UNLV Rebels @ Wyoming Cowboys Week 6 Matchup Could Go "Either Way"

The UNLV Rebels kick off their Mountain West Conference schedule on Saturday night on the road against the Wyoming Cowboys. Now that we are finally past the bye week, we can focus on the upcoming game. The betting outlets are already weighing in with their predictions. The first one to roll in from PickDawgz. While the predictions were overwhelmingly in favor of the Rebels in Week 4 against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, that may not be the case this week against the Cowboys.

PickDawgz Take On The UNLV Rebels

"The Rebels are cruising along quite well so far this year, sporting a 4-0 record. There hav e been a couple of very close calls along the way however, including the 38-31 opener win over Idaho State on August 23. UNLV had a bit more breathing room in their 38-21 victory over Sam Houston, but again had a one-score outcome in a 30-23 win over UCLA on September 6. In that one the Rebels committed 13 penalties for 130 yards in a sloppy overall game (the Bruins added 14 penalties for 129 yards). The defense also gave up 428 yards (255 passing) but held strong on third downs.

In their latest outing versus Miami-OH, the Rebels had another close outcome. UNLV overcame a 24-10 fourth-quarter deficit, rattling off 31 points for a wild comeback win 41-38. QB Anthony Colandrea finished 29-of-44 for 293 yards, two scores and two picks. Tops in rushing was Jai’Den Thomas with 118 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and Jaden Bradley had seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown to lead the receivers in the wild victory."

PickDawgz Prediction

"I’ll take a stab on Wyoming, but you could call this one either way. The Cowboys could use a shot in the arm on both sides of the ball after their loss to Colorado, however. In that defeat Wyoming generated 347 yards with 20 first downs and 5-of-13 on third downs from their offense. The D gave up 497 yards (304 passing) and 8.4 yards per play on the other side. That makes two games with 10 or fewer points scored for the Cowboys, so it’d be nice to see the offensive unit get going here.

As for UNLV, they posted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter versus Miami-OH, eventually putting up 513 yards (220 rushing), 31 first downs and a very nice 12-of-17 success rate on third-down tries. That said, three of UNLV’s four wins have been decided by seven points or fewer. It seems the Rebels have been playing down to their opponents, which will benefit the Cowboys here."

While PickDawgz doesn't necessarily pick the Rebels to outright lose, because they didn't name a specific score, they do not believe that the Rebels will cover the 4.5 point spread. We disagree with this. UNLV should win this game by more than a touchdown, even on the road. This will be the strong start to Mountain West play that the Rebels need.

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