UNLV Rebels Linebacker Marsel McDuffie Named 'UNLV Rebels On SI Defensive Player of the Week'

Week 0 was a rough one for the UNLV Rebels' defense. While they managed to come away with the win over the Idaho State Bengals by a score of 38 - 31, that 31 is a big number. That wasn't the only big number they allowed on the stat sheet. The Rebels also gave up 395 passing yards and 165 rushing yards.

Even with the struggles, it was tough to decide who the UNLV Rebels On SI Defensive Player of the Week was. Not because they were so bad, but because so many players had such big games. That's because of all the big game-changing plays. That can happen when a team gets four interceptions and a sack. There were a handful of contenders for the title this week.

We have to mention defensive back Aamaris Brown, who had a great game. Not only was he second on the team with eight tackles, he also came with two pass deflections and an interception. It was a great season opener for him. Brown was second in tackles because Jake Pope managed to lead the team with an impressive 10 tackles. Pope didn't crack the top three best defenders, but is worth mentioning.

Cornerback Laterrance Welch also made some big plays of his own. He finished the game with two interceptions and two pass deflections. The secondary may have given up more yards than we would have liked to see, but Welch coming away with two picks was huge.

Nevertheless, there was one man who stood out above the rest on this defense.

UNLV Rebels On SI Defensive Player of the Week

Linebacker Marsel McDuffie lived up to the hype in Week 0. He impacted all areas of the defense. Not only did come away with an interception, he also had six tackles, sacked the quarterback, and had a tackle for a loss. It was a monster game for the Preseason All Mountain West honoree. This is what we wanted and expected to see out of him, and he played a huge role in a hard-fought win.

McDuffie was the Defensive Player of the Week this week. It will be interesting to see who earns the honor next week. We will be back each and every week to let you know who both the Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week are.