Lost chances, lost game for Rebels

SAN DIEGO — UNLV gave itself plenty of chances to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday night against San Diego State.

Instead, a slow start, four turnovers and the inability for the defense to get off the field one last time haunted them in a 14-10 loss to the Aztecs at Snapdragon Stadium.

“Obviously disappointing to come out and play that way to start so slow,” coach Marcus Arroyo said after his team dropped a fourth consecutive game to fall below .500 for the first time this season.

“Four turnovers is tough to overcome against a good quality opponent, which these guys are. They proved that on defense. To overcome those in that situation is hard. Two of them in plus territory, which are loss of points and probably swing the game.”

UNLV trailed 14-0 early in the third quarter and nearly rallied for a victory. The Rebels (4-5, 2-3 Mountain West) decided to punt on fourthand-5 from the San Diego State (5-4, 3-2) 46-yard line with 5:56 to play.

UNLV pinned the Aztecs at the 6, but never got the ball back. After gaining just 29 total yards on the previous four drives, San Diego State picked up 80 yards on 10 plays to run out the clock and secure the victory.

Aztecs coach Brady Hoke said he was pleased with his offense’s ability to overcome some uneven drives to put the game away.

“They kept themselves on the field and won the ballgame for us with the defense not even having to go back out there,” he said.

UNLV defensive end Adam Plant was equally disappointed with the final drive.

“The biggest emphasis was just trying to strip the ball and get another opportunity for the offense to try to score,” he said. “Unfortunately, we just weren’t able to do that.”

The offense did have chances in sophomore quarterback Doug Brumfield’s return from a concussion and ankle injury suffered Oct. 7 against San Jose State.

After getting shut out in the first half, the Rebels started to find a rhythm. Brumfield broke the pocket and found a wide open Nick Williams behind the defense for a 70-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that got the Rebels within a touchdown.

But Brumfield was intercepted twice in the end zone in the second half, and the Rebels were unable to cross the goal line on a drive that started at the Aztecs’ 14-yard line after a mishandled punt snap in the fourth quarter.

UNLV settled for a field goal on that possession to cut the deficit to 14-10 with 11:29 remaining.

Brumfield finished 17for-27 for 207 yards in his return and was also charged with a fumble on a shotgun snap.

“There was obviously some rust there and some decision-making we’ve got to get shored up,” Arroyo said of his quarterback. “I anticipated some rust, but the decision-making and changing the game in those situations are just unfortunate. We’ve got to get that fixed. Uncharacteristic of him. So we’ve got to shore that up and go back to work.”

Running back Aidan Robbins was also back in the lineup after missing the Notre Dame game and finished with 115 yards on 21 carries. He would have preferred to help his team snap its losing streak.

“It’s definitely frustrating, but you’ve got to face adversity in your life,” he said. “It’s all about how you’re going to respond.”

The Rebels now have three games remaining to try to win two games to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2013.

That starts with a Friday night home game against Fresno State.

“First half was sloppy and wasn’t complementary enough to be able to overcome that,” Arroyo said. “But we’ve got to put it behind us. We’ve got a short week coming up with a Friday night game at home and three left. We’ve got to regroup and shake off the rust of some of these guys who are back and regroup.”