UNLV opens the Odom era

The Barry Odom era begins Saturday at Allegiant Stadium at 1 pm PST. In the first ever meeting between the two teams, the Rebels will host the Bryant Bulldogs (FCS) of the Big South.

While playing an FCS opponent is usually a guarantee to start the season with a win, you only have to look back a few years to find a couple of disappointing Rebel losses, Eastern Washington in 2021 and Howard in 2017.

New UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion was the architect of the high powered Bison offense that surprised UNLV in 2017.

Bryant brings offensive power into the game. The Bulldogs finished 12th among all FCS teams and averaged over 33 points per game.

The Bulldogs are powered by quarterback Zevi Eckhaus, who was all Big South second team offense last season with a better than 60% completion rate and 3,228 yards through the air. Eckhaus was even better in his freshman year with Bryant, earning first team all conference and the top offensive performer in conference.

The Bulldogs boast a couple of playmakers outside of Eckhaus on offense. Wide reciever Anthony Frederick is a threat with 15.4 yards per catch, but he also excels on special teams. Frederick averaged 141 all purpose yards per game, averaging 30 yards per kick return. On the other side, receiver Langdon Ruggieri set a school record with 65 catches, 986 yards and six touchdowns.

But while the Bulldog offense can light up the scoreboard, the defense was woeful. The Bulldogs allowed 5.85 yards per play and 30.1 points per game. They were especially porous through the air, where the opposition completed more than 60% of their passes and more than 8 yards per attempt.

Bryant finished last season with a 4-7 record, but of the seven losses, five by were one score, so they may have been better than the final record indicates.

The Rebels should be able to put up points, as well. With a healthy Doug Brumfield behind center and a new look Go-Go offense under coach Brennan Marion, UNLV will attempt to control the tempo and spread the field. Brumfield played in 10 games as a sophomore, but was hurt early in two of those games. Still, he completed 64.6% of his tosses and averaged nearly 240 yards in those eight full games, with 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Brumfield also proved elusive as rusher, though the Rebels will choose to protect him instead of allowing him to gallop. The offense will feature few huddles in an effort to increase the tempo and odd formations with heavy run blocking to create confusion.

UNLV has a couple of returning receivers who put up big numbers last season. Most notably, Ricky White, a transfer from Michigan State, who had 51 receptions in his 12 games for 619 yards and four touchdowns. Senika McKie figures to be another top target after hauling in 17 passes for 209 yards. Newcomer Jacob DeJesus, a slot receiver, impressed many in the pre-season workouts and will have an opportunity for big gains. DeJesus' quickness and elusiveness make him a dark horse to be the big play maker among the receiving corps.

In the backfield, the Rebels will rely primarily upon Donavyn Lester, a fifth year senior transfer from William and Mary, where he averaged 7.0 yards per carry. Returning speedster Courtney Reese will see time in the backfield, as well. The senior averaged 7.2 yards per carry last season. He will also handle the duties returning kicks. True freshman Jai’Den Thomas should see some time from the back field.

It will be important for the offensive line to protect the oft-injured Brumfield. The Rebels have experience on the left side of the line with junior tackle Tiger Shanks and Amani Trigg-Wright returning. UNLV brought in some new, but experienced players to fill out the rest of the line. Jack Hasz, a senior center from Buffalo will join junior left tackle Jalen St. John, who transferred from Arkansas and left guard Alani Makihele, who returns after six games for UNLV in 2022.

The Rebel defense will have a completely new look under Odom. Odom has always been defensive minded and he brought in Mike Scherer as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from Arkansas, where Odom himself served as associate head coach, defensive coordinator and safeties coach for the Razorbacks. UNLV will employ a 3-3-5 base defense with speedy defensive backs occupying most of the field. Senior defensive back Jerrae Williams and junior Cameron Oliver will lead the backfield joining Jaxen Turner, Thomas Anderson and Johnathan Baldwin. Expect to see linebacker Jackson Woodard, a transfer from Arkansas, as a key stopper in the Rebel defense.

New UNLV head coaches haven't found much success in their first game for the Rebels, going 5-7 in their program debut. The last time a coach won their first game was John Robinson in 1999. Coincidentally, Odom has been the most accomplished coach to lead the Rebels since Robinson. Prior to his hiring at UNLV, Odom had a three-year stint as the defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Arkansas.

Before Arkansas, he spent four years as the head coach at Missouri, posting a 25-25 record from 2016 to 2019, peaking with an 8-5 mark in 2018. In that year, the Tigers finished No. 23 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings prior to their loss to Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl.

Outlook and prediction: The Rebels may have as much difficulty stopping the Bryant offense as the Bulldogs have stopping the UNLV offense. If the quick paced Rebel offense stutters with too many three and outs, Bryant will have a fighting chance to stay in the game. But with the size and depth of UNLV, along with a hastened tempo of the Rebel offense, the Rebels should wear down the Bulldogs as the game progresses. With the next two games against Michigan and Vanderbilt, the Rebels won't dive too deep into the playbook.

Final prediction: UNLV 42, Bryant 27

Week 1: Bryant vs. UNLV
Where: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 1:00 pm PST
Streaming: Mountain West Network Radio: ESPN 1100 AM & 100.9 FM
Spread: UNLV -15.5. O/U 59.5