The story line for the LA Bowl, Sponsored by Gronk,, could easily be about who was not there for Cal and for UNLV. Heck the Rebels didn’t even have their head coach as Barry Odom had already moved on to Purdue. Cal didn’t have its starting quarterback. The Bears also didn’t have their backup quarterback. But at the end of a long night, the numbers favored UNLV as the Rebels beat Cal 24-13 Wednesday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.
The Numbers Favored UNLV in the LA Bowl
A Sluggish Start on Both Sides
The absences may have been the reason for a sluggish start. The first two possessions for each team were three-and-out efforts. There wasn’t a first down until 9:33 left in the quarter when Cal running back Jaydn Ott rushed 48 yards to the right to the UNLV 29-yard line. The drive stalled out and the Bears settled for a 42-yard field goal from Derek Morris that bounced off the right upright and went through for the 3-0 lead. Anyone who has followed Cal this season knows that every field goal attempt was an adventure.
UNLV responded with what was available. Odom was gone and so the receiver’s coach Del Alexander took over on an interim basis. The Rebels were also missing leading receiver Ricky White who had more than 1,000 receiving yards on the season. And then there was the quarterback position. Hajj-Malik Williams got the starting job five weeks into the season when starting quarterback Matthew Sluka left over a financial dispute with the school. The freshman made the most of the opportunity taking UNLV to the Mountain West Conference championship game, and ultimately the LA Bowl.
Thrown into the Mix
The stat line Wednesday night was not pretty, but the numbers were good enough. Williams finished the game five of 18 passing for 96 yards and two touchdowns. He had another 27 net yards rushing.
Late in the first quarter he had the Rebels on third and 10 near midfield. Receiver Kaydon McGee got behind the Cal secondary and made the catch at the 13-yard line. He ran it in untouched for a 49 yard touchdown play ad a 7-3 UNLV lead.
Cal responded with a drive of its own. Starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza is in the transfer portal. Backup quarterback Chandler Rodgers was injured at the end of the season. So the task was left to left CJ Harris.
On third and three near midfield, he threw off his back foot but found tight end Jack Endries for a 21-yard gain down to the UNLV 29. On the next play, the Bears ran a reverse for Josiah Martin who weaved his way through the UNLV defense for the touchdown and the 10-7 Cal lead.
It Takes Big Plays to Move the Offense
Since it was a bowl game with little on the line, and both teams were playing with house money, there wasn’t much need to hold anything back. On its first drive of the second quarter, the Rebels were 4th and seven on their own 39-yard line and punting it away. Punter Marshall Nichols tossed a shovel pass to receiver Camero Oliver who took it 52 yards to the Cal nine-yard line. On the next play, Williams threw his second touchdown pass of the night to Jacob Jesus for the 14-10 UNLV lead. The Rebels would not surrender the lead the rest of the way.
Cal got a 30-yard field goal from Ryan Coe at the end of the first half to close the margin to 14-13.
The absence of, well, offense was clear as the second half started. The first six possession of the third quarter by the two teams resulted in punts.
Cal even tried some fresh blood with freshman quarterback E.J. Caminong. But on third and seven at his own 33-yard line, he tried throwing a lateral to Ott, who dropped the ball. It was recovered by UNLV’s Jett Elad at the Cal 23. UNLV running back Kylin James rushed up the middle for 23 yards on the next play for the touchdown. The Rebels were up 21-13.
UNLV would add a 48-yard field goal by Caden Chittendon to get to the 24-13 final.
The Future Numbers Remain a Question Mark
With makeshift lineups on both sides, Cal still managed a relatively viable 348 yards of offense. Harris was 13 of 20 for 109 yards. Where he falls into the system next season depends on the health and return of Rodgers. Ott, who has missed much of the season with injuries racked up 84 yards, but only managed 11 carries. The Bears finished 2-6 in their first ACC season. But they got to 6-6 overall, making it to the bow game.
For UNLV, there is a real restart for the program. The Rebels finished the MWC season at 6-1 and got to the conference championship game. They were 11-3 overall. Now, former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen will be taking over the program now.
With the transfer portal open for another nine days, there are a lot of numbers on both rosters still to be determined.
The post The Numbers Favored UNLV in the LA Bowl appeared first on Last Word on College Football.