Graney: This is what happens when UNLV plays complementary football

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – This is what they have talked about for some time now, this sense of complementary football.

This idea of what things could look like when both sides of the ball executed at a high degree.

This thought that UNLV still hadn’t played its best football game yet. Its most complete game.

You can count this one as that, a 42-10 victory against Colorado State on Saturday night at Canvas Stadium.

It was the first time in six years the Rebels found themselves in Fort Collins, and who knows when they might be back.

The Rams are headed to the Pac-12 next year, while UNLV will stay in the Mountain West.

By the looks of it Saturday, the Rebels might want to schedule a nonconference game or two against Colorado State.

Stout defense

It has been rightly criticized, a UNLV defense that has spent the season handing out points and yards like you did candy to those smiling children on Halloween. One that surrendered — ouch — an average of 48 points the past three games.

But something changed in the altitude of Colorado. That brisk, fresh air brought out a performance that hadn’t been seen this season. A stout defensive effort for four quarters.

The Rebels snapped a two-game losing streak and treated Colorado State’s porous offense as it should. UNLV allowed an opening-drive touchdown and not much else afterward. Colorado State was 1 of 13 on third down and gained just 292 yards, a total the Rebels are used to giving up in a half.

But the Rams couldn’t do much of anything. UNLV had three sacks and eight tackles for loss.

“We played really well,” coach Dan Mullen said. “That’s the type of team we expect to be. An offense that can put pressure on people, and a defense, when it’s doing things right, that makes it hard to move the ball on us.

“It’s about the (defensive) guys sticking together. A little bit of pride, a little bit of frustration and a little bit of ownership. … There’s a lot of noise out there not to be a confident defense. Statistically, it (hasn’t been) very good. But the guys inside could see where some of the issues were that we could correct.”

It’s the third straight season UNLV has started 7-2, and its offensive output can’t be denied. The Rebels (3-2 Mountain West) and North Texas are the only teams this season to have scored at least 30 points in each of nine games.

UNLV was explosive Saturday, rolling up 571 yards. Anthony Colandrea again had the look of an all-conference quarterback, throwing for two scores and running for two. Nine players caught passes.

It’s true. Colorado State (2-7, 1-4) is a bad team. But this is what good ones do when faced with such a moment.

They don’t just win. They send a message. They dominate.

UNLV did that.

Can it continue?

“We played at a high level on offense, the defense was lights out and special teams was awesome,” Colandrea said. “That’s what it’s supposed to be. We just wanted to get back in the win column. We don’t want to have that feeling again.”

This is what they wanted to see. What it would look like when both sides played well. This is the complementary football Mullen and his staff have talked about for some time now.

Now, herein lies the challenge: Can the Rebels continue it when the competition again stiffens?

When Utah State visits Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, or Hawaii comes to Las Vegas on Nov. 21.

The Mountain West race is close. Two losses could absolutely give a team the chance to play for a conference title. UNLV has played for the past two.

There just can’t be any more slipups.

“You want to start playing great in November,” Mullen said. “Hopefully this is the start of us getting back. Our ultimate goal is to be a better team at the end of the year than we were at the beginning. We plateaued there a little bit (with two straight losses), so hopefully we’re back on the rise for the backstretch of the season.”

They played the most complete game of the season Saturday.

They did what good teams do. Left no doubt.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @edgraney on X.