UNLV Rebels: Week 4 Defensive Keys To Victory

The UNLV Rebels are coming off a bye week after knocking off their Big 10 foe, the UCLA Bruins. In Week 4, they will travel to take on the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks. Despite currently sitting at 3 - 0, they have had some issues on the defensive side of the ball. They have allowed 75 points in three games. That is a number that has to come down if they are going to continue to run the table.

While they have made too many mistakes and given up too many points, they have also made a ton of big plays, and many of them have come in huge moments that have drastically swung the outcome of games. If they can combine that big-play ability with consistent defensive play, they could become a terror for opposing teams trying to keep up with their high-scoring offense.

If the defense is going to hold up and stop a very good RedHawks' offense, these will be the defensive keys to victory.

Continue To Improve

As we mentioned, the UNLV defense has looked bad at times this season. However, they have improved in each game. This was a group built through the transfer portal this offseason, and was always expected to take some time to gel. While they have gotten better, they still have work to do to get to where they need to be. The hope is that with an early bye last week, they took that time to come together and work through some of their issues and play their best game yet in Week 4.

Stay Disciplined

The most glaring issue of defense early in the season has been the discipline. They don't lack the talent to execute against their opponents, which makes us very hopeful for the rest of the season. However, they do need to stick to their assignments and do their jobs. When you watch them on film, most of their issues stem from players finding themselves out of position or overpursuing. They are biting on fakes and have been easy to fool. This is something that they should be able to fix with time and practice. Their Week 3 bye could have gone a long way towards fixing this issue.

Stars Keep Shining

The Rebels' defense has been star-driven so far this season. No star has been better than defensive back Aamaris Brown. He's had an interception in every game this season, has made 17 tackles, and scored a touchdown.

Linebacker Marsel McDuffie has stepped up as the leader this team needed in the middle of the field. Already racking 19 tackles, a sack, and an interception.

The rest of the stars have been in the secondary, with Jaheem Joseph, Jake Pope, and Laterrance Welch have all stepped up at different times. Pope leads the team with 22 tackles. Joseph had a huge game against UCLA with six tackles, a fumble recovery, and 0.5 sacks, and Welch came away with two interceptions in the season opener. If their stars continue to show up like they have been so far, it can hide a lot of their deficiencies.