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Rebels crushed by Lobos to open Mountain West play.
One game into the Mountain West Conference season the New Mexico Lobos and UNLV Rebels are headed in vastly opposite directions.
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New Mexico scored at will Saturday against UNLV.
The New Mexico Lobos trashed the UNLV Rebels 50-14 in the Mountain West Conference opener for both on Saturday in Las Vegas.
This one was over early. A scoreless first quarter gave way to four Lobo touchdowns in the second, giving New Mexico a 29-0 lead at the half. UNLV would get no closer in the second half, trailing by as many as 43 in the fourth.
It was an ugly start to Rebel football without Armani Rogers. The sensational sophomore quarterback will miss at least six weeks courtesy of a foot injury suffered last week. Sophomore Max Gilliam started in place of Rogers and completed 15 of 23 passes for 123 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick.
The UNLV ground game contributed easily its worst performance of the 2018 season. The Rebels rushed for just 43 yards, led by 36 yards from Lexington Thomas.
While this one was a clunker for the Rebs, New Mexico has rarely looked better. NMU quarterback Sheriron Jones shredded the UNLV defense for 250 yards through the air and another 72 on the ground. He threw for four touchdowns.
Those TDs were thrown to four different New Mexico receivers. Delane Hart-Johnson had the most impressive day, catching six balls for 80 yards. Zahneer Shuler carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards and scored twice.
The New Mexico defense had its finest game of the season. The Lobos sacked Gilliam five times Saturday. UNLV mustered just 166 total yards. UNM racked up 503.
The Rebels have lost two straight. Things won’t get easier next week. UNLV travels to face a Utah State squad that has won four in a row. New Mexico has a road date with Colorado State.
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