Daily Skiff

After a physical battle in Provo, Utah the Horned Frogs return to defend their home in the Halloween Homecoming game.

The Frogs face off Saturday against the UNLV Rebels for their fourth conference game as the No. 1 team in the Mountain West Conference.

Head Coach Gary Patterson said that the Rebels are a strong team and could present a challenge for the Frogs on Saturday.

"They played a good game against New Mexico and played Utah tough at home," Patterson said. "They have played in big games before. They beat Arizona State last year and came close with Oregon State."

The Rebels have a 3-5 record, with one conference win coming against New Mexico last Saturday.

Last year's contest against UNLV ended with a 44-14 TCU victory.

Dating back to the 1996 campaign, TCU holds a 6-1 lead over UNLV.

The Frogs are also the third-highest ranked opponent the Rebels have ever faced at No. 6 in the BCS standings.

The Frogs are 3-0 against the Rebels in Fort Worth, and 3-1 in Las Vegas.

The most recent Horned Frog loss to UNLV came in 1997 with a 19-21 defeat in Las Vegas.

In his weekly press conference Tuesday, Patterson urged caution when discussing Saturday's game.

"UNLV is very talented on offense, especially at the skill positions, and they are getting healthier on defense," Patterson said.

Senior UNLV wide receiver Ryan Wolfe currently leads all active NCAA players in both receptions and receiving yards with 250 for 3,392 yards during his college career.

Wolfe is an All-American candidate for 2009 with 657 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns so far.

Junior running back Channing Trotter leads the Rebels in rushing yards this season with 422 on 93 carries.

In passing yards, the Rebels are led by junior quarterback Omar Clayton. Clayton has thrown for 1,663 yards and 10 touchdowns so far in 2009.

Patterson said there is no easy contest for the Frogs this season, and that the team must be prepared each week.

"You can't decide not to play well in a ball game, because those guys on the other side have good coaches and good players too," Patterson said. "We have to be ready to play."

Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday in Amon Carter Stadium.

Versus HD will air the game. This marks UNLV's first appearance on the channel since 2007.

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