There are rivalry games, and then there are nights like this: where a trophy, a cultural touchpoint, a conference traffic jam, and a graduating class all collide inside one stadium.
UNLV and Hawai‘i meet tonight at Allegiant Stadium for the Island Showdown, a rivalry that has grown from local novelty into one of the most consistently meaningful fixtures in the Mountain West. But the 2025 edition elevates everything. It offers a direct path into the Mountain West title race, represents a crossroads moment for both programs, and arrives as the emotional sendoff for one of the most transformative senior classes UNLV has ever produced.
Both teams arrive at 4-2, part of a five-team cluster sitting one game behind San Diego State. Tonight’s matchup is the only head-to-head meeting in that entire group over the final two weeks, effectively making this a semifinal disguised inside the regular season.
It’s Week 13.
It’s Senior Night.
It’s the Ninth Island.
It’s the most consequential game of the Mountain West weekend.
The Standings: One Shot to Separate From the Pack
A year defined by chaos has produced a standings board that looks like a five-way traffic jam:
Team | MW Record |
|---|---|
San Diego State | 5-1 |
UNLV | 4-2 |
Hawai‘i | 4-2 |
Fresno State | 4-2 |
New Mexico | 4-2 |
Boise State | 4-2 |
This is the only matchup involving any of the 4-2 teams this week. Whoever wins gains leverage and clarity. Whoever loses enters a tiebreaker maze that historically favors nobody.
Senior Night: A Class That Helped Continue the Program Resurgence
Tonight marks the final Allegiant appearance for a senior class that helped continue the push UNLV from rebuilding to consistent contention. The group includes SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, and Pac-12 transfers, long-tenured veterans who endured multiple coaching changes, and homegrown contributors who became foundational pieces.
UNLV’s 2025 Senior Class
Offense
WR: Troy Omeire (RSR), DaeDae Reynolds (SR), Koy Moore (SR), Jaden Bradley (SR), Matt Byrnes (SR)
RB: Keyvone Lee (SR), Rogerick Ray (SR)
TE: Var’Keyes Gumms (RSR), Nick Elksnis (RSR)
QB: Cameron Friel (SR)
OL: Cohen Fuller (SR), Donavan Manson (RSR), Malik McGowan (SR), Nick Scalise (SR), Reid Williams (SR), James Faminu (SR), Alani Makihele (SR)
Defense
DL: Tunmise Adeleye (RSR), Ose Egbase (SR), Waisale Muavesi (SR), Jalen Lee (SR), Cory Hall (RSR)
LB: Chief Borders (SR), Jordan Eubanks (SR), Donovan Spellman (SR), Justin Flowe (RSR)
DB: Laterrance Welch (SR), Denver Harris (SR), Jaheem Joseph (SR), Aamaris Brown (SR)
Specialists
K: Caden Costa (SR)
LS: Andrew McIlquham (SR)
Their Impact
Over the last 24 months, this group continued the push the previous seniors started:
19 wins since 2024 - Top 10 nationally over that span
Back-to-back Mountain West Championship Game appearances
10 road wins since last season - most in FBS
A 32-game streak of scoring 20+ - second-longest active in the country
A shift in program identity toward professionalism, physicality, and resilience
Their final home game now arrives with everything at stake, which oddly is an appropriate setting for a class defined by high-leverage moments.
Program Stakes: Same Urgency, Different Histories
UNLV’s Championship Pursuit
At 8-2, the Rebels can reach the Mountain West title game for a third consecutive season. Three years ago, the idea would have felt unthinkable. Now, it’s the expectation.
The formula is simple:
Win tonight. Win in Reno. Play for the crown.
Hawai‘i’s Resurgence
Hawai‘i is off to its best start since 2019 and has returned to relevance behind a revamped Run-and-Shoot and one of the Mountain West’s top statistical offenses. A win gives the Warriors control of their path heading into a home finale against Wyoming.
