Jaymo76 NCAA 14 to infinity and beyond!

[jaymo76]

Game 11: (6-4) (4-3) @ (9-1) (6-1)

Wyoming comes to town for a late season matchup. Today UNLV is honouring its seniors. Adding to the home win streak would be the best way to go out.

Wyoming loses the toss and kicks off to start the game. Wyoming has a powerful rush game. They demonstrate that on the first drive and go 13 plays ending in a 26 yard fg. to take the lead 3-0. UNLV starts at the 30 and after a nice drive Winston responds with a 32 yard fg to tie the game at 3-3.

Game update: is pounding 24-7.

The 1st ends in a 3-3 tie. Wyoming is more skilled than I thought. Wyoming ends their drive going for a 57 yard fg but they come up inches short. The score remains 3-3. UNLV gets the ball back but it's a 3 and out. Wyoming begins at their own 20. Wyoming responds in kind with a 3 and out. On UNLV's next drive Morris hits Jalaal for a 13 yard TD and UNLV goes up 10-3 with 2:212 left in the 1st half.

Another 3 and out for Wyoming. UNLV's blitz first philosophy is killing them today. UNLV goes into the 2 minute offense and Winston kicks a 25 yard fg to end the half. That makes the score 13-3 UNLV.

UNLV starts the half with the ball. A long drive ends in a 24 yard Winston FG and that makes it 16-3 UNLV. On Wyoming's next possession they hit a 35 yard FG to make the score 16-6 UNLV.

Game update: final score 45 7

UNLV's next drive ends with another 32 yard FG and that makes the score 19-6 UNLV as the 4th quarter begins. UNLV has already registered five sacks today. Could there be more? On Wyoming's first play they go to the house with a 60+ yard pass for a td. That makes the score 19-13 with 7:48 left.

Another long UNLV drive ends with FB Prince Harris running it in from 4 to make the score 25-13. Jalaal catches the 2pt convert to make it 27-13 UNLV with 3:40 left.

On a lateral play, DE Kendricks makes a fumble recovery and recovers at the Wyoming 9. Coach jaymo brings n the backups to wrap things up. Winston kicks the ball off the upright and misses from 21. With 2:09 to go the score remains 27-13 UNLV.

As Wyoming drives Safety Eric Lane comes up with a pic at the UNLV 45. The backup O runs out the clock and the Rebels take the win.

Final score: 27 13

Morris played well today in the pass heavy offense. 26/36 for 306 yards for 1td.

This is a nice way for seniors to wrap up the college careers. DT and senior Chris Smith played an excellent game with 4 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks. Well done!

[jaymo76]

It was a big recruiting week for UNLV. We had a number of signees.

DT Dominique Sims (68 ovr)
RG Ryan Hampton (68 ovr)
RT Bo Martinez (67 ovr)
QB Joseph Dockery (61 ovr)

The new top five:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

lost 49-47 to Texas A&M and lost to UK 41-34. Essentially both teams are now out of the NC race. If things hold it will be Texas versus OSU. OSU is hoping to repeat as NC two years in a row.

As to the west division of the is out as UNLV won. If in the last week UNLV loses and wins the west division goes to Fresno State. UNLV controls it's fate going into the last week of play. However, plays UNLV extremely tough.

[jaymo76]

Game 12: (10-1) (7-1) @ (4-7) (2-6)

I don't like SJSU... don't like the team, uniform, players, coach, stadium, field, etc. For whatever reason I have been upset by SJSU several times over the years. That cannot be allowed to happen today!

SJSU is on a terrible losing streak and UNLV hopes that continues today. UNLV loses the toss and begins the game with the ball. The game does not begin well. Morris throw a pick six on the opening drive. Just like that it's 7-0 SJSU.

Game update: is putting the boots to 28-17 in the 4th. UNLV needs to win this game to win the west division.

On UNLV's 2nd drive we have redemption as WR Samuel takes it in from 29 yards out and that makes it 7-7.

