Expect wins in Kibbie Dome — UNLV gameweek

Did you know the University of Idaho football team is tied for first in the entire nation with nine takeaways?

I figure that's a much better news item to dwell on than last week's lopsided loss to the University of Nebraska.

If you're looking for a "what this means" breakdown of last Saturday's game, you've come to the wrong place.

That's because the Vandals won't face any other teams like that this year. So why even bother comparing that game to the remaining matchups?

To put a realistic spin on this, UI is 1-1 and very capable of reaching a bowl game. After a Big-12-sponsored intermission, that postseason story picks up again this Saturday in the Kibbie Dome against UNLV.

The Rebels are nursing the mental wounds from a 41-21 beating by Wisconsin and a 38-10 loss to Utah. The statistics are ugly:


• Offense: Only 44 percent of passes completed, 5 yards per pass, 3 yards per carry.

• Defense: Zero sacks, five tackles for loss, three takeaways.
  

It's not all bad news for UNLV; the squad does have a ton of upperclassmen starters and the luxury of having two of their toughest games behind them. Still, how excited can one get about a seniors-led group that is coming off a 5-7 record, features only only Preseason All-Conference player and has been awful so far this season?

UI has taken its lumps as well, but this program is at the point where fans should fully expect home-field victories against a middling team such as UNLV.

One more thing: the score
The Vandals have the offensive pieces to make a lower-tier Mountain West Conference team look silly. And they'll perform well enough on defense — they can afford to take chances against a team devoid of big-play talent — to make this a comfortable victory.

UI: 35; UNLV: 21.