This Saturday’s game will feature something Bronco fans have never seen before, a “Black Out”. During halftime of last weekend’s Fresno State game, stadium officials announced the color scheme for this weekend’s homecoming matchup with UNLV (1-6, 1-1 Mountain West Conference) would be a “black out”, with the team unveiling a newly designed all-black, pro combat-style uniform from Nike.
“The guys are really excited. I think they’re great. I think they’re awesome,” Head Football Coach Chris Petersen said on the black attire. With all the hoopla and buzz around the new looks from Nike , it can be easy to overlook a lurking UNLV squad who has upset on their minds.
In a game that showcased some bright spots on the offensive side of the ball, namely 122 yards rushing and one touchdown by redshirt senior running back D.J. Harper, it was the Broncos defense stealing the show once again vs. Fresno State.
The Broncos (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West Conference) defense now ranks 12th in the nation in points allowed per game with just 14.7 points per contest.
“It’s just a mentality, we just don’t want to let people score and we haven’t done a lot of that this year,” sophomore defensive back Lee Hightower said.
With a relatively inexperienced defensive squad, the Broncos are learning a lot on the fly this season.
“It comes down to trusting coaching and being technically sound,”Hightower said. “Once you’re out there and being consistent, not giving up the big plays just comes with it.”
While UNLV does not look formidable on paper, Petersen and the Broncos knows they can’t overlook anyone in a season like this.
“Every week they are getting better, and they fight and they play hard,” Petersen said. “If anyone is paying attention to their record, you’re paying attention to the wrong thing.”
UNLV brings a young squad into Bronco Stadium on Saturday. With a 6’ 5”, 240 lb freshman quarterback Nick Sherry and the rushing tandem in junior running backs Tim Cornett and Bradley Randle, the Running Rebels aren’t incapable of putting points on the board.
“On offense, they’re multiple,” Petersen said. “They can run the ball and their quarterback is big, strong, kind of an NFL style thrower.”
The Broncos defense will have their hands full with a UNLV offense that has put up a combined total of 68 points in their last two games.
While the Broncos defense has been everything but flawless this season, the offense stays under the scrutinizing microscope of the fans.
Energy will be sky high in Bronco Stadium this Saturday as the Broncos will look to move to 6-1 overall on the year and pick up their third conference win. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 local time. The game can be seen on NBC Sports Network.