Game update final... Fresno State wins 28-19. UNLV players see the score and know the pressure is on.

SJSU has a short drive and a shank punt to boot and UNLV takes over at their own 21. At the end of the 1st quarter UNLV faces a 3rd and long which they cannot convert. SJSU gets the ball back at their own 19. The drive gets to midfield but no more. SJSU goes for the fake punt but UNLV isn't having it and takes over at the 48. With 3:32 left Winston kicks a 21 yard FG and UNLV takes the lead 10-7.

SJSU's next possession stalls and with 2:04 left UNLV gets the ball at their own 20. Morris steps up... and throws his second pic of the game. SJSU has the ball at the UNLV 30 with 1:28 remaining in the half. SJSU is held to a FG attempt and the kick is good from 37. 10-10 the game is tied again.

UNLV ends the half with the ball... and a sputtering offense. Morris who was gold last week has been horrendous in the first half. He is 7 for 17 for 102 yards 1 td and 2 pics. Did I mention how much coach jaymo hates playing SJSU??? I don't know if it's mental or what but SJSU gives me troubles...

SJSU starts the half with the ball. They move the ball methodically and end up punching in a TD from 3 yards out. SJSU goes back on top 17-10. UNLV gets the ball back and goes 3 and out. The UNLV D ramps up the pressure and makes a fumble recovery. UNLV starts at the 45. Another 3 and out and SJSJ starts at their own 18. However, SJSU is held and has to punt. UNLV's Jalaal has a huge return of 31 and brings the ball to the 33 of SJSU.

At the end of the 3rd UNLV is at the SJSU 1 yard line. RB Frank Coker punches it in from one yard at at the start of the 4th to notch the game up at 17-17.

SJSU goes three and out and now it's time for UNLV's O to step up. The O moves the ball down the field and then Winston shanks the FG attempt from 29. The score remains 17-17 with 4:20 left.

With 1:59 left SJSU goes for a 55 yard FG but they hook it left and UNLV takes over. However, UNLV has no finish today and are forced to punt. With 36 seconds left SJSU starts at their own 20. However SJSU goes for the win and all three pass attempts are not completed. They punt the ball with 19 seconds left. Jalaal gets the ball to the 47 with 10 seconds to go. We don't score... and it's off to OT.

UNLV wins the toss and starts on D. Play one is a sack, play two is a knock down and play three is an int by LOLB Brock. UNLV only has to score and they win. UNLV runs the ball three times and sets up the game winning FG attempt. From 33 out, Winston kicks it straight down the middle and UNLV wins the game.

The final score in OT, 20 17

This game was another espn instant classic and with good reason. SJSU deserved this game bt UNLV stole it from them. Chris Brock LOLB had a huge game and made the play of the game with the int in overtime.

With the victory UNLV wins the West division.

[jaymo76]

Well UNLV might as well lost to SJSU as that game killed us in the polls. With the win we drop back in the standings... The new top five in week 15.

1. 11-1
2. 10-2
3. 10-2
4. 10-2
5. 11-1

In the championship game, and will battle it out (again).

Just as a side-note Sam Boyd will end the season ranked #31 with a 21 game home win streak intact. Well done UNLV faithful. Over 35,00 now attend each home game.

[jaymo76]

Wow! What a shock. In the last week of the season, where very few teams play, had a matchup with Tech shocks Texas 38-24 and Texas plummets in the standings to #11. Yikes!

The top five at the end of the regular season...

1. 10-2
2. 10-2
3. 10-2
4. 11-1
5. 10-2

However, in the BCS votes, Florida State skips over Georgia tech to play OSU in the NC. Interesting... As for UNLV, currently they are predicted to battle at the But first they need to beat Air Force.

[jaymo76]

Looking forward to the matchup between and to establish bragging rights for the 2018 season. As per usual the will be decided at Invesco Stadium in Denver Colorado.

