UNLV Rebels: Week 4 Offensive Keys To Victory

The UNLV Rebels head into Week 4 against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks undefeated with a 3 - 0 record and are coming off a big win over Big 10 foe, the UCLA Bruins. A big part of their success has been their high-powered offense. While their defense has been inconsistent at times, their offense has been on fire right out of the gate. That's not to say that they haven't had some issues and can't improve, but they have also haven't failed to score 30 points in a single game.

Both the passing and rushing attacks have been outstanding. However, they did take a hit in Week 2, losing situational quarterback Alex Orji for the remainder of the season with a severe hamstring injury. That's a tough blow for the Rebels, both on and off the field, but Anthony Colandrea has shown that he is more than capable of handling the quarterback duties for this team.

We expect this offense to continue to roll against the RedHawks in Week 4. These are the keys to victory for Saturday's game.

Anthony Colandrea Heads The Offense

Colandrea has been outstanding this season, but Orji was viewed as the emotional leader of this offense. Now, Colandrea will have to take a larger role as a leader on the sidelines, along with continuing his outstanding play on the field. In three games, he has thrown for 647 yards, six touchdowns, and just one interception. He's also added 175 yards and a TD on the ground. It's still early, but to this point, he has not only been the best offensive player on the Rebels, but he's been the best offensive player in the entire Mountain West Conference.

Give Jai'Den Thomas The Rock

Thomas was the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year award, and has been nothing short of fantastic. He's averaging 8.5 yards per carry and has already rushed for 273 yards and four touchdowns. The only thing holding him back is a lack of volume. In three games, he has only 32 carries and five receptions. While head coach Dan Mullen has done a good job of preserving him and getting other running backs involved, there comes a time when you just have to feed your superstar. Hopefully, Mullen will load him up with work when they need him most, and this will all make sense.

Spread The Ball Around But Feed Your Star

In the first two games of the season, it was almost all Jaden Bradley in the passing attack. He totaled 256 yards and TD in those two games. Then in their third game, Colandrea did a better job of spreading the ball around, but forgot about Bradley who only caught one pass for six yards. It is important to spread the ball around, but they can't forget who their star is. If they can find a happy medium there, it would make the passing attack even more dangerous.

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