LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV's potential game-tying field goal attempt hit the right upright and allowed first-place San Diego State (7-1/4-1) to escape with a 20-17 win Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium.

The Rebels fell to 2-6 overall and 0-4 in Mountain West play after staging a second-half rally that finished just inches short. Kicker Daniel Gutierrez's miss from 42 yards, which had plenty of distance, came with just 37 seconds remaining and snapped his streak of six successful field goal attempts.

Aided by a blocked punt for a touchdown, the Aztecs sprinted to a 17-0 lead before UNLV freshman quarterback Kenyon Oblad found Randal Grimes for a 58-yard touchdown just before halftime. The teams traded field goals in the third quarter and Oblad hit tight end Gio Fauolo from two yards out with just under six minutes left to score what proved to be the final points of the game.

UNLV was in position to tie or win it late thanks to Oblad hitting Grimes for a 42-yard completion on a fourth-and-24 play.

STAT OF THE GAME:

UNLV started its eighth different quarterback in the last eight years vs. the Aztecs.

REBEL OF THE GAME:

Junior linebacker Ferrell Hester II out of Las Vegas finished with a team-high 11 total tackles, including 1.5 TFL to help limit SDSU's offense to just 13 points (along with a special teams score). The product of Bishop Gorman High School teamed with Montrice Johns to stop Juwan Washington one yard short of a first down to force a punt and set up the dramatic final drive by UNLV.

QUOTABLE:

"Real disappointed locker room over there. Got a lot opportunities in that game to close it out and win it…I'll say this -- really proud of my guys."

-UNLV Head Coach Tony Sanchez

REBEL NOTES:

-UNLV played at home for just the second time in the last 49 days

-This marked the second straight meeting between these teams that was decided by three points. UNLV won 27-24 last year in San Diego

-Charles Williams finished with 113 yards on 19 carries to post his fourth 100-yard game of the season and seventh of his career. The junior also moved up two spots on UNLV's career rushing yards list and now sits in eighth place with 1,981

-Randal Grimes turned in his first 100-yard receiving game as a collegian, finishing with 121 yards on five catches, including one touchdown. It marked the most receiving yards for a Rebel since Tyleek Collins had 170 at San Jose State Oct. 27, 2018

-Grimes caught a touchdown pass for the third straight game

-LB Rayshad Jackson picked up his second QB sack of the season on the first drive to force a SDSU punt. Jackson finished with a game-high 3 TFL

-Gabe McCoy also turned in his second sack of the season

-Kenyon Oblad threw at least two touchdown passes for the fourth consecutive game

-Randal Grimes caught a touchdown pass for the third straight game

-Senior CB Jericho Flowers brought in his fourth career interception on a key play in the fourth quarter. It marked UNLV's first pick of the season by anyone but Javin White. Flowers also had a fourth-quarter interception in UNLV's win at San Diego State last season

NEXT FOR THE REBELS:

UNLV heads to Colorado State for an afternoon meeting on Saturday starting at 12:30 pm PT. The Rebels' first visit to Canvas Stadium will be televised by AT&T SportsNet.