The UNLV Rebels Football Team 'Has Heart'

The UNLV Rebels knocked off the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in Week 4, in what turned out to be a wild game. Despite getting the win, there have been mixed views about the win, and rightfully so. What the Rebels are learning is that with those lofty expectations and praise they received all offseason, also comes the fact that they are being held to a higher standard. So just winning games doesn't necessarily count for much in Las Vegas like it may have just a few short years ago.

With that said, while there are some deserved criticisms of the team's Week 4 performance, there is also a lot to love about it. There are just as many positive takeaways as there are negative, if not more. At the end of the day, they did win the game. What they lacked in execution at times, they made up for in fight and grit. Mountain West Connection was also a bit torn when they gave their take on the victory.

Mountain West Connection's Take On The UNLV Rebels Week 4 Win Over The Miami (Ohio) RedHawks

"I went back and forth on where to place the Rebels. They came away with the win, but they lacked discipline and struggled on the defensive side of the ball. But one thing is clear: this team has heart. The Rebels could have easily caved when they fell behind 38-24, but they responded with an elite offensive performance. The Rebels had over 500 yards of total offense with a balanced offensive attack. Star running back Jai’Den Thomas had another 100-yard rushing performance and Anthony Colandrea finished just short of 300 passing yards. The Rebels have made it through non-conference play unscathed and now they have a bye week to prepare for their conference opener against Wyoming."

For the record, they did have UNLV in the "good" section of their weekly "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" article. We agree with their take almost completely. While they did lack discipline, we are learning that you cannot question this team's heart, fight, and will to win. For a lot of teams, those two non-offensive touchdowns they gave up after already rallying from 14 points down would have buried them. However, the Rebels simply stayed the course and imposed their will on the RedHawks to come back and get a crucial win.