The Rebel Room
Season on the brink
Ray Brewer and Mike Grimala break down the UNLV depth chart in advance of the Rebels’ Week 1 matchup with Southern Utah.
In honor of the 49th season at Sam Boyd Stadium, it only makes sense to offer up 49 predictions for the 2019 UNLV football campaign. From forecasting the team's win-loss record to individual performances, this is how we see the season playing out.
1. How many passing yards for Armani Rogers? 1,850
2. What will be Armani Rogers’ completion percentage for the season? 53.5 percent. It may not seem like an impressive number, but after hitting on just 44.4 percent of his passes in an injury-marred 2018 campaign, getting up near 55 percent would represent a big improvement for Rogers.
3. What will be Armani Rogers’ best completion percentage in a single game? 70 percent vs. Southern Utah
4. In which game will Armani Rogers score his most combined touchdowns? Five at Colorado State on Nov. 2 (three rushing, two passing)
5. What will be UNLV’s best single-game rushing performance? 404 yards vs. Southern Utah
6. What will be Charles Williams’ highest rushing total? 165 yards at Fresno State (Oct. 18)
7. Who will lead the team in receptions? Randal Grimes, 42 catches
8. Who will lead in touchdown catches? Randal Grimes, eight TD receptions. Grimes, a transfer from USC, showed tremendous athleticism in training camp, especially around the goal line. He developed a good rapport with Rogers on end-zone throws, so look for the 6-foot-4 wideout to get a lot of targets in the red zone.
9. Will UNLV return a punt for a touchdown? No (for the 20th year in a row)
10. Will UNLV allow a special teams touchdown? No
11. What will be the longest field goal made by UNLV? 43 yards
12. Who will get more snaps, Kenyon Oblad or Max Gilliam? Kenyon Oblad
13. Will senior linebacker Javin White score a defensive touchdown? Yes
14. Will a Rebel break 7.0 sacks? No. Three players tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks last year, and while the Rebels apply more pressure under defensive coordinator Tim Skipper, their best candidate to rack up a big sack total — linebacker Gabe McCoy — will miss the first game due to an eligibility issue. McCoy (one of the team leaders last year) could get as high as 6.0 or even 6.5 sacks, but it’s hard to see him surpassing 7.0.
15. Will UNLV force 20 turnovers on defense? Yes. The Rebels’ defense generated exactly 20 turnovers a year ago, and the 2019 unit is stronger up front. That should mean more 3rd-and-longs, more pressure on the QB and more turnovers.
16. Will converted safety Drew Tejchman intercept a pass? Yes
17. What will be UNLV’s best win? Oct. 26 vs. San Diego State
18. What will be UNLV’s worst loss? Nov. 23 vs. San Jose State. The Rebels’ worst loss last season was a 50-37 drubbing at SJSU, and dropping a home game to the Spartans this year will sting even more. As the penultimate game on the schedule, this loss will put UNLV’s bowl chances up in the air.
19. What will be UNLV’s lowest-scoring game? 16 points at UNR (Nov. 30)
20. How many sacks will UNLV record? 26
21. What will be UNLV’s longest play from scrimmage? 82 yard run by Armani Rogers
22. Who will lead the team in tackles? Javin White, 88 tackles
23. Who will play more snaps at linebacker, Ferrell Hester or Vic Viramontes? Viramontes
24. Who will be the Rebels’ leading rusher? Charles Williams, 1,325 yards
25. How many 100-yard rushing games will Charles Williams record? Five
26. What will be the highest-attended game at Sam Boyd Stadium? Nov. 16 vs. Hawaii, 17,055
27. Who will be UNLV’s most impactful freshman? Jacoby Windmon. The edge linebacker will start Week 1 in place of the ineligible Gabe McCoy, and the coaching staff is high on Windmon’s ability to make plays. And as an early enrollee, he was able to participate in spring practice and has a better grasp of the playbook than most true freshmen.
28. How many opponents will UNLV hold under 30 points? Five
29. What will be UNLV’s highest-scoring game? 46 points vs. Southern Utah (Aug. 31)
30. Will the Rebels play an overtime game? No
31. How many passing plays of 20+ yards will the UNLV defense allow? 23
32. Where will the Rebels rank nationally in rushing yards per game? Eighth. Last year UNLV was No. 21 with 216.2 yards per game, which was down a bit from the previous two years. Though the team loses home-run hitter Lexington Thomas, they should get more than seven games from Armani Rogers. That will catapult the Rebels back into the top 10 nationally.
33. How many touchdowns will Tyleek Collins score? Eight (six receiving, two rushing)
34. How many home games will UNLV win? Four
35. Will UNLV keep the Fremont Cannon? No. After staging a triumphant comeback in last year’s season finale against UNR, the Rebels will come up short this time around as the venue changes to Reno.
37. Will UNLV play in a bowl game? No.
36. What will UNLVs final record be? 5-7
38-49. Which games will UNLV win (and lose)?
Aug. 31 vs. Southern Utah — Win (1-0)
Sept. 7 vs. Arkansas State — Win (2-0)
Sept. 14 at Northwestern — Loss (2-1)
Sept. 28 at Wyoming — Win (3-1)
Oct. 5 vs. Boise State — Loss (3-2)
Oct. 12 at Vanderbilt — Loss (3-3)
Oct. 18 at Fresno State — Loss (3-4)
Oct. 26 vs. San Diego State — Win (4-4)
Nov. 2 at Colorado State — Loss (4-5)
Nov. 16 vs. Hawaii — Win (5-5)
Nov. 23 vs. San Jose State — Loss (5-6)
Nov. 30 at UNR — Loss (5-7)
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
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