The last three meetings have gone in favour of UNLV. In 2016 we faced off for the conference championship. UNLV outlasted Air Force in a very challenging defensive game (that I cannot find the score for at the moment... but trust me it was a close game). The 2017 matchup was an ugly game as UNLV put the boots to AF 38-0. This season UNLV had another victory over AF 19-0. The last two games UNLV has outscore AF 57-0.

Many questions about this game need to be answered.
Can the UNLV shutout streak continue?
Will AF exact some revenge for the past two losses?
Can UNLV win FOUR STRAIGHT MOUNTAIN WEST titles?
Will QB Morris be hot or cold?
Will the weather play a factor? It hasn't the last three times.
Is it possible to slow down the relentless blitz of UNLV's defensive front seven?

Historically WR Brian Gray has been a monster in the MWC Championship game. Being a senior this is his last chance to solidify his legacy at UNLV and impress the NFL scouts. Brian Gray's contribution to this team over the years cannot be understated. Though he does not have the highest stats he has been a guarantee when a play is needed. He may have the best hands of any WR I have ever seen. I honestly cannot recall seeing him drop a pass over the years. Gray does not lead any categories in the and he is rarely seen nationally on so people don't appreciate his skill-set. For a guy with not a lot of speed he makes up for it with perfectly run routes and amazing hands. Gray will most likely not be drafted but he will surely be coming to a CFL field in the near future. Stay tuned!

[jaymo76]

Welcome to the Mountain West Championship game.

Beautiful Denver Colorado plays host to today's grudge-match. Representing the West we have UNLV and representing the Mountain we have Air Force. The last three match ups have gone in favour of UNLV. Statistically this game should be a UNLV victory as based solely on divisions, the Mountain has been very, very week in comparison to the West division.

(6-6) (6-3) vs. (11-1) (8-1)

It's a cold day in Denver but the sun is shining brightly. With the stealth flying above, it's time to get things started. AF loses the toss and they get the ball first. The first play of the game is a sack for UNLV (DE Bain). The drive ends fairly quickly and AF makes a risky choice and goes for a fake punt on 4th down... they don't convert... UNLV's ball on the AF 49.

A beautiful drive ends with a 1 yard rush by FB Harris and that makes it 7-0 UNLV. WR Samuel had three catches on that drive. A big goal in this game was to get him more involved in the offense.

AF's next drive is also a 3 and out. UNLV takes it at the 25. The UNLV O line continues to struggle as they give up another sack and it's a 3 and out. AF begins at their own 31. Again, AF goes 3 and out. UNLV begins at their own 36. The O is moving the offense nicely as the quarter ends. The score, UNLV 7 AF 0.

Winston misses a fg from the 48. He just didn't have the leg. AF has a great starting point at their own 37. However, they squander it but gutsy coaching and AF gets a 4th down conversion. Here comes the UNLV blitz! AF loses 12 yards on three plays and are forced to punt. UNLV takes over at their own 20 with 5:06 remaining.

This has been a pass heavy day thus far. On UNLV's next drive the pace is slowed. UNLV takes 17 plays to score. The drive ends with a three yard toss to Gray for a TD. That gives Gray 60 catches this season and more important UNLV goes up 14-0 with 3 seconds left in the half. A squib kick wraps up the half.

UNLV plays really, really well that half. The only negative is giving up a couple of sacks. Morris has passes for over 128 yards. The second half will have more rushes I think. The key is to put the hammer down!

UNLV starts the half with the ball. The drive is a 3 and out. AF begins at their 38. The sacks for UNLV keep coming. UNLV begins at their own 31. On a screen play RB Palmer goes 58 yards for a TD and that makes it 21-0 with 4:51 left in the 3rd. UNLV fans are beginning to feel it...

The total yards is currently 268 to 58 in favour of UNLV. AF is ice cold! Another 3 and out and UNLV begins at their own 49. The drive ends with Morris hitting TE Novak from the 4 and a TD. That makes the score 28-0 UNLV with 2:33 left in the 3rd.

