Jackson Arnold beat Cal with his arm and legs

Cal had a problem when UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold held on to the football. He ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the Rebels’ 39-31 win at Allegiant Stadium on October 3, adding a threat the Golden Bears struggled to contain while covering his receivers.

Arnold also threw three touchdown passes, earning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors Monday. But the useful lesson from his five scores lies in how he produced them. UNLV could attack downfield, and its quarterback could punish defenders who followed receivers away from the line.

UNLV coach Dan Mullen discussed Arnold’s running in his postgame comments at Allegiant Stadium. “I think Jackson did an amazing job of understanding, when it’s man-to-man coverage, who’s got the quarterback man to man,” Mullen said. When defenders follow individual receivers, a quarterback can find running space if nobody stays responsible for him.

Jackson Arnold made the big gains count

Arnold’s scoring plays show how quickly UNLV could cover ground. Wide receivers Kayden McGee and Taz Reddicks supplied the long touchdown catches, while tight end Keyan Burnett caught the pass that restored the lead. Arnold finished two other possessions himself.

The long scores helped UNLV, while running back Jai’Den Thomas found little room, gaining 46 yards on 16 carries. Cal could limit the handoffs and still lose yards in chunks when Arnold kept the ball. His running forced the defense to account for another player.

Afterward, Arnold described his progress in Mullen’s offense to reporters in Las Vegas. “I think I’m more comfortable with the offense,” he said, according to The Sporting Tribune. “We’ve worked hard since the spring and I’m able to run things.” His decisions gave the Rebels ways to score even when their main running back struggled.

UNLV’s trouble turning possession into points against Memphis had exposed the cost of promising drives that ended without touchdowns. Against Cal, touchdown plays of 70, 55, and 36 yards did much of that work at once. The Rebels had room to breathe, provided they could keep getting first downs.

Cal exposed the problem between the touchdowns

Unfortunately for UNLV, a comfortable halftime lead did not produce a comfortable second half. Four consecutive possessions ended in punts and gained a combined seven yards, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. An offense built around big gains can go quiet quickly when those gains stop coming.

Cal backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau replaced injured starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele late in the first half and helped erase the 24-7 deficit. A fumbled kickoff return also handed the Bears a short field, and UNLV’s lead disappeared early in the fourth quarter.

UNLV’s defense also supplied help that the touchdown count can hide. The Rebels stopped Cal three times on fourth down, taking away possessions the Bears had chosen to extend. Arnold carried the offense, but those stops kept giving him the ball back when Cal could have stayed on the field.

Cal coach Tosh Lupoi praised Brousseau after the game in Las Vegas. “It was an inspiring performance to have our backup quarterback come in and do what he did, lead the team,” he said in Cal’s postgame report. The Bears had made UNLV pay for its stalled offense and mistakes on special teams.

However, Arnold answered immediately after Cal went ahead 25-24. He ran for 42 yards during an 80-yard touchdown drive, threw the scoring pass to Burnett and ran in the two-point conversion. UNLV used five plays to take the lead back, with its quarterback creating gains as both a runner and passer.

The response broke a run of 18 unanswered points. Cal had forced UNLV to make a play under pressure, and Arnold’s run covered more than half of the touchdown drive.

Jackson Arnold added the short touchdown run on the following drive, extending the lead to 14. But Cal scored with 28 seconds remaining, leaving the game within reach if the Bears could recover their onside kick. UNLV gathered the ball to deny Brousseau one more possession with a chance to tie.