catdaddyp Posted 4 hours ago Report Posted 4 hours ago QB: Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold is a dual threat with the ball in his hands. He’s thrown for 601 yards and two touchdowns, and has run for 132 yards and 3 touchdowns. Arnold has yet to throw an interception, but he has fumbled three times. Interestingly, when Arnold does throw the ball, he has actual been better when being blitzed than when he has not. He’s completed almost 67% of his passes against the blitz compared to 56% when not blitzed. That said, Arnold has been known to hang on to the ball too long and take the sack instead. RB: Senior Jai’Den Thomas is the leading rusher with 224 yards and one touchdown. 166 of those yards have come after contact. He also has 7 receptions for 52 yards. WR: Oregon State transfer Taz Reddicks leads the team in receiving yardage with 120 yards on 8 receptions. Sophomore Kayden McGee is next with 103 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. UNLV spreads the ball around a good bit despite who is listed as a starters. TE: Arizona transfer Keyan Burnett is the main option at tight end with 7 receptions for 75 yards, though the Rebels will rotate several players at the position. OL: The offensive line has allowed 11 sacks, with 10 of those coming to Memphis and North Texas. LT - Alekai Afoa - 6’4 295 (Jr.) (JUCO) LG - Colton Thomasson - 6’8 325 (R.Jr.) (Baylor) C - Griffin Scroggs - 6’3 330 (R. Sr.) (App State) RG - Amare Taase - 6’4 330 (R. So.) RT - Jackson Brown - 6’6 310 (R. Jr.) (Pittsburgh) DL: Redshirt freshman Kal-El Togafau starts at one edge with sophomore Andre Porter on the opposite side. The duo has combined for 10 total tackles and 2 sacks. Junior Lucas Conti is an interior starter that will also be slid outside. Redshirt freshman Eliah Logo typically lines up at nose tackle. LB: Holy Cross transfer Cam Santee and former Arizona transfer Kamuela Ka’Aihue start at linebacker, and have combined for 35 total tackles. DB: Seniors Denver Harris and Quandarious Keyes start at cornerback. Former UCONN transfer Mumu Bin-Wahad starts at nickleback, with senior Jake Pope and sophomore Tre Fulton at the safeties. Opposing offenses have targeted Keyes twice as much as any other player in the secondary. ST: Junior Ramon Villela has gone 2 for 3 on field goals and 6 for 6 on extra points. Kennesaw State transfer Matt Choules averages 43 yards per punt, with a long of 64 yards and 7 punts downed inside the twenty. Keys on Offense: Get the ball out quickly, don’t cause unnecessary setbacks, and attempt to establish the run game. The Rebel defense has talent, but has steadily become worse at tackling as the season has progressed - according to PFF. Keys on Defense: UNLV wants to run the ball and will utilize their quarterback, running backs, and wide outs in their ground game. If the Rebels get ahead, it may be hard to recover. Akron has to stay focused on their keys as UNLV will use some type of shift or motion on almost every play pre-snap. Final Thoughts: I wouldn’t go as far to say the Zips are the better team, but it is certainly a winnable game. Despite the Rebels playing poorly at times, they still have a talented roster. The Zips will need to play well to give themselves an opportunity to beat a team that looked primed to be one of the best in the G6, during the off-season. 1 1 Quote
catdaddyp Posted 1 hour ago Author Report Posted 1 hour ago 22 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said: What time is kickoff? Noon ESPN+ 1 Quote
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