The Rebels fall to No. 17 Boise State in front of a record crowd

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV (6-2/2-1) Football lost a close battle for first place No. 17/19 Boise State (6-1/3-0)29-24, in front of a record crowd of 42,228 fans Friday night at Allegiant Stadium.

The Rebels took a 10-3 lead, but the Broncos outscored the hosts 17-0 in the second quarter, fueled by the game’s only turnover, a Rebel interception that was converted into a touchdown just before halftime. It was only the second time this season that UNLV allowed points off a turnover, and the game was only the second this season Barry Odom Era in which the Rebels failed to intercept or fumble.

The Rebels regained the lead with a 14-3 third quarter lead, but failed to score a point in the final third, while the Broncos got a one-yard scoring run from Ashton Jeanty on fourth down with 12:38 remaining to score the final points of the game.

Jeanty, who posted a national-leading 208 yards per game average, was largely held in check and finished the game with 128 net yards on 33 carries, an average of just 3.9 yards per rush.

STATUS OF THE GAME:

The attendance of 42,228 surpassed the school record set in 2002, when 42,075 spectators were in attendance at Sam Boyd Stadium to watch Wisconsin vs. UNLV. The previous top score for a Rebel game at Allegiant Stadium was 35,193 against Iowa State in 2021.

REBEL OF THE GAME:

player Marshall Nichols posted a season-best average of 50.5 yards on four attempts, including a season-long 63-yarder. The junior is a career leader at both UNLV and the Mountain West.

QUOTABLE:

“I want to thank the city of Las Vegas and I want to thank all the work our marketing staff and athletic department have done. It took everyone to create an environment like tonight. That was a…” A great game that came to life not just because Boise State is a really good team, but because it’s UNLV. It was two great teams competing against each other.

“I assumed it would come down to turnover margin and finding a way to win in the fourth quarter. I’m devastated for our team that we couldn’t find a way to win this game. There are always reasons why you win a game or you lose a game and the result they turned into points at the end of the first half, we didn’t really play well as a team, but our boys fought. This is not a consolation game and as a head coach I am frustrated that I couldn’t put us in a position to win this game.

“I think our bye week comes at the perfect time for what our team needs. We get back to work and have to find a way to win in November. There’s still a lot to accomplish, goal-” I hate that we didn’t get there, but I know what college football in Vegas can be and I’m definitely grateful for that.”
-UNLV head coach Barry Odom

Notable:

-When BSU converted a UNLV interception into a touchdown just before halftime, it was only the second time this season that the Rebels had allowed points off a turnover and still led 71-14 overall
-All-American WR Ricky White III Five catches ranked him fourth at UNLV with 190 career receptions
-This was the first time under Barry Odom that UNLV lost a game it led after the third quarter (14-1)
-UNLV held the high-powered BSU offense to just 3 of 15 on third down, but the Broncos converted on all four of their fourth down attempts
-UNLV and Boise State played each other in Las Vegas for the third straight year
– This was the fourth of five Friday games this season for UNLV
-Boise State improved to 10-3 vs. UNLV all-time
-UNLV QB Hajj-Malik Williams finished with 105 net rushing yards on 19 carries, including a touchdown run. He became just the third UNLV QB in history to play more than a century game in his career, joining Armani Rogers (five) and Jason Thomas (three).
-Williams delivered the longest offensive play for UNLV this season, with a dazzling 71-yard dash on the game’s first drive
-Williams also scored on the second-longest pass play of the year for UNLV Casey Cain for a 50-yarder
-Tight end Kaleo Ballungay scored the first touchdown of the night with a nine-yard throw from Williams, which marked the senior’s third score of the season
-WR Jaden Bradleywho transferred to UNLV from Charlotte, scored his first touchdown as a Rebel with a 34-yard catch to give UNLV a 24-23 lead in the third quarter
-PK Caden Chittenden UNLV hit a 28-yard field goal to cap off the first drive, giving the rookie 18 made three-pointers on the year, tied for fourth in program history in a single season
-LB Jackson Woodardwho averaged 9.0 TT per game, finished with 14 against the Broncos
–
NEXT: The Rebels receive their second bye week of the season before facing Hawaii on November 9th at 6:00 pm PT on CBS Sports Network. UNLV’s next home game is November 16th against San Diego State at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at UNLVTickets.com.