(Photo Credit - UNLV Athletics)
UNLV is 1–0, but only by the skin of its teeth.
The Rebels were a 30.5-point favorite over Idaho State, an FCS opponent that went 3–8 last year. Instead, they trailed at halftime, allowed 555 total yards, and needed four second-half interceptions to escape with a 38–31 win before 25,723 inside Allegiant Stadium.
Dan Mullen’s debut goes down as a win. The film says it was a wake-up call.
The Numbers That Tell the Story
Total Yards: Idaho State 555 | UNLV 536
Passing Yards: Idaho State 395 | UNLV 232
Rushing Yards: Idaho State 160 | UNLV 304
First Downs: Idaho State 30 | UNLV 25
Third Downs: Idaho State 5/13 | UNLV 3/11
Red Zone: Idaho State 3/4 | UNLV 4/7
Turnovers: Idaho State 4 | UNLV 1
Last season, UNLV ranked 49th nationally in total defense (350.9 ypg allowed). On Saturday, they gave up 204 more yards than that average to an FCS program.
Offense: Explosive Talent, Shaky Foundation
The Good
Jet Thomas: 10 carries, 147 yards, 3 TDs (including runs of 39 and 70). He averaged 14.7 yards per carry, and nearly all of it came between the tackles.
Anthony Colandrea: 15/21 for 195 yards, 1 TD; added 93 rushing yards. His 37-yard scramble set up Thomas’ third touchdown.
Jaden Bradley: 6 catches, 131 yards, including a 47-yard game-changing bomb.
The Flaws
Goal-line meltdown: Alex Orji fumbled reaching across the goal line on UNLV’s opening drive. Instead of tying the game 3–3 or taking a 7-3 lead, it was a 14-point swing that gave Idaho State all the momentum.
One-dimensional run reliance: 240 of UNLV’s 304 rushing yards came from just two players, Thomas and Colandrea. Keyvone Lee (5 carries, 5 yards) and Jaylon Glover (7 carries, 28 yards) were bottled up.
Passing conservatism: Until Colandrea’s strike to Bradley, UNLV averaged just over 6 yards per completion. Screens to Irvin Jr., swing passes to backs, and shallow crossers defined Corey Dennis’ playcalling. ISU safeties sat flat-footed, daring UNLV to beat them deep.
Protection breakdowns: UNLV allowed 3 sacks and 8 QB pressures on 24 dropbacks (33%).
Will Thomas was beaten twice inside and once on a pure speed rush in the 2Q.
Reid Williams missed two second-level pickups on short-yardage runs, stalling drives.
Edge blitzes forced Colandrea to abandon clean pockets before routes developed.
The Fix
Verticality: Bradley is a proven deep target; UNLV cannot wait until the second half to test safeties. More intermediate and vertical shots are needed.
RB rotation clarity: Thomas is the feature back. Lee and Glover must either improve their burst or be rotated situationally.
O-line fundamentals: Outside pass protection must be drilled. Pressure came on one-third of dropbacks against an FCS front, a number that spells disaster against Boise State or San Diego State.
Defense: Outmuscled and Out of Position
Front Seven
Idaho State averaged 6.4 yards per carry.
RB Dason Brooks gashed the Rebels: 18 carries, 132 yards, 2 TDs, averaging 7.3 per carry.
Draw plays and delays: ISU repeatedly baited UNLV’s DEs upfield, then hit underneath. On the opening drive, a simple draw went for 21 yards as Lucas Conti was sealed and LB support overran.
Missed tackles: Brooks’ 27-yard touchdown in the 2Q came after three Rebels had contact within four yards of the LOS.
Linebackers
Marsel McDuffie made plays (6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT). But too often he was alone.
Justin Flowe (4 tackles) and Chief Borders (2 pressures) were late to fits. On ISU’s option runs, the QB consistently forced them to hesitate, creating seams.
By the 3rd quarter, ISU had 172 rushing yards on 21 carries before UNLV tightened late.
Secondary
Jordan Cooke went 30/50 for 380 yards. His top targets, Ian Duarte (6 for 105, TD) and Michael Shulikov (3 for 72), both had explosive plays.
Coverage discipline broke down:
Welch and Harris were flagged for PI on third downs.
Jake Pope led the team with 10 tackles, but surrendered chunk completions in his zone.
On Duarte’s 64-yard TD, corner Andrew Powdrell flattened his zone and vacated space, leaving Pope scrambling late.
Ball-hawking masked the damage: Welch (2 INTs), Brown (1 INT), McDuffie (1 INT) saved the day. But most of those came on desperation throws.
The Fix
Gap discipline: Boise and Fresno will run delay/draw until UNLV proves it can fit gaps. DEs must anchor rather than fly upfield.
LB aggression: Borders and Flowe must assert early. McDuffie cannot carry the unit alone.
Coverage technique: Too many panic grabs. Welch showed ball skills; Harris and Powdrell must trust theirs.
Special Teams: Points Left Behind
Ramon Villela went 1-for-3 on FGs (missed from 30 and 41).
A holding penalty erased a long kickoff return in the second half.
That’s 6 free points left on the field in a game decided by 7.
The Bottom Line
UNLV’s raw talent bailed them out, Thomas’ 70-yarder, Bradley’s 47-yard catch, and four interceptions in crunch time. However, the flaws are structural: shaky pass protection, linebackers arriving late to the keys, and a secondary too quick to panic.
As McDuffie put it:
“We have a whole lot to work on. But we stayed together, and when the time came to make plays, we did.”
It was enough against Idaho State. Against Sam Houston, Boise, or UCLA, it won’t be.