The Rebels will have a much needed extra day of rest after a 51-20 beatdown by their in-state rival, the Nevada Wolf Pack, to get ready for a road game against the New Mexico Lobos.
New Mexico will also be well rested, as they are coming off their bye week. The last time out for the Lobos, they secured their first conference win of the season, defeating the Wyoming Cowboys 14-3 on Oct. 23 in Laramie, Wyoming.
Both teams are at the bottom of the Mountain West when it comes to scoring and total offense. The Rebels are 11th in the conference, averaging 19.6 points per game and the Lobos are last averaging 14 points per game.
And from a yardage perspective, both teams are at the bottom of the Mountain West with UNLV (11th) averaging 296.3 yards per game and New Mexico in last with 254.3 yards per game.
Linemakers expect this game to be close. Circa Sports’ opening college football week 10 betting lines have the Lobos as a one-point favorite with the total only being at 44 and a half points.
The Rebels could see the return of Doug Brumfield, who has not played since UNLV’s 38-30 loss at Fresno State on Sept. 24. Prior to the game against the Wolf Pack, Brumfield was fully dressed and warming up with the team.
Quarterback Cameron Friel has progressed nicely in his first three starts since fully taking over for the injured Brumfield. But Friel threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, against the Wolf Pack.
Whether it’s Friel or Brumfield, the Rebels cannot afford to turn the ball over so much with their inconsistencies on offense and a defense that allows the most points per game in the conference (36).
Senior running back Charles Williams is just 44 yards away from becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher. The Wolf Pack defense limited Williams to just 30 total yards last Friday night.
Expect the Rebels to go back to Williams early and often against the Lobos in what appears to be a physical and low-scoring matchup.
UNLV needs to have a clean game against New Mexico. They cannot afford to turn the ball over so much and they will need the offensive line to have a great performance to protect the quarterback and create running lanes for Williams.
UNLV and New Mexico will kickoff at 4 p.m. PT. The game will be available online through Stadium at watchstadium.com.
