LAS VEGAS — UNLV’s first road trip of the season comes with a change in the middle of its offensive line and a much different challenge for its defense.
Austin Boyd is out after leaving the Memphis game in the fourth quarter, and Griffin Scroggs and BJ Tolo are expected to handle most of the work at center Saturday. Scroggs missed the opener, while Tolo replaced Boyd for the final 11 offensive snaps. Troy Stellato is expected back at receiver, and freshman defensive lineman Poe Purcell appears questionable after playing 40 snaps in his college debut.
UNLV opens Mountain West play Saturday at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. Hawai‘i time and 7 p.m. Pacific on The CW. The Rebels plan to travel to Honolulu the day before the game, beginning a September that also includes road trips to North Texas and Akron before they return to Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 3 against Cal.
Scroggs worked at center during spring and fall camp along with Tolo and Joe Metzger, giving offensive line coach Louie Addazio several players who have already practiced the position. Scroggs has experience inside from previous stops at Georgia and Appalachian State, while Tolo received the first game snaps after Boyd went down.
Boyd had become an important part of the protection system after moving to center during the offseason. Addazio praised his ability during camp to identify fronts and organize the middle of the pocket, responsibilities that now have to be divided between players who spent much of the offseason preparing for exactly this type of situation.
“You’re always looking to put the best five on the field,” Addazio said during fall camp. “I’m a big believer in make it work to get the best five guys on the field. So, in order to do that, guys got to play different positions. I just think that’s critical.”
UNLV already used some of that flexibility in the opener. Metzger played 41 snaps without starting, including 32 at left guard and nine at right guard, while Colton Thomasson also rotated at left guard. Tolo’s 11 snaps at center came after Boyd left late in the fourth quarter.
The protection around Jackson Arnold will receive most of the attention Saturday. Arnold completed 25 of 37 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns in his first UNLV start, including 17 of 21 for 203 yards before halftime.
His production changed once the pocket became less stable. Arnold threw for 232 yards and both touchdowns when kept clean compared with 59 yards under pressure, according to PFF. Memphis did not sack him before halftime but finished with six, all in the second half.
Hawai‘i presents a different type of defensive front.
“You watch them defensively, they’re fast on defense,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “Memphis, very good defense. Memphis big, physical defense. This team, not quite as big, but they’re really fast, quick guys all over the field.”
Stanford finished with 483 yards against the Rainbow Warriors, including 310 through the air and 173 on the ground, while averaging 6.7 yards per play. Hawai‘i recorded five tackles for loss and one sack.
The matchup gives UNLV a chance to help its new center rotation by staying out of obvious passing situations. The Rebels rushed for 169 yards in the opener despite losing considerable yardage on sacks, and Jai’Den Thomas and Jaylon Glover give Mullen two backs who can keep Hawai‘i from attacking Arnold on every down.
Stanford averaged 4.6 yards per rush against the Rainbow Warriors. Micah Ford carried 25 times for 99 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter.
Thomas carried 12 times for 44 yards against Memphis, while Glover gained 49 on seven attempts. Arnold also remains part of the rushing threat after breaking a 54-yard run, the longest run of the game for UNLV.
Keeping the offense in manageable situations would also give Arnold access to a receiving group that should be deeper Saturday. Eleven Rebels caught at least one pass against Memphis, and Stellato is expected to return after missing Week 0.
Kayden McGee and Tavian McNair caught the two receiving touchdowns, while Arnold distributed his other completions among receivers, running backs and tight ends. Stellato rejoins a group that already includes Taeshaun Lyons, Taz Reddicks, DeAngelo Irvin Jr. and McGee.
The quarterback rotation should be less of a storyline than it was entering the opener. Alex Orji received only a limited role against Memphis after Mullen had discussed using both quarterbacks, and Mullen said afterward that Arnold’s play led the staff away from the larger rotation it originally planned.
“That was the playing plan, but Jackson Arnold was playing really well,” Mullen said. “I thought he was getting the ball out of his hands, making some quick reads, was accurate, making good decisions out there on the field.”
The more immediate offensive issue against Hawai‘i is finishing drives.
UNLV ran 33 plays in Memphis territory compared with only 16 Memphis plays on the Rebels’ side of the field. The Rebels still scored 21 points after converting three of 15 third downs, going 2-for-5 on fourth down, scoring touchdowns on two of four red-zone trips and missing a 32-yard field goal.
Hawai‘i was considerably more efficient with fewer opportunities at Stanford. The Rainbow Warriors gained 322 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per play but converted seven of 17 third downs, made both fourth-down attempts and scored touchdowns on all three trips to the red zone.
UNLV moved the ball well enough in its opener. It has to finish more drives Saturday.
