(Photo Credit - UNLV Athletics)
The Dan Mullen era at UNLV has opened with two very different kinds of victories. In Week 0, the Rebels survived a track meet against Idaho State, leaning on big runs and timely takeaways to escape their home opener. By Week 1, the same group displayed something closer to controlled aggression, cleaner quarterback play, suffocating third-down defense, and a pass rush that tilted the game early. At 2–0, UNLV has revealed both its vulnerabilities and its blueprint.
Week 0: Idaho State 31, UNLV 38 — Pure Survival
If there was ever a debut defined by chaos, it was this one.
Explosives and scores: Jai’Den Thomas ripped off touchdown runs of 39, 70, and 3 yards, accounting for 147 rushing yards on his own. Anthony Colandrea added a 9-yard TD pass to Daejon Reynolds in the fourth, and Alex Orji powered in from 11 yards out to cap the comeback. But the biggest offensive play of the night belonged to the Bengals, a 64-yard strike to Ian Duarte in the third that tied the game at 24.
Swing plays:
A first-quarter fumble by Orji at the ISU goal line killed a near-certain score.
Aamaris Brown’s interception at the UNLV 38 flipped the second quarter and set up Thomas’ 39-yard TD.
Laterrance Welch’s end-zone pick in the third erased an ISU scoring chance, sparking an eight-play, 93-yard drive capped by Thomas from three yards out.
In the fourth, after Idaho State took a 31–24 lead, Colandrea’s 9-yard TD to Reynolds tied the game. Moments later, Marsel McDuffie’s interception return to the ISU 20 set up Orji’s go-ahead TD run.
Welch struck again, intercepting at the 50 and returning it to the ISU 23. UNLV was unable to capitalize on the opportunity, missing a field goal and leaving points on the board.
A critical 4th-and-22 stop at the UNLV 44 late in the game by the UNLV defense preserved the lead and essentially put the UNLV in clock-draining mode.
Efficiency and red flags:
Offense went just 3-of-12 on third down and squandered red-zone trips with a pair of missed field goals.
Protection was shaky: three sacks for –31 yards allowed, all drive-killers.
The defense gave up several 20+ yard chunk plays, capped by the 64-yard touchdown.
Penalties piled up: 8 flags for 90 yards, many on defense.
Special teams: missed FG(s) highlighted early-season rust and execution gaps.
Hidden stats and culture notes:
Idaho State ran 83 plays to UNLV’s 63 and had the ball nearly five minutes longer. The Bengals had four drives of 70+ yards, including a 10-play, 75-yard march to tie the game late in the third.
Without four interceptions (Brown, Welch ×2, McDuffie), UNLV likely loses.
The Rebels showed resilience under chaos, responding to blown plays and turnovers with big runs, signaling the emergence of a “bend but don’t break” mentality.
The offensive line struggled early but adjusted in second-half drives, foreshadowing the need for cohesion as the season progresses.
Summary: UNLV survived because of turnovers and a run game averaging nearly seven yards a carry. However, the game exposed protection issues, discipline lapses, susceptibility to explosive plays, and red-zone inefficiency. Culture-wise, the team demonstrated mental toughness and the ability to respond to adversity.
Week 1: UNLV 38, Sam Houston 21 — Controlled Aggression
Six days later in Houston, the Rebels looked like a different team.
Early control: Colandrea set the tone immediately. On the opening drive, he connected with Jaden Bradley for a 43-yard touchdown. Later in the first quarter, he capped a 13-play, 75-yard march with a 3-yard score to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. The Rebels led 14–7 after one and never trailed.
Defensive statement: With the score 17–7 in the second, Aamaris Brown jumped a throw and sprinted 52 yards for a pick-six. That play blew the game open at 24–7, and Sam Houston never got closer than 18 again.
Complementary football:
Coming out of halftime, UNLV’s defense forced a three-and-out. Then the offense responded with a 5-play, 67-yard drive ending in a 3-yard Thomas TD run.
Shortly after, Colandrea added a 13-yard rushing touchdown to push the margin to 38–13.
The only blemishes: a 53-yard touchdown run and a 59-yard touchdown pass surrendered in the fourth, both with the game in hand.
Efficiency check:
Colandrea was nearly perfect: 19/23 for 249 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, plus the 13-yard rushing score. His long completion, 49 yards to Bradley, set up Thomas’ TD.
Bradley established himself as the go-to receiver with 6 catches, 125 yards, and the opening TD.
Offense finished 5-of-9 on third down and a flawless 4-for-4 in the red zone.
Defense throttled Sam Houston: 1-for-12 on third down, 1-for-3 in the red zone, four sacks (two by Brown, one each by Adeleye and Lee).
Penalties remained a concern: another 8 for 92 yards.
Hidden stats and culture notes:
UNLV ran 56 plays to Sam Houston’s 70, but the Rebels averaged 7.2 yards per snap compared to the Bearkats’ 4.7.
The defense got off the field: Sam Houston failed on five fourth-down tries, three of them in Rebel territory.
The Rebels demonstrated controlled aggression, showing improved discipline, execution, and situational awareness compared to Week 0.
The team culture is shifting from survival mode to assertive identity, with leaders like Colandrea, Thomas, and Brown driving accountability.
Summary: Week 1 was not survival. It was control — a defense dictating tempo, an offense staying on schedule, and a quarterback delivering on efficiency.
The Throughline: Two Weeks, Two Identities
Through two games, UNLV’s statistical profile shows exactly how Week 0 panic turned into Week 1 command.
Third downs: 25% (Idaho State) → 56% (Sam Houston)
Red zone: 57% (4/7) → 100% (4/4)
Sacks: Allowed 3, produced 1 → allowed 1, produced 4
Explosives allowed: 64-yard TD pass → 53-yard TD run, 59-yard TD pass
Turnovers: +4 in Week 0 → even in Week 1 (season total +4)
Penalties: 90 yards → 92 yards (still trending the wrong way)
Time of possession: 27:54 → 29:42 (slight improvement)
What It Really Tells Us
Quarterback play is stabilizing: Colandrea’s completion percentage jumped from 52% to 83%, and he cut down on turnover-worthy plays.
The run game remains the identity: Thomas has 4 rushing TDs already, and Keyvone Lee adds efficiency.
Explosives on defense are still a liability: Three touchdowns of 50+ yards allowed in two weeks could haunt them against better athletes.
Discipline is the glaring fix: Sixteen penalties in two weeks cost nearly 200 yards. Against Idaho State, it nearly killed them; against Sam Houston, it was masked by efficiency.
The defense thrives on negative plays: Nine TFLs and four sacks in Week 1 showed the potential of this front, especially with Adeleye and Brown flashing as edge disruptors.
Culture building: Week-to-week growth is evident: mental toughness in Week 0, assertive identity and execution in Week 1, signaling a rising team culture under Mullen.
Conclusion
The Week 0 win was survival: turnovers bailed out sloppy execution and a leaky defense. The Week 1 win was characterized by controlled aggression: a quarterback dealing, a pass rush dictating, and a defense forcing third-and-long situations. Together, the two games tell us UNLV has the talent to execute Mullen’s system, but penalties, protection, and explosive plays allowed remain live issues.
If the Rebels want to go from 2–0 to serious Mountain West contention, they’ll need more of Week 1’s efficiency and less of Week 0’s chaos. And with UCLA coming to Allegiant Stadium in Week 2, the margin for error shrinks. One more week of “survive” won’t cut it; the Rebels will need all the control and all the aggression they can muster.