UNLV football returned to Allegiant season for the first time this season, as the Rebels defeated the Utah Tech Trailblazers by a final score of 72-14, improving to 2-0 on the season.
The Rebels made history with their standout performance, scoring 72 points, the second most in school history, and racking up a record-breaking 698 total yards. Their balanced attack through the air and the ground marked one of the most remarkable games in Rebel history.
“It’s a great feeling. We had a good week of practice. It all comes down to preparation,” UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III said. “We felt good going into this week and did a lot of film study. We set a goal to get 70 points this week, and we executed that.”
As the game kicked underway, the Trailblazers opened it with an onside kick but quickly scooped up by the Rebels to give UNLV a great field position to start their first drive.
The Rebels would make a statement early, with UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka firing a missile downfield to wide receiver Jacob De Jesus for a 36-yard reception. The Rebels’ next snap resulted in running back Jai’den Thomas striding down the sideline and easily finding himself in the endzone for a 27-yard touchdown with just 1:06 into the game.
The Trailblazers didn’t waste any time, as Utah Tech quarterback Deacon Hill completed a 7-yard pass to Eric Olson. Two possessions later, Hall exposed the UNLV secondary and fired a strike to tight end Alec Burton for a 64-yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 with 12:57 left.
The Rebels’ next drive didn’t impress, as Sluka orchestrated another magnificent drive that resulted in a 5-yard touchdown pass to White.
After another successful drive from the Rebels, the Trailblazers opened up their second drive of the game with running back Bryce Harper rushing for a yard. Momentum halted for Utah Tech as UNLV secondary forced a three-and-out for the Trailblazers.
History continued to repeat itself as three possessions later resulted in Sluka throwing a 55-yard bullet to White for his second touchdown of the game with 7:33 left.
Sluka continued to make magic happen, finding White again in the endzone, completing a first-half hat trick to give the Rebels a 28-7 lead with 2:42 left in the first quarter.
The first quarter came to an end with a blocked punt by White.
White finished the game with three touchdowns on five receptions for 111 yards and a punt block.
Despite the great field position for UNLV, the Rebels eventually settled for a field goal, increasing the lead to 31-7 with 13:18 left in the second quarter.
After UNLV forced another punt, Sluka continued orchestrating his magic, completing another strike to White for 42 yards.
Just two plays later, Sluka showed off the run game and trotted his way into the endzone for another touchdown, giving the Rebels a 38-7 lead.
Midway through the second quarter, the Rebels continued their onslaught of offense, converting on two field goal attempts from kicker Caden Chittenden to put UNLV up 44-7.
The Trailblazers found a rhythm late in the second quarter with Hill executing a 55-yard drive, setting up a 37-yard field goal, but kicker Ilya Uvaydov shanked the kick left.
UNLV continued to capitalize on its time of possession, with quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams leading the Rebels to a scoring drive capped off by freshman running back Greg Burrell’s first collegiate touchdown to make the score 51-7 with 5:17 left.
Utah Tech got to double-digits on the scoreboard as Hill rallied his troops to a 75-yard scoring drive, delivering a strike to receiver Chris Street.
The fourth quarter was no different than the past three quarters as running back Timothy Conerly found himself in the endzone, diving to the left pylon to execute another score to put the Rebels up 58-14 with 13:08 left.
During UNLV’s drive with 10:59 remaining in the fourth quarter, running back Kylin James broke free, striding down the field for a 30-yard gain. The next drive saw quarterback Cameron Friel connect with Conerly for 30 yards. The Rebels would capitalize on the drive with a tush push touchdown from Friel to extend the lead to 65-14.
With 3:05 minutes to play, the Rebels would solidify a record-breaking drive as freshman running back Devin Green broke free for a 38-yard touchdown, making the score 72-14, tying the second most points in program history. The Trailblazers would run the ball as the time expired in Allegiant Stadium.
With the win, the Rebels move to 2-0 on the season and are set to go on the road to take on the ranked Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Sep. 13.
“Ultimately what we’re trying to do is control what we can control every single day, become as good as we can get,” UNLV head coach Barry Odom said. “If you prepare the right way, you’re going to have the freedom and the rhythm to play really well on Saturday. It all comes down to making sure we’re in a position to execute the game plan when the lights come on.”
