Arroyo era begins with big road test
UNLV goes to MW foe, perennial bowl team Aztecs
CARSON, Calif. — After an offseason of uncertainty, the Marcus Arroyo era begins for UNLV on Saturday.
And it begins with a stiff test for the Rebels, who hit the road to play a San Diego State team that has been one of the Mountain West’s best in recent years.
The Aztecs, coming off a 10-3 season, are also under new leadership, as Brady Hoke begins his second tenure as their coach. They beat Central Michigan 48-11 in last year’s New Mexico Bowl to complete the 10th straight season in which they’ve reached a bowl game.
“They’ve got a real veteran group,” Arroyo said.
“They did a nice job of implementing their program the past several years and getting the right personnel around what they wanted to have there. Brady’s got experience in his role. How much they’ll change what they’re doing is yet to be determined.”
The Aztecs and Rebels are in the Mountain West’s West Division. San Diego State was picked to finish first and UNLV last by coaches.
But the past two games between the teams have gone down to the wire. Two years ago, the Rebels stunned the Aztecs 27-24 for their first road win in the series since
2000, and the Aztecs held on for a 20-17 win last season in Las Vegas when a UNLV field goal went off the upright in the final minute.
“Last year we had a chance to win, so we have a lot of confidence because we were a couple plays short,” UNLV running back Charles Williams said. “I feel like this year we’ll go over there and put our best foot forward.”
The Rebels will be without some of their top players. According to the depth chart, their top receiver, Randal Grimes, their leading returning tackler, linebacker Farrell Hester, and kicker Daniel Gutierrez will miss the game. No reasons were given for their absence.
Missing Grimes could be particularly damaging, since he nearly doubled all other UNLV receivers with 44 catches for 696 yards last season. He had seven touchdown receptions, while no other receiver had more than two.
San Diego State’s defense allowed 12.7 points and 75.4 rushing yards per game, both second in the nation. Nine Aztecs who have made at least nine career starts are back. Hoke was a defensive assistant last season and had success running a 3-3-5 scheme, so there probably won’t be many changes on defense.
The Rebels have four players on the offensive line who have had significant playing time, so they hope that experience will help them handle everything the Aztecs send their way.
“They understand what’s at task with San Diego State,” Williams said. “They like to do a lot of twists and stunts and bring a lot of pressure between the guards. They like to have that Aztec, which is their free hitter, which we saw last year, so I feel like they understand what’s going on with their defense.”
While UNLV has yet to name a starting quarterback, sophomore Carson Baker gets the nod for San Diego State. He started one game last season, a 13-3 win over Brigham Young in the regular-season finale, and went 17-for-24 for 172 yards and a touchdown.
Baker will be called upon to help kick-start an offense that last season averaged 21.2 points per game, 119th in the country.
One problem both teams could face is a lack of film of the other’s offense. Both have new offensive coordinators and are expected to change schemes.
“The biggest thing for us is sticking to what we know, staying to the basics and being fundamentally sound,” UNLV cornerback Aaron Lewis said. “When you’re fundamentally sound, good in technique, touch, physical and hustling to the ball, no matter who the opponent is, we can do good.”
One area of concern for every coach in a season opener is special teams, and that’s magnified for the Rebels being without Gutierrez and facing a team that has 11 kickoff returns for touchdowns since 2015, tops in the nation.
“The special teams piece can be really odd, one of those things that can be really hard to assess because you’re using players from both sides of the ball,” Arroyo said. “We’ve put ourselves in practice where we can touch on all of those situations and were able to set up some live opportunities.”