Courtesy of UNLV
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – No. 21/21 UNLV (10-2/6-1) rolled over in-state rival UNR (3-10/0-7) 38-14 before 40,122 fans at Allegiant Stadium Saturday night to post the program’s first 10-win season in 40 years.
With the win, the Rebels earned a spot in the 2024 Old Trapper Mountain West Football Championship Game vs. Boise State on Friday at 5 p.m. PT, marking a rematch of the 2023 game staged in Las Vegas.
After honoring 29 players during Senior Night festivities, UNLV jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead and cruised to its third straight win vs. the Wolf Pack in what was the 50th all-time Battle for the Fremont Cannon. UNLV also earned three points in the Silver State Series presented by America First Credit Union.
Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams ran for 104 yards and a touchdown and threw for 168 and two more scores while Jai’Den Thomas posted 135 yards and a TD to lead a potent rushing attack that ended with 351 net yards on the ground as part of 519 yards of total offense.
Jacob De Jesus closed his regular season with a team-leading six receptions for 84 yards as part of his 121 all-purpose total. All-American WR Ricky White III‘s five catches for 55 yards allowed him to become the first UNLV player in history to post two 1,000-yard receiving yards seasons in a career.
LB Jackson Woodard scored the first touchdown of his career by recovering a fumble in the end zone and added six total tackles, two TFL and one pass breakup to bolster his All-America-level season.
The Rebel defense finished with six sacks and 12 tackles-for-loss as a team while Cameron Oliver hauled in his 13th career interception, which ranks fourth all-time at the school.
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV reached double digits in victories for only the third time in history (12-1 in 1974 as part of Division II, and 11-2 1984).
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Hajj-Malik Williams completed 14-of-21 attempts for 168 yards and averaged 10.4 yards on 10 rushes to lead the ultra-efficient offense. He threw at least one score and ran for at least one score in the same game for the seventh time in his nine starts as a Rebel. He also became just the second Rebel signal-caller to post four 100-yard rushing games in a career – in just one season.
QUOTABLE:
“Thrilled for our seniors, our team, our university, athletics department and the city of Las Vegas. To get 10 wins in college football is really hard to do. It speaks volumes about the leadership of our football team with our players, their toughness, their resolve, the willingness to continue to work, and everything we put out in front of them they have tried with everything they had to go achieve it. It creates other opportunities and now, in a short week, we know what’s at stake, and certainly excited about getting back in back-to-back years in the Mountain West Championship game.”
-UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom
NOTABLE:
-With the second-largest crowd to watch the Rebels play at Allegiant Stadium, UNLV shattered its all-time home attendance mark by averaging 32,202 over six games. The previous record was 29,281 in six games in 2007
-This marks only the third time UNLV has won at least three straight over its in-state rival and first time since 2000-04
-This marked the 14th meeting between the Rebels and Wolf Pack to close a regular season
-With head coach Barry Odom improving to 9-4 at home, UNLV upped its mark to 14-14 all-time at Allegiant Stadium
-UNLV won the turnover battle 2-1 to improve to plus-14 in turnover margin on the year
-The Rebels have created at least one turnover in 24 of 26 games under defensive coordinator Michael Scherer
–Ricky White III scored his 23rd career receiving touchdown at UNLV, which ranks third in school history. He has 11 on the year to tie Sam Greene for second in single-season history
-Punter Marshall Nichols blasted a career-long 79-yard punt that marked the second-longest in UNLV history, trailing only a 91-yard boot by Brad Faunce – also in a home win against UNR — in 1994 at Sam Boyd Stadium
-Las Veqas product Caden Chittenden kicked a first-half field goal, his 25th of the season, to pull within one make of tying the UNLV season record set by First Team All-American Jose Pizano just last season.
UP NEXT: The Rebels head to Boise State for the league’ championship Friday. The game will be televised by FOX with kickoff set for 5 p.m. PT.
