Bye weeks are a time to work out some kinks, mend some wounds and be refreshed heading into the next game. For UNLV, it was a dizzying week off the field of play. While the focus should have been UNLV's fluttering passing game, it was about conference realignments, conference foes jumping ship and then it hit much closer to home.
Starting quarterback Matthew Sluka decided to transfer. There's enough he said, she said controversy out there, but the end result is he won't be playing for the Rebels the rest of the season.
UNLV was fortunate enough to have a neck and neck battle in the preseason between Sluka and Hajj-Malik Williams. In the end, Sluka won the battle and while he's been a magician with his legs, the chemistry with the passing has left a lot to be desired. The Go-Go offense hasn't run on half its cylinders yet and the defensive performance has been enough to give the Rebels a couple of road victories against Big 12 squads. An ultra-talented receiving corps has been relegated to a mere footnote through three games.
Life without Sluka will see Hajj-Malik Williams take over. Williams and Sluka are dissimilar quarterbacks. Where Sluka has a flair and high top end, Williams has been noted as more stable, balanced and a better team leader. While his legs aren't as flashy as Sluka's, he's a capable runner and can utilize the RPO as designed instead of using it as a quarterback keeper. Williams had some mop up duty in UNLV's slaughtering of Utah Tech but with such a substantial lead, he didn't attempt a pass. Instead he ran for 88 yards on 10 carries as the Rebels milked the game clock.
While the loss of Sluka seems like a big blow, this really isn't an emergency situation for the Rebels. Sure, the fewer the bumps, the smoother the season and any time an impact starter is lost for the season, whether it be to injury, legal issues or otherwise, it can end a season. Sluka was a late arrival to camp, trying to make up for lost time as Williams was a full participant from the winter. It was anything but cut and dry - some saw Sluka as winning the battle while some had more confidence in Williams' overall ability and leadership. One thing that was very clear over the first three games of the season was that the chemistry between Sluka and his receivers was poor, something the bye week was supposed to remedy.
Williams' history has shown he's no slouch. He was at Cambell for five seasons and departed as the career leader in passing yards (8,326) and touchdowns (58). He also ran for 1,600 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career. Last season over 11 games, Williams threw for a school-record 2,597 yards and 19 touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes. An All-Big South player with an All-America honor as a freshman, he was frequently ranked in the top 10 of multiple offensive categories in the FCS during his career.
With all the distractions, it's easy to forget the Rebels have a big game Saturday at Allegiant against Fresno State. The game is the conference opener for the Rebels. Last season following the bye week, the Rebels were starting to get noticed coming off three straight wins and heading into Reno at 4-1. The Rebels made short work of a bad UNR (0-6) team in Reno, going up 28-7 and coasting to a 45-27 victory. This year, there's a target on the back of the Rebels.
Fresno State is 3-1 on the season and won their conference opener at New Mexico easily last weekend. The only smudge on their record came at Michigan were they dropped a relatively competive game to the Wolverines 30-10. Fresno interim head coach Tim Skipper, who hopes to win the permanent job, was defensive coordinator under Tony Sanchez at UNLV.
While UNLV is mired in controversy, Fresno State may be without leading rusher Malik Sherrod. Fresno's top running back didn't see any action against the Lobos because of an injury. His replacement, Elijah Gilliam, ran for only 54 yards on 18 carries. In fact, Fresno didn't break the century mark as a team. But the Rebels will prepare for the return of Sharrod, who has only 191 yards on the season and three touchdown carries.
Fresno quarterback Mikey Keene was sharp and safe, throwing for 226 yards on 26 of 33 passes. He's connected on an impressive 66% of his passes, averaging 260 yards per game, but he has been picked off four times. While the Fresno offense isn't scary, their defense has been solid, aggressive and opportunistic. The Bulldogs have been steady against the run and the pass and have picked off seven passes.
Prediction: The team seems to have rallied around the departure of Sluka. In the past, Odom and staff have been able to keep the Rebels grounded and focused. The passing game may or may not be improved in Williams' first week, but it hasn't been much of a factor in the Rebels first three games. So far on the season, the defense has been the star, having a poor first half versus Kansas but being rock solid to dominant in the other five halves. The Rebels have a chance to shut down what’s been a pedestrian Bulldog running game. A key to the game will be UNLV getting Fresno into third downs. Pressure on Keene and solid penetration at the line would make it difficult for the Fresno to score enough points to beat the Rebels.
Asking the offense to click in Williams' first game may be asking for too much. But it didn't click in the first three games and the Rebels were still victors. The strength of the offense - running - should still be the strength of the offense for at least the near future, especially since Williams excels with the RPO. If, unlike Sluka, Williams can find Ricky White, Jacob De Jesus, and Kaleo Ballungay, the Rebels will dominate in a fashion similar to the season opener at Houston. Final Score: UNLV 31 Fresno State 17
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024
KICKOFF: 12:35 pm PT
SITE: Allegiant Stadium (65,000/Artificial) Las Vegas
TV: FS1
RADIO: ESPN 1100 AM & 100.9 FM
TICKETS: UNLVTickets.com
SPREAD: UNLV -1.5
