That UNLV defense is the reason this game is interesting. The Rebels beat previously unbeaten North Dakota State 13-7 at Allegiant Stadium and shut the Bison out in the second half. Andre Porter's 23-yard pick-six was UNLV's only touchdown, and Mumu Bin-Wahad's interception in the final minute closed it out. The Bison had beaten this same Air Force team 38-32 at Falcon Stadium in September. That's the one common opponent, and the Rebels held NDSU to 31 fewer points than the Falcons did.
Duquesne34-0The UNLV offense is a harder question. It put up 38 at Akron and 39 against Cal, but it also scored 6 at North Texas in a 44-6 beating and managed only 2 Ramon Villela field goals against NDSU. Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas ran 22 times for 112 yards in that win, and the Rebels will need that kind of day again. A team that wins by running the ball and grinding the clock is heading into the stadium of a team that does the same thing.
Air Force's own defense has been just as stingy lately. Navy got 9 points and Northern Illinois got 7, which is a big turnaround from the 33 Nevada scored on them in a shootout win. The forecast for Saturday is 47 degrees and clear with an 11 mph wind. That's October football in Colorado Springs, and it should suit 2 teams who would rather run it 50 times than throw it 30.
In the standings, UNLV is unbeaten in conference play and Air Force is 2-1 with the NDSU loss already on its record. A home win puts the Falcons level in the loss column. A road win means the Rebels have beaten the 2 Mountain West teams most likely to get in their way, back to back. The whole game comes down to how much the Medders-led option can do against a defense that just held NDSU without a second-half point.