UNLV head coach Tony Sanchez reacts after a Colorado State interception was upheld during their Mountain West Conference game Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016 at Sam Boyd Stadium. Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was about how most would expect Tony Sanchez to address his UNLV football players minutes before kickoff, all intense and fiery, his arms punching through air and his voice rising when speaking about embracing the opportunity and fighting and bleeding and winning together.
He was Lou Holtz without the lisp.
The video clip of Sanchez before last Saturday’s home game against Colorado State showed a coach whose raw emotions were undoubtedly designed to motivate his team, one coming off a last-minute victory at Hawaii and favored to beat a Rams side that has endured its own struggles this season.