Game update: #3 21 #2 14 early in the 3rd quarter...

AF drives the field and for the first time in three games they have points! A 30 yard FG makes it 28-3 UNLV. ON UNLV's next possession, another 3 and out. AF begins at their 42. The 3rd quarter comes to an ends with the score remaining 28-3 UNLV.

Going for it on 4th down, AF doesn't convert and UNLV takes over on their own 49. UNLV continues to throttle down and FB Harris punches it in from the 2 to make the score 35-3 with 3:46 left. This game is over. Coach jaymo is bringing in the mass subs...

Game update: barn burner in the Pac 12. With 2 minutes left 28 28

5 sacks ad 5 pass breakups today for UNLV. Nice! On 4th down from the UNLV 7 AF is stopped again. UNLV runs out the clock and that's a game folks!

Final score 35 3

QB Thomas Morris was player of the game going 24-34 for 269 and 3td's
UNLV has six sacks this game and the D was beast mode as per usual.

Congratulations to the UNLV Runnin Rebels, your 2018 MWC Champions! That marks the 4th straight time has won the

[jaymo76]

A few notes heading into the bowls...

Coach jaymo is now a level 26 coach (added to kitchen sink level 3)
Coach jaymo has won his third coach of the year award

Leon Day (QB) Stanford has won the Heisman for 2018 (214/360 3528 yards 164 carries 683 yards 48 total TD's)

For the bowl season... #5 vs. #3

Top five going into the Bowl season:

1. 11-2
2. 11-2
3. 12-1
4. 10-2
5. 10-2

GT won 27-24 versus FSU and that let them jump over OSU to take first place in the votes (media, coaches, BCS). Note, pulled out the win versus 38-35 to win the PAC 12.

[jaymo76]

All-Americans for 2018:

ALL-NCAA 1st team

DT Chris Smith (sr)
MLB Chris Brock (jr)
P Tom Irby (sr)

ALL-NCAA-2nd team

SS Titus Horne (jr)
K Jermaine Winston (freshman)

ALL-NCAA freshman

K Jermain Winston

ALL-MWC 1st team

LT Bobby Thomas (so)
C Scott Lee (sr)
RG Justin Bell (sr)
LE Jeff Bain (sr)
DT Chris Smith (sr)
DT Jeff Cunningham (sr)
MLB Chris Brock (jr)
SS Titus Thorne (jr)
K Jermaine Winston (freshman)
P Tom Irby (jr)

ALL-MWC 2nd team

RE Zack Kendrick (sr)
ROLB Antoine Hancock (s0)
CB marcu Waters (sr)
FS Matt Douglas (jr)

[jaymo76]

Welcome to the Orange Bowl for 2018.

(12-1) (9-1) vs. (10-2) (7-2)

Coming into this game the UNLV programme knows very little about Cal. Based on research Cal has a potent offense and averages 221.3 ypg on the ground. Defense is rated in the 40's of the NCAA. The philosophy going in is to run the clock and keep Cal's O off the field.

It's a beautiful night in Miami and it's time to play some football! Let's get ready for the kickoff.

UNLV wins the toss and elects to kickoff. Ugly start for UNLV as 4 plays in it's 7-0 Cal. All 4 plays were passes and their receivers are fast! Jalaal's fast too and he has a 57 yard kickoff return. UNLV starts at Cal's 48.

Coach jaymo makes his first gutsy call of the game... 4th and 1 on the Cal 11... it works. On 3rd and goal, Novak drops a for sure TD and Winston has to come on for a 19 yard FG. That makes the score 7-3 Cal with 2:45 left in the 1st.

On the 1st play of Cal's next possession, QB Clint Jones throws a pic to CB Marcus Waters. UNLV takes over on the Cal 30. Great field position is blown by a bad sack and again Winston comes on to kick. This time he is good from 44 to make it 7-6 Cal with 37 seconds left in the 1st quarter.

