UNLV Rebels suffer 42-7 blowout loss to Air Force

The UNLV Rebels (4-3, 2-2) hosted the Air Force Falcons (5-2, 2-2) in a Saturday night Mountain West Conference matchup. The UNLV Rebels had to start the game without their star quarterback Doug Brumfield, who was injured in the first half of the San Jose State game last week and remains in concussion protocol. Brumfield and the production the team had with him on the field early in the season was missed last night in their 42-7 loss.

The UNLV offense struggled with ball security in the first half, fumbling the ball three times to give the Air Force offense a short field. Air Force took advantage of all three fumbles, ending each drive in the end zone.

The UNLV defense did not have an answer for the Air Force run game. RB Brad Rodgers ran for 144 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries. RB John Eldridge ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Rodgers and Eldridge gashed through the UNLV defense, taking advantage of good field position the high-powered offense was given.

QB Cameron Friel struggled in the passing game, completing 8 of 10 passes for 108 yards, a touchdown, and a third quarter interception in the third quarter which led to more points for Air Force. Friel’s best pass of the night was a beautiful 31-yard touchdown pass to WR Ricky White on the sideline to put UNLV on the board before the half, but the Rebels offense could not put anything together in the second half.

The UNLV Rebels hope to have QB Doug Brumfield back next week as they travel to Indiana to take on Notre Dame (3-3) in an afternoon matchup. Despite losing two games back to back, the Rebels are in second place in their division in the Mountain West. If they want a chance to play for a conference championship, they need QB Doug Brumfield back to lead the team to the success they had to begin the season.