The defensive matchup starts with Alejado and the speed at which Hawai‘i can operate through him. The former Bishop Gorman quarterback completed 30 of 50 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns at Stanford, while the Rainbow Warriors threw 52 times as a team and rushed only 22.
Alejado rarely needed to wait for vertical routes to develop. He completed 19 of 24 throws between zero and 9 yards downfield for 156 yards and a touchdown, including 13 of 16 for 118 yards and a score over the short middle.
Only four attempts traveled at least 20 yards downfield. Alejado averaged 1.95 seconds to throw from a clean pocket.
That puts Kamuela Ka’aihue, Dee Crayton and Cam Santee in the middle of the matchup. Alejado repeatedly attacked the area between the numbers at Stanford, forcing linebackers to recognize routes quickly while accounting for backs and receivers working underneath.
Ka’aihue will do that work while returning to the state where he played his high school football. He played 58 defensive snaps in the opener and should spend a significant portion of Saturday defending the area Alejado targeted most often.
Jake Pope, Mumu Bin-Wahad and Tre Fulton will have to fit behind the linebackers without allowing short completions to become larger gains. Hawai‘i produced 132 yards after the catch at Stanford, with Tama Uiliata and Kainoa Carvalho accounting for 46 apiece and DeVon Rice adding 30.
Uiliata received 10 targets and caught eight passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Carvalho led the Rainbow Warriors with 72 receiving yards on five catches, while Rice gives Hawai‘i another option from the backfield.
The distribution shifted as Hawai‘i found its offense. Rice, Uiliata and Carvalho combined for 180 yards on 21 second-half touches, with each becoming more involved after halftime.
Alejado completed 12 of 18 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Hawai‘i erased a 23-7 deficit. The Rainbow Warriors scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions and took a 27-23 lead with 4:06 remaining before Stanford answered.
UNLV should be prepared for Hawai‘i to put those players at the center of the offense earlier Saturday. Rice can work out of the backfield as a runner or receiver, while Uiliata and Carvalho give Alejado targets underneath without requiring him to wait for longer routes to develop.
The Rainbow Warriors struggled to create much with their conventional running game at Stanford, finishing with 46 yards on 22 attempts. Rice led Hawai‘i with 35 yards on 11 carries, leaving Alejado to account for most of the offense.
That volume creates its own challenge for UNLV. A defense facing 40 or 50 passes needs enough depth to keep tackling and closing underneath routes into the fourth quarter, particularly when so many of the throws arrive before the rush can reach the quarterback.
Stanford still found pressure when Alejado was forced to wait.
The Cardinal generated 12 pressures against the six Hawai‘i offensive linemen who handled most of the work. Boogie Henderson and Judah Kaio were each charged with four, while Lipe Moala and Dean Briski allowed two apiece.
A pass rusher winning after three seconds does little good if Alejado has already thrown the football more than a second earlier.
His average time to throw increased from 1.95 seconds when clean to 3.96 when pressured. Taking away the first throw gives UNLV’s front a chance to attack the protection issues Stanford found.
The Rebels did not create many of those situations against Memphis. UNLV finished with one sack and one tackle for loss, while the Tigers consistently stayed away from the negative plays that allow a defense to dictate down and distance.
Saturday offers a different opportunity. Hawai‘i averaged only 2.1 yards per rushing attempt at Stanford, so early-down stops could leave Alejado in situations where the Rainbow Warriors cannot simply take a short completion and move to the next snap.
Memphis still ran for 190 yards against UNLV, so Paul Guenther’s defense cannot completely turn its attention toward the pass. Hawai‘i’s lack of Week 0 rushing production becomes useful only if the Rebels can control it without consistently moving an extra defender into the box.
Purcell’s availability could affect the rotation up front. The freshman played 40 snaps against Memphis and immediately became a meaningful part of UNLV’s defensive line rather than receiving a limited role in his debut.
If Purcell cannot play, UNLV would have to replace a significant workload while trying to keep its front fresh against an offense that ran 74 plays at Stanford. The Rainbow Warriors may not run often, but their passing volume can still force defensive linemen through a large number of rushes.
The pressure opportunities become more valuable on second-and-long and third-and-long. A five-yard run or quick completion on first down keeps Alejado in the portion of the offense that requires almost no time in the pocket, while a negative play gives UNLV a chance to make him move beyond his preferred first read.
Tackling may decide how much those short completions ultimately cost the Rebels.
Hawai‘i does not need to attack vertically to produce an explosive play. A five-yard throw over the middle can become 20 if the first defender misses, particularly with Uiliata, Carvalho and Rice already showing they can create yards after the catch.
Denver Harris and Avery Helm should again see significant work at corner, while Pope and the rest of the safety group will have to keep those completions from opening the field behind the first tackle.
“We let up some explosives,” Pope said. “That really is what it came down to, on the defensive side.”
