No Football Fans At Allegiant Stadium This Time As Wyoming Runs Over Winless UNLV, 45-14, On Black Friday
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
Well, UNLV Athletics gave it the ol’ college try.
They sold tickets for UNLV football’s first two home games at the palatial domed football playground here in Las Vegas known as Allegiant Stadium.
But Las Vegas has too much COVID-19 cases, so UNLV scrubbed the idea of trying to have fans inside this 65,000-seat venue for its final two home games. So, no fans today for the 1 p.m. game between UNLV and Wyoming. The fans missed what was a lopsided 45-14 win by Wyoming over the Rebels, which dropped to 0-5 during this pandemic season. The Wyoming Cowboys improving to 2-2 by outgaining the Rebels in yards, 498-290, including 399 rushing yards.
At first, UNLV wanted permission from health officials for 10 percent of capacity, or 6,500 fans. But the health agency greenlighted 2,000 max for UNLV home games against Nevada, Reno on Halloween and Fresno State. The UNLV-UNR game was the first football game in this luxurious football palace, which does not host any fans during Raiders home games this inaugural stadium season.
You can’t help but think the Rebels were just happy to be playing football today after last week’s game against Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado was wiped out because too many members of the UNLV football program were infected. The UNLV-Colorado State game was one of 18 games college football games scrubbed last week because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 Americans in 2020.
UNLV is still seeking its first win this season under new coach Marcus Arroyo, who used to be Oregon’s offensive coordinator. Arroyo knew UNLV Athletic Director Desiree Reed-Francois from their San Jose State days.
Wyoming jumped out to a 7-0 lead after Cowboys runner Xazavian Valladay ran 78 yards untouched right down the middle of the field on the game’s second play from scrimmage.
On the next drive, Wyoming kicked a 36-yard field goal and assumed a 10-0 lead after one quarter. the Cowboys dominated the 1Q, outgaining UNLV in yards, 152-16. Wyoming’s quarterback, Levi Williams, faked a handoff and then ran 15 yards for a touchdown and the Cowboys led. 17-0, with eight minutes left in the first half.
UNLV piled up some yards late in the second quarter after a punt pinned the Rebs back at their two-yard line. In fact, UNLV scored from the two-yard line on quarterback Max Gilliam’s run and the Rebels trailed, 17-7, at the half.
Wyoming stopped UNLV on fourth down near midfield and used the short field to score a TD behind a short run by Cowboys QB Williams. It was 24-7. Then a fumble off a snap by Gilliam gave Wyoming the ball back and the Cowboys converted on Williams plunging in over the top to give Wyoming a 31-7 lead with 5:27 left in the 3Q. Another Wyoming TD and it was 38-7 with 1:19 left in 3Q. After the third quarter, UNLV was outgained, 400-166, as the Cowboys piled up 301 yards of rushing yards. It was 45-7, Wyoming leading, midway through the final quarter.
The decisive win by Wyoming gave Arroyo the chance to use true freshman quarterback Doug Brumfield, a southpaw with quick feet, a strong left arm and his first running touchdown late in the game.
The novel coronavirus has hit Las Vegas hard. MGM Resorts International pitched the National Hockey League on staging the NHL playoffs at T-Mobile Arena in a controlled “bubble” environment, but NHL passed on the offer because of COVID-19 infection rates in Las Vegas.
The National Finals Rodeo, a 10-day “Super Bowl of rodeos held during the second week of December,” left Las Vegas to go to Texas for one year because of COVID-19 restrictions. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), the NFR’s sanctioning body, hopes to return to the Tomas & mack Center in Las Vegas in December 2021. The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) was hoping to stage its championships at T-Mobile Arena in November, but PBR also left Las Vegas for Texas for this one year because of the COVID-19 restrictions in Southern Nevada.
For UNLV football games at Allegiant Stadium, the venue’s digital signage allows UNLV to post its sponsors like Star Nursery around the big stadium. Here’s Star Nursery on a screen with COVID-19 warnings next to the press box elevator.