Cal has run 9 plays this game, all passes... This was not in the scouting report!!! The 1st q ends with Cal on the move. The drive comes to an end... Cal still has not run the ball!!!

UNLV starts at the 39. The drive is a 3 and out and Cal starts at their own 29. The drive gets to the UNLV 46 but Cal has to punt. UNLC begins at their own 11. Coach jaymo decides to move RB Coker to the starting role and put Palmer as backup.

UNLV is forced to punt again. Cal starts at their own 32 but the UNLV plays big and force a 3 and out. UNLV calls a time out and gets the ball back at their own 33 with 1:28 left in the half. Moving deep into Cal territory Morris has a big oops and throws a 70+ yard pic six. The score is now Cal 14 UNLV 6.

Morris responds to his screw up with a 30 second drive resulting in a 29 yard Winston FG. That makes it 14-9 Cal at the half.

UNLVs O line has to step up NOW!!! No more sacks!!! The UNLV run game needs to step up NOW!!! 9 yards in the first half doesn't cut it!!!

UNLV starts at their own 23. Jalaal has been knocked out of the game with a concussion. That will really hurt! However, the team comes together for a beautiful drive ending with Coker taking it in for six. The score is 15-14 UNLV. The rebels go for two but it's intercepted keeping the scoring 15-14 UNLV with 3:46 left in the 3rd.

Cal's next drive ends with a 33 yard FG. Cal goes back in front 17-15 with 1:54 left in the 3rd. The quarter ends with UNLV on the move. Coker is playing a key role in moving the team. However, he can't do it alone and the drive stumbles and ends with a punt. Cal begins at their own 20.

UNLV's D does it again! CB Greg Harris makes a huge pic in Cal territory. Cal then takes a facemask call and UNLV starts at the Cal 16 with 712 remaining. The drive ends with FB Prince Harris pushing it in from the 1 yard line. Morris hits WR Hunt for a 2pt conversion and that makes it 23-17 UNLV with 5:53 remaining.

Cal is held to a 3 and out. UNLV starts at their own 37. Coker takes the team and puts it on his back. With 44 seconds left Winston kicks a FG from 31 yards to make the score UNLV 26 Cal 17. This game is in the bank!!!

To end the game with class, CB Greg Harris makes his 2nd pic of the game. At the UNLV 46 the offense comes out in the victory formation. Morris kneels and it's over.

Your final score... 26 17.

Congrats on winning the 2018

Frank Coker was player of the game rushing 25 times for 100 yards and a TD plus 66 receptions for 49 yards and 1 td. Coach jaymo's decision turned out to be the right one.

Turnovers killed Cal in this gameCB Greg Harris really made the Cal QB pay for throwing his way. Wha still makes no sense though is the Cal gameplan. They are one of the best run teams yet they passed 95% of the time. Why? Regardless, UNLV will enjoy the victory.

[jaymo76]

ends the season with a 13-1 record and an Orange Bowl victory. They also end up being ranked #2 in the nation. The media even gave UNLV 21 votes. Nice!

wins the NC over in a 42-37 shootout.

The final top five of 2018:

1. 12-2
2. 13-1
3. 11-2
4. 12-1
5. 11-2

Sam Boyd ends up ranked #27 toughest place to pay by the end of the season. The game average attendance has reached 35, 392. UNLV is also now consider an A rated championship contender. Heading into the offseason UNLV currently has the 8th highest ranked recruiting class. This should be an interesting offseason...

[jaymo76]

Heading int the offseason there are some reports that HC Bobby Wilder of the is on the hot-seat. In two seasons he has led the Eagles to a 4-20 record. Chris Burks is also on the hot-seat at as he is 11-26 over three seasons at WSU. Wilder has 4 years left on his deal while Burks has three years. Will these programmes look at making a change so early in these coaches tenure at these schools?