The Rivalry Layer: Ninth Island + Championship Math
Hawai‘i leads the all-time series 19-15, but UNLV controls the Las Vegas chapter:
11-6 at home vs Hawai‘i
UNLV has 7 wins in the last 8 Ninth Island matchups in Vegas
Winners of the last two meetings, including 29-27 in Honolulu last year
The home team has won 13 of the last 16 meetings, an important trend heading into tonight in a stadium where Hawai‘i historically brings enormous fan support but rarely brings wins.
This rivalry has always been emotional. Tonight, it adds consequence.
Matchup: Run-and-Shoot vs Pro-Style Structure
When Hawai‘i Has the Ball
Hawai‘i is built on spacing, rhythm, and finding leverage:
10 personnel
Four-wide sets
Fast processing
Sideline-to-sideline distribution
With the Mountain West’s No. 2 passing offense (302.4 yards/game), the Warriors stretch defenses horizontally and vertically, forcing open-field tackling and communication discipline.
UNLV’s counterpunch:
14 sacks in the last three games
7 sacks vs Utah State - their highest single-game total since 2021
Disruptive edge production from Adeleye, Borders, and McDuffie
But this week’s test is fundamentally different. The Run-and-Shoot neutralizes heavy pass-rush sequences and weaponizes space, making defensive execution, not pressure rate, the deciding factor.
When UNLV Has the Ball
UNLV leads the Mountain West in scoring (36.6) and yards per play (6.9), powered by:
Anthony Colandrea: 2,527 passing yards, 18 TDs, 512 rushing yards
Jai’Den Thomas (7.57 YPC): one of the most efficient backs in America
Four receivers with a 50+ yard catch
A red-zone offense converting 40 of 46 opportunities
UNLV’s offensive identity relies on early-down success, balance, and forcing defenses to defend vertically and horizontally. Thomas’s return restores the full playbook.
Hawai‘i’s defense allows 6.5 yards per play in conference action and has struggled against downhill run games. But it also plays hard, limits back-breaking mistakes, and has improved its structure dramatically from earlier in the season.
Inital Injury Report:
Additional Layer: Road Form vs Close-Game Identity
Hawai‘i’s Road Variable
Hawai‘i’s season has been defined by dramatic home/road splits: dominant at home, unpredictable on the mainland. Historically, the Warriors have struggled to replicate Honolulu form when travel is involved, even in strong seasons.
They’ve beaten Air Force and Colorado State on the road this year. But Las Vegas represents a different challenge: altitude of distractions, large crowds, and the Ninth Island dynamic balanced against UNLV’s actual home-field advantage.
UNLV’s Close-Game Profile
The Rebels have lived on the edge:
Six one-score games this season (5-1 in those contests)
UNLV has proven comfortable in chaos, thriving in fourth-quarter pressure. That profile matters in a game expected to hinge on a final possession.
Projected Game Script: A Fast, High-Leverage Shootout
Both teams operate above 30 points per game, both offenses can score from anywhere, and both thrive in open space. Expect:
High tempo
150+ combined snaps
Multiple momentum swings
Long stretches where neither defense settles
A fourth-quarter possession deciding the outcome
UNLV holds subtle but critical advantages in the margins:
Red-zone efficiency
Turnover margin (+7) - best in the Mountain West
Early-down success
Third-down defense (Top-10 nationally)
Run-game stability with Thomas healthy
Hawai‘i counters with:
High passing volume
Elite perimeter spacing
Explosive-play creation
A passing structure built to punish slow or inaccurate tackling
Everything points to a one-score game, and potentially another entry in the Rebels’ season-long collection of cardiac finishes.
Kickoff
UNLV vs Hawai‘i
Island Showdown - Ninth Island Rivalry
Friday, 7:30 p.m. PT
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
A rivalry.
A trophy.
A championship race.
A senior class closing a chapter.
The Island Showdown always brings emotion.
Tonight, it brings consequence.
