Three UNLV players to watch against Michigan

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is a huge underdog as the Rebels take on the Michigan Wolverines at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams do, however, have veteran offenses and are coming off of blowout performances in week one.

The Rebels beat Bryant by 30 points, 44-14 after shutting the Bulldogs out in the first half. With the leadership of veterans like quarterback Doug Brumfield, wide receiver Ricky White (yes, that one), and running back Courtney Reese, UNLV has experience all across the field.

The strength of their offense is their running game, but Michigan will likely force them to pass, so let's take a look at who could emerge against the Wolverines in week two.

The inevitable and the unfortunate. When the news of Ricky White transferring from Michigan State broke there were countless Michigan fans cheering his exit from their rivals' program. White torched the Wolverines in the forgetful 2020 season with eight grabs, 196 yards, and one touchdown.

He surely looks to do the same as the UNLV Rebels' best receiver. With only two grabs for five yards last week, the offense had a focus on the run game as receptions were spread few and far between with only 11 total completions.

UNLV will have to pass to beat Michigan, who will likely look to force the Rebels away from their dominant run game. This is a totally different Michigan team than three years ago, but if you see a few deep shots to #11 on Saturday, do not be surprised.

As a Senior, Brumfield is a 6'5" QB conundrum. He is a veteran lefty with a good arm and is a good scrambler. In fact, he averaged nine rushes per game last season and had seven for 49 yards last week against Bryant. The thing is, nothing he does is particularly efficient. He could turn in an explosive performance one week and a dud another. Michigan needs to watch out for his capability of popping off at any point in the game. His top WR , Ricky White, also happens to be a Michigan Killer from his time with the Spartans.

Entering his second season as the starter, a jump in development should be expected. Last season Brumfield won the job over 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year Cameron Friel, who currently serves as his backup. Friel is first in UNLV completion percentage (63.3%), while Brumfield is second (60.5%). In 344 attempts, Brumfield has thrown 12 touchdowns to seven interceptions.

Reese is a small 5'8" and 165 lbs. fifth-year senior running back who looks to take ahold of the bulk of the carries for UNLV. His speed and shiftiness were on full display against Notre Dame in 2022 as he took 11 carries for 142 yards against the Fighting Irish.

The Running the ball is the top strength for UNLV this season as they racked up 277 yards on 40 carries and five touchdowns for a 6.7 yard average in week one against Bryant. Michigan brings in a stout defense that will look to make Brumfield pass, so Reese's contribution is boom or bust (like most players on the team).

He is the team's top returning rusher and should contribute significantly as he led the team in carries last week (10) as he brings some big play ability. Look for Vincent Davis, Jai'Den Thomas and Donavyn Lester (the power back of the group) to all get a good share of the carries as well.

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