last week as a 24 1/2-point favorite. The defense allowed nearly 500 yards and missed over 20 tackles, prompting Mullen to demand better physicality and execution. "We just didn’t perform well and that’s the disappointing part," Mullen said. "You should go into game day with your energy and effort and execution at a high."
Mullen acknowledged the team won despite poor defensive play, losing the turnover battle and managing only a push in special teams. "It’s not easy to win," he said. "It’s hard to win, I’ll always say that." He expressed hope that players disappointed in their individual performances will respond better this week.
Wyoming presents a significant challenge with what Mullen described as an explosive offense and physical, stout defense. The Cowboys enter with a better conference record at 4-1, and a win would strengthen their championship aspirations while dealing UNLV a significant blow.
The Rebels cannot afford to look ahead to their following game at first-place New Mexico (7-1, 4-0), ranked 22nd nationally. "No, no, it’s too big a game this weekend," Mullen said. "It’s big because we control our future. The urgency has to be there."
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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