College Football Week 2 Odds
| UNLV Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+34.5 -105 | 55 -110o / -110u | +3000 |
| Arizona State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-34.5 -115 | 55 -110o / -110u | -9000 |
The Arizona State Sun Devils will once again be huge favorites as they welcome the UNLV Rebels to Tempe on Saturday night.
Arizona State, ranked 19th in Brett McMurphy’s Top 25, failed to cover the 44.5-point spread Week 1 against Southern Utah, winning 41-14.
The Sun Devils look to clean up the mistakes against the Rebels, who lost a double-overtime thriller, 33-35, to Eastern Washington.
The Rebels, whose regular-season win total was just 1.5, are currently the seventh-worst FBS team in the nation according to Collin Wilson’s Power Ratings.
It could be a long night for UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo who is still searching for his first win since taking over the program in December of 2019.
UNLV Rebels
The Running Rebels went winless in 2020, finishing 0-6 and losing every game by double digits. They only covered the spread once in that season and looked to have gotten worse as the year went along.
UNLV trailed Eastern Washington 3-6 at halftime in Week 1 and 6-20 heading into the fourth quarter before a late rally sent it to overtime.
The offense was sparked by quarterback Doug Brumfield in the second half, but a failed two-point conversion leaves them sitting at 0-1 on the year.
Rebels Offense
The Rebels had a quarterback competition up until kickoff, before Arroyo named junior Justin Rogers the starter. Rogers was 7-for-11 passing, averaging just 2.1 yards per pass attempt in the first half. The offense showed little signs of life and accounted for just three points at the break.
Arroyo went with Brumfield in the second half who sparked the offense, finishing with 117 yards and 9.8 yards per attempt. He led the comeback charge, including a rushing touchdown in overtime, but was unable to complete the two-point conversion.
Running back Charles Williams is the workhorse for the Rebels who rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
The offensive line for UNLV was overpowered all night by the front-seven for Eastern Washington. That is a major cause for concern as they travel to face a big Arizona State defensive line.
Rebels Defense
The UNLV defense was mediocre in the opener, allowing 374 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
It let up an average of 9.6 yards per pass attempt while limiting the ground game with just 2.9 yards per carry.
The Rebels forced three turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
They will face a different beast with Jayden Daniels and the Arizona State offense which will want to clean up the mistakes from last week.
Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils finished last season 2-2 with their losses by a combined eight points and their wins by a combined 76 points.
They looked sloppy in their opening game, mounting 13 penalties that cost them 135 total yards. Herm Edwards will be firm on cleaning that up heading into this game and preparing for Pac-12 play.
Sun Devils Offense
The Sun Devils offense has the potential to be prolific this season after ranking eighth in Offensive Touchdown Rate last season. They were explosive, averaging 7.3 yards per play, ranking them ninth in the country.
Heisman candidate Jayden Daniels is the star of the Arizona State offense. He passed for 17 touchdowns with two interceptions as a freshman and followed that up with five touchdowns and one interception in his four games last season.
In the opener he was efficient, completing 10-of-12 attempts for 132 yards, good for 11 yards per attempt. He was limited in the first game due to cramps but still accounted for 40 yards on the ground.
The Sun Devils rushed 40 times for 222 yards, a 5.6 yards per carry average between seven different ball carriers. They broke four rushes for over 20 yards in that game and should see much success against UNLV as they will attempt to gameplan around Daniels.
Sun Devils Defense
Arizona State returned all 11 starters on defense and looked sharp, minus the penalties.
It held Southern Utah to just 146 yards passing on 31 attempts, good for 4.7 yards per pass. The Sun Devils allowed just 3.0 yards per carry and 78 rushing yards in that game.
They were able to force four turnovers, including three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
The defensive front should be living in the UNLV backfield. It’s going to make for a tough day rushing the ball for Charles Williams and will be in the face of quarterback Doug Brumfield all game.
UNLV vs. Arizona State Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how UNLV and Arizona State match up statistically:
UNLV Offense vs. Arizona State Defense
Arizona State Offense vs. UNLV Defense
Pace of Play / Other
Data via College Football Data (CFBD) and FootballOutsiders; SP+ projection per ESPN.
UNLV vs. Arizona State Betting Pick
This UNLV offense put up only six points in three quarters against an FCS Eastern Washington defense. Although Brumfield found success mounting a comeback, it was coming against mostly soft coverages allowing for open receivers.
The Rebels may not even reach six points the entire game against Arizona State, which will dominate up front and get after the quarterback.
Arizona State ranks fifth in Rushing Success against a UNLV defense that ranks 120th in the same stat. Jayden Daniels was limited in his first game with cramps but anticipate him to be on the field all four quarters until the lead hits the 40s.
Herm Edwards showed last season that he isn’t afraid to take the foot off the gas pedal at times, indicative when the Sun Devils beat Arizona 70-7. As he once famously said, “You Play to Win the Game,” and that’s exactly what Arizona State is going to do.
