UNLV looking for spark

The game was well decided, another disappointment playing itself out.

Yet, UNLV safety Blake Richmond was still going hard, aggressively attacking anyone with the football on Saturday at San Jose State.

The Rebels would lose 33-10, but Richmond never stopped trying.

“You can’t quit,” he said. “I’m trying to earn more playing time, so any chance I get to be in the game, I’m trying to go hard.”

It’s an attitude Richmond and his teammates need more than ever. How they respond to the adversity of a season slipping away will determine whether any life exists in the second half of the schedule, beginning with today’s 7 p.m. game against Fresno State at Sam Boyd Stadium.

CBS Sports Network will televise the game.

UNLV (1-5, 0-2 Mountain West) will try to end a four-game losing streak, but the Rebels are 10½-point underdogs. They also face a Fresno State team (3-3, 2-0) that has won three in a row.

If the Rebels are to have any chance, their offense must find a way of extending drives. UNLV has yet to win the battle for possession time, and at San Jose State, its defense was on the field for 38:41.

That was a big reason it faltered in the second half after forcing three field goals in the first 30 minutes to keep the team within distance at 16-7.

“You’ve got to keep playing for your teammates,” Richmond said. “We’re never like, ‘The offense isn’t going to get it.’ We never lose faith.”

UNLV’s offense is far from being healthy.

Star wide receiver Devante Davis hasn’t played the past two games because of an injured right wrist, and when he will return — if he does — is unknown.

Quarterback Blake Decker didn’t play in the second half at San Jose State because of an injured throwing arm, but he is likely to start tonight. Nick Sherry or Jared Lebowitz will go in if Decker isn’t effective. Lebowitz received extra snaps in practice this week. If Decker plays and stays in the game, he will need to build on his 216.7 yard passing average and cut down on his mistakes that have led to nine interceptions.

Running back Keith Whitely, who has an injured left knee or leg, also probably will start. He averages 4.9 yards per carry, and leads the Rebels with 299 yards. Whitely has shown signs of being the go-to back, and George Naufahu (210 yards, 4.0 average) is a capable backup.

But the offense as a whole hasn’t found its way, averaging just 365.7 yards and 16.8 points per game. The Rebels would be fine if games last just one drive because they have scored on their opening series in every week but one, but the NCAA isn’t about to change the timing rules.

“We’re coming out and doing things well, and then we’re going into a shell for whatever reason,” UNLV coach Bobby Hauck said. “We’re not making the same plays as the first quarter continues as we do in the opening drive.”

The offensive problems have contributed the struggles on the other side of the ball. UNLV’s defense allows averages of 545.3 yards and 38.7 points, and though that unit is mostly to blame for those numbers, it isn’t helped when the offense repeatedly goes three-and-out.

So it has come down to this for UNLV, being close to the point where the only thing to play for is self-pride.

The Rebels aren’t completely there yet. They still can have some say in how the West Division plays out, and they still are mathematically alive for a bowl bid, as much of a long shot as that is for them.

To accomplish either goal, they have to play a heck of a lot better.

“If we can beat Fresno, we’ve still got a shot in the Mountain West,” Richmond said. “Until we’re out, we’re still trying to win it.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter:@markanderson65.