3 things to watch in UNLV’s showdown with No. 17 Boise State

There’s no shortage of hype surrounding the UNLV football team’s showdown against No. 17 Boise State on Friday.

The matchup of the top teams in the Mountain West promises to deliver College Football Playoff implications and thousands of extra fans after UNLV opened additional seats at Allegiant Stadium, including seating in the 300 level for only the second time.

It’s also an opportunity for revenge after the Rebels lost 44-20 to the Broncos in last year’s conference championship game at Allegiant Stadium.

Here are three things to watch in the highly anticipated game:

1. Stopping Jeanty

UNLV is faced with a task that has befuddled many teams this season: stopping junior running back Ashton Jeanty.

Jeanty, a favorite for the Heisman Trophy, has recorded at least 127 rushing yards in every game this season.

He’ll be fresh off a bye week when he faces the Rebels. In his last appearance, a 28-7 win at Hawaii, Jeanty ran for 217 yards, his third 200-yard effort of the year.

UNLV’s rushing defense is No. 19 in the NCAA this season, allowing 104.4 yards per game. Senior linebacker Jackson Woodard leads the Rebels with 63 tackles this season. The defense is also likely to be aided by the return of fellow senior linebacker Marsel McDuffie, who was a starter before he broke his leg Sept. 7.

When Rebels coach Barry Odom said Monday that Jeanty was an incomparable talent who would require multiple defenders and sound tackling form, he conceded that there’s no simple plan.

“There’s so many ways to attack it — or try to,” Odom said of defending Jeanty. “Nobody’s really had a great answer for it yet, because they’ve got good players elsewhere that can make you pay if you’re going to put everybody inside to try to stop the run.”

2. Another blocked punt?

UNLV senior wide receiver Ricky White III is tied for second in the nation with nine receiving touchdowns.

But the stat that stands out most to Boise State coach Spencer Danielson is White’s three blocked punts this season — the most of any player in college football. UNLV has four blocked punts as a team, which also leads the nation.

“They’ve blocked multiple punts for touchdowns. Their best players play on special teams. Ricky White, one of the best receivers in the country, is playing on special teams,” Danielson said. “That’s the mentality of a team. They’re a close-knit crew, and they are gritty and play tough.”

Danielson said he’s also worried about the turnover battle. The Rebels have 13 interceptions this season, and the Broncos have recorded only one.

3. All eyes on Hajj

Hajj-Malik Williams stepped into the starting quarterback role in UNLV’s fourth game and has garnered plenty of recognition since.

Most recently, he landed on the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award midseason watch list Tuesday.

He’s the team’s leading rusher with 390 yards, and he enters Friday’s game with a chip on his shoulder.

Williams threw an interception that could have been costly in the final two minutes of the Rebels’ win last week over Oregon State.

“I was really low, to know I put my team in that position,” he said Monday.

But it was a rare mistake, as he has a 183.4 passing efficiency rating, which would rank third nationally if he had two more attempts this season.

Boise State defensive coordinator Erik Chinander knows Williams will pose a challenge.

“He’s very elusive in the pocket. It’s going to be hard to get him on the ground,” Chinander said. “He does a really good job of, in my opinion, not doing careless things with the football. He knows which throws that he can make, he knows which throws that he likes to make, I think, and he’s going to execute those. And if they’re not there, then he’s going to pull that thing down. He’s going to try to get some yards, and he’s going to get their team out of a bad situation. So I think he’s a very smart quarterback.”

Up next

Who: Boise State at UNLV

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Allegiant Stadium

TV: CBSSN

Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)

Line: Boise State -3½; total 64