Spartans vs. Rebels

San Jose State Spartans vs. UNLV Rebels live stream online, odds, channel, prediction, how to watch on FUBO TV Free Trial.

UNLV is enjoying a breakout season under third-year coach Marcus Arroyo. The Rebels haven’t finished with a winning record since 2013 but are off to a 4-1 start after beating New Mexico 31-20 in their Mountain West opener last week. San Jose State began MWC play with a 33-16 win over Wyoming in Week 5 as the Spartans outgained the Cowboys 456-253. With a 3-1 start, SJSU is on track to reach bowl eligibility for the second time in three seasons under sixth-year coach Brent Brennan.

Here’s everything you need to know before puck drop.

Spartans vs. Rebels : Live Streaming Info, TV Channel & Game Time

  • 📅 Game Day: Friday, Oct. 7
  • ⏱️ Game Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
  • 📍 Location: CEFCU Stadium — San Jose, California
  • 📺 TV Channel: CBSSN
  • 📱 Live Stream: fuboTV (Watch for free)
  • 🎟️ Tickets: Buy Colts Tickets as low as $8
Spartans vs. Rebels UNLV watch now.png – Just Cause 2 Mods Spartans Spartans vs. Rebels

When UNLV Has the Ball

Setting the tone with the run is a great place to start this week for the Rebels. They enter this game ranked third in the Mountain West with 168.6 yards per game and 13 rushing touchdowns. But last season, UNLV managed just 95 yards and a score on 40 carries (2.4 ypc) in their 27-20 home loss to San Jose State.

This season, the Spartans are yielding 152 yards per game (sixth in conference) on the ground but less than four yards per carry and have surrendered a total of three rushing touchdowns thus far. Individually, Louisivlle transfer Aidan Robbins has emerged as the Rebels’ lead back.

He’s second in the conference with 506 rushing yards and is tied for fourth in the country with eight touchdowns.

An effective running game has made things easier for Brumfield, who leads the Mountain West in both passing yards (1,223) and touchdowns (eight) while completing 70.5 percent of his attempts. Last season, four different UNLV quarterbacks, including Brumfield, combined for 11 touchdowns and 14 picks while completing under 60 percent of pass attempts in 12 games.

So the improved production from the position is a big reason why the Rebels are two wins away from bowl eligibility in early October.

The Spartans will try to stop the run, but increased production in the passing game will make this UNLV offense harder to contain. It will be up to defensive linemen Cade Hall and Viliami Fehoko to control the line of scrimmage and make some plays behind it, with linebacker Kyle Harmon getting in on the action and making plays all over the field. San Jose State has been stingy against the pass (154.8 ypg) with more interceptions (six) than touchdown passes (four) allowed so far, so the Rebels will probably need to find some balance to keep this defense on its toes.

When San Jose State Has the Ball

Cordeiro has been solid in his first four games with the Spartans after transferring from Hawaii. His passing numbers may not be prolific (269.5 ypg, 4 TDs), but he’s taken care of the ball (no INTs) and has also contributed with his legs (four rushing TDs). Turnovers will be key for San Jose State, with UNLV tied for eighty nationally by generating 12 takeaways through five games. All but one of those have been interceptions (second only to USC), with Oliver responsible for three of them, including a pair of pick-sixes.

The Spartans may try and control the tempo of this game with their ground attack, but it’s averaging 93.3 yards per game. Robinson is coming off of his best performance of the season, so perhaps he can build off of that. For its part, the Rebels are second in the Mountain West against the run (108.2 ypg allowed), but they surrendered 216 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to SJSU last season. If the Spartans get close to those numbers on Friday night, they will win going away.

UNLV must create negative plays to force the Spartans into long-yardage situations and force Cordeiro to beat them with his arm. The Rebels rank third in the conference in both tackles for a loss (31) and sacks (12), so they have been more effective in this respect than SJSU. Adam Plant Jr. has been the big playmaker up front for UNLV in the early going with 6.5 TFLs (tied for MW lead) and three sacks.

Final Analysis

There is little reason to believe that this won’t be a tightly contested game on Friday night. Both teams are playing good football and have the look of teams that have room to get even better in a parity-filled Mountain West. However, San Jose State will find a way to generate more consistency in the running game than UNLV, and that will be enough for the Spartans to win a one-score game and seize early control of the West Division.

Prediction: San Jose State 27, UNLV 20

– Written by Scott Whittum, who is part of the Contributor Network.

*Price as of publication.

By Toffee

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