"It was definitely a great day, and it was fun," Lobbestael said. "Guys were open and execution was the key word for us. The line gave me a ton of time and the one sack they allowed was really my fault to be honest. Guys were running great routes, and they were pretty much open all day."
Senior wide receiver Jared Karstetter led the team with six receptions totalling 66 yards and was the recipient of two touchdown passes from Lobbestael. Karstetter said the team believed in Lobbestael, and they are happy to see him have success in his relief of starter Jeff Tuel, who broke his left clavicle last week against Idaho State.
"We've been playing with Marshall (Lobbestael) for five years now, and we know what he can do," Karstetter said. "He executed great and played even better against a better ball club. It's great for his confidence, and it's great for the team. We knew Marshall could do it, and we're just happy to see him out there playing so well."
Lobbestael's five touchdowns were a career high, and the first time a Cougar signal caller has tossed for five scores since the 2007 Apple Cup when Alex Brink torched up the Huskies.
"I just feel like I'm playing my role on the team as a quarterback for the Cougs," Lobbestael said. "Obviously, our number one guy is down, so until he comes back I'm stepping in and trying to win."
In total, the offense put up 610 yards of total offense, with eight touchdowns. Receivers Karstetter, Marquess Wilson, Isiah Barton, Andrei Lintz and Bennett Bontemps all had touchdown catches, and back-up quarterback Connor Halliday stepped onto the gridiron in the second half and had two touchdown throws.
As stellar as the offense was, the defense was equally impressive. Defensive coordinator Chris Ball's unit had arguably their best performance in the past three seasons by forcing a fumble, recording two sacks and allowing the Rebels offense to muster up 158 total yards of offense.
The Cougars were poised to record their first shutout since 2003 when they shut out the Idaho Vandals, but UNLV's Tim Cornett took a kick-off back 95-yards to the house to spoil the victory for the defense.
"It's crazy, and it's good to have a smile on my face and it's good to see my teammates with a smile on their faces," Hoffman-Ellis said. "We're just enjoying ourselves out on the field because we're doing what we're supposed to do."
The Cougs are now 2-0, the first time they have started off the season with two wins since 2005. Head Coach Paul Wulff said the most fun he is having right now is seeing the excitement and happiness from the players due to their early success. Wulff added that the team is becoming a family, something he has been working on since the moment he arrived on campus to take command of the squad.
"These players love each other, and that's what makes us different," Wulff said. "When you have great programs, you have that continuity, and you develop that trust. You develop that family; you develop the intensity and attitude."
