FootballSaturday, September 19, 2015
6
Breakdown: Michigan vs. UNLV
By MAX BULTMAN
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan and UNLV enter their
Week 3 matchup riding completely
opposite waves of momentum.
The Wolverines cruised to a
35-7 win over Oregon State in
coach
Jim
Harbaugh’s
home
debut, while the Rebels were the
victims of a 37-3 pounding at the
hands of No. 10 UCLA.
And
while
Michigan
fans
should have learned by now not
to take an opponent for granted,
this one feels lopsided coming in.
UNLV runs the ball a lot, but that
just happens to be the strength
of the Wolverines’ defense. The
Rebels also aren’t great at stopping
the run, which is exactly what
Michigan will try to make them
do.
Here’s the Daily’s breakdown of
the upcoming matchup:
Michigan pass offense vs. UNLV
pass defense
Michigan
passing
game
coordinator
Jedd
Fisch
said
Wednesday he would love for his
quarterback to have 70 percent
completions,
two
touchdowns
and no interceptions in any game.
For fifth-year senior Jake Rudock,
achieving those goals may be a
little tricky against the Rebels.
UNLV limited UCLA’s true
freshman quarterback Josh Rosen
to just 223 yards on 22-for-42
passing with one touchdown and
an interception. Some of those
incompletions
were
unforced
errors by Rosen, to be sure, but
Rosen is also a more talented
quarterback than Rudock.
The Bruins didn’t complete a
pass longer than 29 yards, but that
shouldn’t be much of a concern for
Michigan, which will do most of
its damage in the short- and mid-
range passing game.
Michigan has the edge in the
passing game, but it likely won’t
need it. The Wolverines should be
up big by halftime, and if last week
was any indication, they’ll roll
with the ground game the rest of
the way.
Edge: Michigan
Michigan rush offense vs.
UNLV rush defense
A week after pounding Oregon
State for 126 yards and three
touchdowns, junior running back
De’Veon Smith will have another
chance to run wild against the
Rebels. UNLV allowed 5.8 yards
per carry to UCLA last week, and
Michigan has a good chance to
exploit the defense for similar
numbers on Saturday.
Beyond
Smith,
Harbaugh
indicated Monday that redshirt
junior
running
back
Drake
Johnson would have a larger role
in the offense this week. Johnson
is coming off his second torn
anterior cruciate ligament, but if
he can emerge with a productive
game this weekend, it would be
great news for the Wolverines.
Johnson was able to pick up
chunks of yards toward the end
of last season, and he could be
extremely valuable as a change of
pace.
Michigan should be able to
outmuscle UNLV at the line,
and with Smith’s penchant for
breaking tackles, it could be a long
day for the Rebels.
Edge: Michigan
UNLV pass offense vs. Michigan
pass defense
Even
when
their
starting
quarterback is at full health, this
isn’t an area of strength for the
Rebels. UNLV averages 192.5 pass
yards per game, 88th-most in the
country.
Things could be even worse
against Michigan, as starting
quarterback
Blake
Decker
is
questionable with a strained leg
muscle.
If Decker can’t go, or is limited,
sophomore Kurt Palandech will
be under center for the Rebels.
Palandech is inexperienced, so it’s
unclear how much they’ll throw if
he’s in the game. Against UCLA, he
was 4-for-15 for four yards passing.
One thing UNLV does have in
the passing game is a target who
can challenge junior cornerback
Jourdan Lewis. Devonte Boyd
has eight receptions for 162 yards,
including a 64-yard touchdown
catch against Northern Illinois.
Still, there’s not much chance
of the Rebels consistently making
big plays through the air. Decker
is a capable signal-caller, but he’s
at the mercy of a relatively small
offensive line and a Michigan
pass rush that includes behemoth
redshirt junior Willie Henry.
Edge: Michigan
UNLV
rush
offense
vs.
Michigan rush defense
Neither
aspect
of
UNLV’s
offense is very good, but if you
were forced to pick one, its run
game is slightly more threatening.
Junior Keith Whitely is the go-to
back when the Rebels run the ball,
and he has been solid thus far in
2015.
Whitely averages 4.3 yards per
carry, and while that’s buoyed by
one 41-yard rush, his 33 carries
this season mean the Wolverines
can expect to see a steady dose of
him Saturday.
Fortunately for Michigan, its
run defense is plenty equipped
to handle Whitely and any other
back the Rebels roll out. Redshirt
junior Chris Wormley has been a
monster on the defensive line, and
there’s no reason to believe that
will change against UNLV.
The Rebels lean toward a
more power-running style, but,
oddly, they do so primarily out
of the shotgun. That means the
ball carrier is starting behind
the line of scrimmage, and with
an offensive line that’s far from
intimidating, that means trouble
for UNLV.
Edge: Michigan
Special teams
Freshman receiver Brian Cole
came close to blocking numerous
punts last week against Oregon
State, something that will be
fun to watch as the season goes
on. Redshirt freshman Jabrill
Peppers is always a threat to
take one to the house, and he has
proven to be sure-handed fielding
punts as well.
Fifth-year senior punter Blake
O’Neill has been as good as
advertised — if not better — and
senior Kenny Allen has displayed
a pair of quality placekicking
performances.
For the Rebels, Nolan Kohorst
is an asset at placekicker. He’s
4-for-4 on the year with an
impressive long of 51, but even
that depends on the Rebels’
ability to get him to the 34-yard
line. Logan Yunker averages 42.8
yards per punt — the exact same
as O’Neill — and will be the first
non-Australian punter Michigan
has faced this year.
Neither
team
has
been
especially good in the return
game, but Peppers is the most
dangerous returner by far.
Edge: Push
Intangibles
UNLV will be fired up to earn
its first win of the season, but
must attempt to do so in front
of more than 100,000 fans.
Michigan will be riding a wave of
momentum from its drubbing of
Oregon State.
Both teams have new coaches,
but the Rebels’ Tony Sanchez
was a high school coach from
1998 before this season, while
Harbaugh is straight out of the
NFL.
Look for Harbaugh to keep his
team grounded, not for Sanchez
to seize the moment.
Edge: Michigan
Prediction:
Michigan
38,
UNLV 6
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Redshirt junior defensive tackle Chris Wormley has six tackles for loss in two games this season.
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan vs. UNLV
29
UNLV wins since 2005, a span of 10
seasons
36,800
Capacity at UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium
(34 percent of Michigan Stadium’s)
191
Rushing yards until Michigan’s De’Veon
Smith reaches 1,000 for his career
2010
The last time UNLV played in the Eastern
time zone