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 "That was an abomination," a frustrated Sanchez said after the
Rebels (2-5, 1-2) blew a 14-point second-half lead to drop their
second straight Mountain West Conference game at the wire.
UNLV lost to San Jose State in overtime, 33-27, a week earlier at
Sam Boyd Stadium.
Senior Marteze Waller rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns,
including a 38-yarder with 2:37 remaining for the game-winner, and
redshirt freshman quarterback Kilton Anderson completed 19-of-31
passes for 193 yards and also rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns
for Fresno State (2-6, 1-3), which trailed 28-14 with 5:13 left in
the third quarter but scored the final 17 points of the game to pull
out the victory and snap a five-game losing streak.
Sophomore Kurt Palandech completed 12-of-24 passes for 111 yards and
two touchdowns and senior Keith Whitely rushed for 98 yards on 17
carries for UNLV (2-5, 1-2).
Waller's 38-yard run off left tackle gave Fresno State its first
lead of the game, 29-28, and Anderson then hit tight end Chad Olsen
with a 2-point conversion.
UNLV then drove to the Fresno State 32 but shunned a chance at a
potential game-tying field-goal try thanks in part to a sudden
downpour in the final minutes. Palandech was sacked on UNLV's final
two plays, including by sophomore linebacker Justin Green on
4th-and-6, and then Fresno State ran out the clock for its first win
over an FBS school this season.
"That was a very winnable game that we just handed away and you
can't do that," Sanchez said. "We had plenty of opportunities to
sustain some drives on offense and we failed to do so. I think that
was a huge part of it, and we gave up way too many plays, and missed
tackles on defense.
"Overall I thought it was a very poor performance on our part and
that all starts with me. I take full blame for this effort we put
out there tonight. That was an abomination, that was bad football."
It was quite a different mood in the Fresno State locker room where
head coach Tim DeRuyter, feeling some heat over a surprisingly slow
start, relished getting splashed by a bottle of purple Gatorade
afterward.
"I smell like grape, but I guess it's a good thing to smell like
grape for the first time in a long time," DeRuyter said.
UNLV, trying for its third win in four games, took an early 7-0 lead
on senior fullback George Naufahu's 1-yard plunge that capped an
impressive 75-yard, 13-play opening drive.
But Fresno State, trying to avoid its first three-game losing streak
at Bulldog Stadium since 2006, bounced back to take a 14-7 lead on a
6-yard run by Anderson and a 17-yard run by Waller.
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The Rebels, despite being outgained 202-146 in the first half,
rallied to tie it 14-14 on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Palandech
to sophomore wide receiver Kendal Keys just 42 seconds before
halftime.
UNLV appeared to have taken control of the game when it scored two
touchdowns in less than four minutes midway through the third
quarter, a 2-yard run by freshman running back Xzaviar Campbell that
capped a 11-play, 70-yard drive, and a 29-yard pass from Palandech
to Devonte Boyd that made it 28-14 three plays after Keys recovered
a fumbled punt by junior wide receiver Da'Mari Scott at the Bulldog
30.
But Fresno State, which finished with a 410-to-299 edge in total
yards, clamped down defensively after that and chipped away at the
lead, first with a 44-yard field goal by sophomore Jimmy Camacho and
then with a 12-yard run by Anderson with 11:02 to go that cut UNLV's
lead to 28-23 and set the stage for Waller's game-winner.
"I can't say I've ever been prouder of a group than I am of this
group," DeRuyter said. "The kids have been challenged and they've
responded."
UNLV now gets two weeks to try and bounce back before hosting Boise
State on Halloween at Sam Boyd Stadium.
"It is real hard," Boyd said "The team is taking it tough, but you
have to get back and get the work in and focus on the next game."
NOTES: UNLV's last road win over Fresno State came in 1983, 20-7,
when future NFL MVP Randall Cunningham was playing quarterback ...
UNLV has won more than two games just once in the past five seasons.
That was in 2013 when the Rebels finished 7-6 and lost to North
Texas in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, 36-14. ... Fresno State's 1-5
start was its worst since 2006 when the Bulldogs began 1-7.
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