Analysis of UNLV's game-winning drive that made the difference

Kansas' defense played well for the second week in a row, but just couldn't get off the field in the fourth quarter. Illinois ran out the clock with a 6:46 run, protecting its lead and securing the win last week.

On Friday, the Rebels conducted an 18-play drive against UNLV that lasted 9:22 and earned them the winning touchdown.

Kansas had opportunities to get off the field. Overall, the defense looked good and kept the team in the game for the first three quarters. But it was the final drive that clinched UNLV's victory.

This is how it happened:

The game could have gone very differently, as Kansas nearly forced a turnover on the second play of the drive. Under pressure, Matthew Sluka had to roll out, throwing the ball over the intended receiver. OJ Burroughs made an impressive play, but his feet were barely on the lines, which looked like a possible interception.

The referees reviewed the play and decided that it was not in the Jayhawks' favor.

This forced a third-and-9, Kansas' first opportunity to get off the field. Sluka, UNLV's best runner, ran a QB draw. He found space on defense where there was little to no help from scouts or linebackers and picked up 21 yards and the first down.

“He let us loose pretty well a couple of times,” Cornell Wheeler said after the game. “We just tried to contain as much as we could. That was our biggest thing. We made some good containments, some we didn't. He was definitely a great player today.”

The defense should have beaten the Rebels on the very next play. Jereme Robinson came up behind Sluka as he tried to break free and knocked the ball loose. Several Jayhawks had chances to recover the fumble, but they failed. Burroughs tried to catch the ball and run, but he fumbled, allowing UNLV to retain possession.

“I knew the quarterback, he was a little careless with the ball, so I knew that was going to happen,” Robinson said. “I just tried to take advantage of my opportunity. We just need to get a little better at snapping the ball and scoring.”

With 8:06 left in the game, Sluka made another play with his legs on a second-and-10 attempt to move the chains. Kansas defensive linemen had a chance to stop him at the line of scrimmage, but Sluka evaded them. As the linebackers dropped into coverage, space opened up in the second level, where Sluka ran 10 yards to the Kansas 29.

A costly mistake put UNLV in prime scoring position. On the second attempt, Sluka was pressured and threw a prayer kick into the end zone. The ball was clearly too short and almost uncatchable, but Devin Dye shoved Casey Cain and was penalized for pass interference. The penalty put the ball at the Kansas 11 with 7:05 to play.

The Jayhawks were able to prevent two runs on first and second down and managed a third and third attempt from the four-yard line with 5:39 minutes left. Cornell Wheeler stopped Kylin James and created a fourth chance for the Rebels.

Sluka was able to score the first down with the tush push, but an unnecessary roughness penalty after the play caused UNLV to fall back 15 yards. While this gave the Jayhawks a better chance to limit the Rebels to a field goal, it also kept the drive alive, which in turn kept the clock running. There also seemed to be confusion with the referees about the attempt and distance, but it was a first-and-10 instead of a first-and-goal.

“She [the refs] explained,” said Lance Leipold. “Even if it's a dead ball foul, it starts on first-and-ten, not first-and-goal.”

UNLV got a first down and set up a first-and-goal from the three with 4:18 left. Kansas pushed the Rebels back on first and second downs. James was stopped by Tommy Dunn on first down for a two-run loss, and then Dylan Wudke dropped Jacob De Jesus in the open field for a seven-run loss.

On third and goal from the 12-yard line, Wudke and Robinson both narrowly missed a sack. Sluka escaped and gained 11 yards on the ground, giving UNLV another chance for a fourth and goal late in the game. With 2:00 left on the clock, James found the end zone to give UNLV a 23-20 lead.

“He [Sluka] “He definitely made a play for us in the red zone that led to the touchdown, so we just have to figure out what we can do, how we can approach it better, get him to the ground,” Robinson said.

The Jayhawks still had a chance to storm down the field and win when they put the ball down three points with 1:51 left, but the offense could not mount a charge.

UNLV's offense did its job, scoring points on its final drive and making the most of the time. The Rebels got the ball into Kansas territory at 9:24 and held onto the ball until the two-minute timeout.

Kansas' defense limited UNLV to just 2-13 third downs in this game, but the Rebels were 3-3 on fourth downs in the most crucial moments. In the end, the Jayhawks just couldn't get a decisive stop after playing well for long stretches.