Tough matchup to start the season but I think the roster is solid enough to at least keep it competitive with the Bulls. A win would be a huge start to this rebuilding project. Good luck!!
Tough matchup to start the season but I think the roster is solid enough to at least keep it competitive with the Bulls. A win would be a huge start to this rebuilding project. Good luck!!
We were definitely competitive... I'll be posting the recap later on
Quote:
Originally Posted by LopaKa
i'm liking this report so far bro. I love the choice of UNLV, being a resident in Las Vegas it is very exciting to see what coach Sanchez will be able to do at the college level. Good luck in building the Rebels bro, i'll be following along.
Yeah same here, he did big things at Bishop Gorman. Thanks for the comment!
QB Blake Decker, sacked, fumbles and leaves the game with a concussion in third quarter
Great Game, Bad Outcome for Sanchez, UNLV Rebels
Catch phrase for this game is 'now you see him, now you don't'. This can go two ways within the storyline of this matchup.
UNLV fans were ecstatic in the first quarter where they saw the newcomer transfer, Altee Tenpenny, rip through the USF defense, rushing for 80 yards and turning in 2 touchdowns in the first quarter alone! Do the math and Tenpenny was on pace to rush for 320 yards in his debut with the Rebels; while he didn't achieve that, he had a big impact on this game until those same fans saw their new favorite player go down.
To make a long story short, Tenpenny tore his abdominal early in the fourth quarter as UNLV fell in the intense college football season opener where USF escaped with a 33-32 win at the Sam Boyd Stadium.
Following Tenpenny's first quarter heroics, the Runnin' Rebels entered the second quarter with confidence and a 14-7 lead as the Bull's set up on offense following the kickoff. A couple plays in and USF's senior QB Steven Bench fumbled and the football was recovered by junior Jonavaughn Williams. The Rebel's regained the football only to have their short lived possession as Blake Decker returned the turnover favor by throwing an interception right into the hands of the Bull's free safety, Jamie Byrd.
USF would go on to punch in a touchdown as halfback Marlon Mack ran it in following an option setup from Bench.
Blake Decker snapped on his helmet and returned to the field, disregarding his pick, he threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to the freshman, Tim Hough, to close out all scoring heading into halftime with his Rebels up 21-14.
The UNLV defense came out relentless, immediately forcing a punt only to later on see Blake Decker begin his big upsetting turnover outing as he made one of his two fumbles the third quarter. Bench would continue to outshine his opposition, finding Sean Price for a two yard touchdown reception but the extra point attempt was missed as sophomore Emilio Madelman's kick went too far to the right; keeping UNLV steady in the lead at 21-20.
Decker gave in his second fumble when he was sacked hard enough by Nigel Harris to not only fumble the football once again but also be taken out the game with what was later announced as a mild concussion. USF went on to capitalize on a field goal, putting them up 23-21 headed into the final quarter.
Things got intense.
Jared Lebowitz checked in for Decker and struggled with the passing game, prompting the offensive coordinator to once again work their game plan around running Tenpenny who would find himself out of his cold spell he'd been stuck in ever since the Bull's made adjustments to slow the junior down.
Still, the Bulls made a stop on fourth down in the Rebel's territory which resulted in a 26 yard field goal by Conor Perkins, putting UNLV back in a lead at 24-23 only to see USF make a kick of their own, theirs being a 50 yarder that launched them back into the lead in the tight game.
That's when USF began to flow on all cylinders. They made a big stop and forced UNLV to punt the ball on a 4th and 21 situation where they'd later connect on a 49 yard touchdown from Steven Bench to receiver AJ Legree. This was sought of to be the game winner on the night but the Rebels didn't give up easily.
Jared Lebowitz, wasn't the greatest filler-in for the injured Decker but he came through when it mattered most, connecting on a 7 yard pass to Devonte Boyd which would put the Rebels down only by 1 point with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
Pressured, the Bulls brought their offense back on the field and ran clock but consecutive drops and failed runs caused a punt with under twenty seconds remaining in this game and even less time on the game clock, forcing them to go through with the punt.
It ended up being a touchback and this one once again appeared over as the Rebel's just didn't have time on their side. Consecutive roughing the passer penalties would be the difference maker as the Rebel offense moved up to the field, their last stop at the 50 yard line with the game clock shut off.
Lebowitz brought the offense out for the second straight Hail Mary attempt, this one ended with him being sacked by Jonavaughn Harris, his second on the night.
Final score was 33-32 in this back and forth matchup.
"It's a tough loss," head man Tony Sanchez said. "We had the opportunities and we just didn't execute well enough. We really fought through a lot of adversity in this game and we stuck with those guys, just fell short of the opportunity."
South Florida Bulls at UNLV Rebels
Sep 5, 2015
1ST
2ND
3RD
4TH
SCORE
South Florida Bulls (0-0)
7
7
9
10
33
UNLV Rebels (0-0)
14
7
0
11
32
Team Stats Comparison
USF
UNLV
Total Offense
33
32
Rushing Yards
97
155
Passing Yards
339
195
First Downs
20
23
Punt Return Yards
10
0
Kick Return Yards
94
134
Total Yards
436
350
Turnovers
2
3
3rd Down Converstion
5-10
12-15
4th Down Conversion
0-0
0-0
2-Point Conversion
0-0
1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals
5-3-1
6-4-1
Penalties
Posession Time
14:11
17:49
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
USF
UNLV
5:33
(UNLV) A. Tenpenny 2 Yd Run (C. Perkins Kick)
0
7
3:21
(USF) S. Price, 6 Yd Pass from S. (E. Nadelman Kick)
7
7
0:04
(UNLV) A. Tenpenny 2 Yd Run (C. Perkins Kick)
14
7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING
USF
UNLV
5:03
(USF) M. Mack, 1 Yd Run (E. Nadelman Kick)
14
14
2:28
(UNLV) T. Hough, 16 Yd Pass from B. Decker (C. Perkins Kick)
14
21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING
USF
UNLV
4:07
(USF) S. Price, 2 Yd Pass from S. Bench (Missed Kick)
20
21
1:42
(USF) E. Nadelman, 25 Yd FG
23
21
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING
USF
UNLV
7:23
(UNLV) C. Perkins, 26 Yd FG
23
24
5:45
(USF) E. Nadelman, 50 Yd FG
26
24
4:40
(USF) A. Legree, 49 Yd Pass from S. Bench (E. Nadelman Kick)
Heartbreaking way to lose in week one. It really looked like you had them on the ropes early but they came storming back.
How long is Tenpenny out for with that abdominal tear? Good luck in your next matchup!
Yeah... our defensive play calling wasn't great so they kept getting open passes and advancing the ball up the field. I really wanted to kick a field goal on the final play but our kicker isn't all that good
Tenpenny is out for 10 weeks, forgot to mention that. That's a huge loss
07-25-2015, 06:03 PM
