The UNLV Rebels defeated the Oregon State Beavers by a final score of 33-25 on the road in Corvallis, Oregon, inside Reser Stadium Saturday night.
With the win, the Rebels move to an overall record of 6-1 on the season while maintaining an undefeated record of 4-0 on the road this year.
ROAD WARRIORS
UNLV has now found wins this season at Houston, Kansas, Utah State, and, after this victory, Oregon State.
The Rebels spread the ball around the offense during the game, both in the air and on the ground.
UNLV starting quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams tallied a final stat line of 196 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception on 15 completions out of 27 attempts.
Williams also added 13 rushes for 65 yards and two touchdowns for an average of five yards per carry in the win.
Ricky White III was targeted 14 times in the passing attack and successfully reeled in nine catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
White also continued to show that he is an elite special teams talent, blocking his third punt of the season at the end of the first half to set UNLV up in field goal range.
Rebel head coach Barry commented on what it means to have someone as reliable as White in multiple parts of the game,
“A lot of big-time plays tonight, that blocked punt. Ricky White, again, I can’t say enough great things about our special teams unit guys created that moment, that momentum play there; Ricky did a great job again on his get-off, read the blocking scheme exactly right, and got his hand on the play. And then that turned into offense.”
Jacob De Jesus also found success in Saturday’s game with four catches for 71 yards while returning multiple kick returns and punts for significant yardage.
On the ground, the Rebels rushed for 188 yards and Jai’den Thomas and Kylin James shouldered the load for the go-go offense with 23 carries and 104 total yards between the two.
UNLV has two remaining road trips on the season as they look to finish undefeated in the regular season in stadiums.
LEADING THE NATION
Before this season started, many college football fans would not have predicted the Rebels to lead the nation in multiple prominent statistical categories. However, that is precisely where the Scarlet and Grey find themselves after their win over the Beavers.
According to the NCAA, the Rebels sit tied with the James Madison Dukes with a plus-12 turnover margin and an average of two per game at the top of college football in that category.
Additionally, the Rebels are tied nationally with California and Minnesota, with 13 opponent interceptions this season, and the Rebel defense continues to cause problems for opposing quarterbacks in the secondary.
While UNLV did not force an interception during the game on Saturday, they did force one turnover as Cameron Oliver came up with a forced fumble recovery after ripping the ball out of the hands of Beaver running back Anthony Hankerson deep in Oregon State territory to set up a Rebel touchdown.
While UNLV did not force any turnovers off of passes from Oregon State quarterback Gevani McCoy, they did hold the sixth-best rushing offense in the country, according to ESPN, to only six total rushing yards in the second half and a 38 percent third-down completion percentage throughout the game.
If the Rebel defense continues to produce takeaways in crucial moments, that may be the difference between winning and losing big games down the road this season.
BOWL BOUND
For the first time in program history, the UNLV Rebels are bowl-game-eligible for the second consecutive season.
Since taking over the head coaching position, Barry Odom has transformed the culture of UNLV football and continues to produce wins in big moments for the Rebels.
When asked about the significance of this accomplishment after the game, Odom stated,
“If you can accomplish something that’s never been done as a team or program, I want to celebrate that. So we spent a little longer talking to her team afterward about what they’ve done to put us in this position. I’m so proud of them and happy about what they do every day, and I’m happy to get some reward for that. It takes everybody to win, and it’s really hard, and I’m thankful for them every single day, the things they pour into our student-athletes.”
Many impactful players in this year’s offensive and defensive scheme have followed Odom to the Rebels like Jackson Woodard and Jalen Catalon, who sit tied for the Mountain West lead in interceptions with four a piece.
Odom has also amassed an overall record of 15-6 as the leader of the UNLV program after the Rebels finished 7-23 combined in the 2020-2022 seasons.
As the Rebels look to continue winning and set up a chance to play in the newly modified college football playoff, they will also look to find their first bowl win since they defeated Arkansas in the year 2000 31-14 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
UP NEXT
Coming up next, the Rebels will have a rematch of the 2023 Mountain West Conference Championship against the nationally ranked Boise State Broncos at Allegiant Stadium on Friday, Oct. 25, at 7:30 PST.
The game will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network.