Both of these jobs are very enticing for coach jaymo. If they become available they will require serious thought. However, the plan still remains to stay at UNLV and fulfill the contract.

[jaymo76]

has offered coach jaymo a 5 year extension which would run through 2023. The target wins per year is 7. Four years at UNLV, four MWC titles and three BCS Bowls (2 Orange and I sugar) and this last season being ranked #2 overall... the expectations seem pretty low IMO. For the meantime coach jaymo is considering the offer.

In other carousel news... off the hop:

Nick Saban retires from Shane Henley from Oregon scooped it up (I was offered it but declined)

offered me a HC gig but I refused. Lee Walton of ULM gets his shot at the big leagues

cut ties with Jim Mora

got tired of losing with Rich Rodriguez and cut him loose as a result

The BC job came up but I could not take it... I need to see what this recruiting class can do.

I called it... my DC Kyle Whittingham has been named the new head coach of Good luck Kyle!

Matt Campbell, previous HC for has become UNLV's new defensive coordinator

also offered me a job but with a heavy heart I had to decline.

[jaymo76]

17 players graduated this offseason. Most were starters

WR Brian Gray
WR Anthony Hunt **
WR Stan Joseph ** (3rd receiver)
HB Gemara Stephens
HB Jonathan Palmer
FB Prince Harris
FB Jeremy Sanders **
TE Jason Novak
C Scott Lee
RG Justin Bell

LE Jeff Bain
RE Zack Kendrick
DT Jason Cunningham
DT Chris Smith
LOLB Ron Gant
CB Lorenzo Bell
CB Marcus Waters

** denotes the player did NOT start

[jaymo76]

Again, had no players who were drafted...???...

There were also no players asking to come to the programme or wishing to leave the programme.

Heading into the last shot at recruiting UNLV has a number of holes that need to be filled.

[jaymo76]

Signing day added some more talent to the UNLV roster.

Coach jaymo went hard after two key players.

WR Tyler Weddle (4 star) a 74 ovr possession receiver. We stole him away from Alabama
DE Ben Thompson (5 star) 78 ovr #2 overall pass rushing DE (denied him from SDSU)

We also landed a few other 3 and 4 star players.

WR Robert Mack 66 ovr (4 star) denied him from SDSU
CB Mark Whitlock 61 ovr (3 star) balanced cb
WR Anthony Williams 69 ovr (3 star) possession reciever stopped him from going to SDSU
CB Matt Harris 66 ovr (3 star) balanced cb

Currently UNLV has three developed pipelines.
1. California (27 players)
2. Nevada (7 players)
3. Canada (5 players)

We are also close to pipelines with Arizona and Texas.

[steelerfan]

If you can get the pipeline to Texas, that will be huge.

[jaymo76]

new DEFENSIVE coordinator comes to us from Toledo as a level 19 coach. That will give us a big leg up this season.

With regards to the roster, 4 cuts need to be made to get to 70 players. The decision was made to nix two seniors and two sophomores... none would see the field in their careers so they were not difficult decisions.

[jaymo76]

If you can get the pipeline to Texas, that will be huge.

Yeah, Texas is a huge plus when they are a pipeline. Often in the NCAA series they have the BEST players. It's a goal for sure to get that pipeline status. I still have another two years before one of my two Texans graduates so I will need to do it by then.

[jaymo76]

The out of conference schedule this year adds a new team to the mix and completes two existing back-to-back series.

New series for 2019/2020 vs.
* this game will be played in week one @ Nebraska

Series completion: (game two of two)

@ (week 2)
@ (week 6)

UNLV's schedule is rated a "C" in difficulty. The first three games are on the road. The next three game (plus an open date) are at home. The two BIG games on the schedule are in week 10 & week 11 (vs. and @ )

UNLV will host it's state rival in the "Battle for Nevada" in week 10. This is a home game for UNLV.