LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV football (2-8/0-6) wasted a tremendous defensive effort in a 21-7 loss at the hands of Hawai'i (7-4/4-3) Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium.
 
The third Ninth Island Showdown sponsored by the California Hotel saw the Rebels put up the only points of the first quarter with a 31-yard Kenyon Oblad touchdown pass to Darren Woods Jr. The game was tied at 7 in the third quarter when the Rainbow Warriors took the lead for the first time with a defensive score.
 
UNLV's Jericho Flowers had two interceptions and dropped another potential pick -- all part of three first-quarter turnovers forced by the home team, which also added a goal-line stand and a blocked field goal attempt on the day.
 
THE TURNING POINT:
With the game all knotted at 7 and less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Hawai'i CB Cortez Davis grabbed an interception and rumbled 43 yards into the end zone to swing all momentum to the visitors.
 
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV forced more turnovers in the first quarter – three – than its previous 12 quarters combined.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Senior CB Jericho Flowers hauled in the fifth and sixth career interceptions of his career, leading to the benching of Hawaii's starting quarterback.
 
QUOTABLE:
"We'll continue to grow. I think the biggest thing now is, our guys continuing to show up to work and doing the things that they've done every single day to get themselves prepared. It was a team that had a lot of energy and they played with it so I'm proud of them for that … These guys work extremely hard and you want something good to happen for them so we got a couple more in front of us and try to keep our head down and keep working."
-UNLV Head Coach Tony Sanchez
 
REBEL NOTES:
-Former UNLV receiving great Devante Davis served as the UNLV Honorary Captain for #SBSFarewell, representing all of the players of the 2010s decade
-Kickoff temperature was 79 degrees on a gorgeous mid-November day in Southern Nevada
-This marked Hawaii's first win in Las Vegas since 2007 and was just the second time in the last 11 years that the visiting team won in this series (UNLV in Honolulu in 2016)
-A year after Hawai'i benched starter Cole McDonald for Chevan Cordeiro in the second half vs. the Rebels, UH this time benched Corderio in favor of McDonald in the second quarter. Both changes were successful as the Warriors came back to win the games
-With the score tied at 7, defensive lineman Montrice Johns blocked a 35-yard UH field goal attempt, marking the second time the former JC transfer has tipped a ball in his two seasons (vs. PVAMU in 2018)
-Kenyon Oblad saw his school-record tying streak of throwing at least two touchdown passes snapped at five. Only he and Omar Clayton (2008) have pulled off the feat
-Randal Grimes did not record a reception for the first time as a Rebel and snapped his four-game streak of catching a touchdown
-UNLV forced three turnovers in a game for the first time since also snagging three vs. UNR in the 2018 season finale
-Darren Woods' 31-yard catch and run into the end zone was the ninth score of his career
-UH came in with the conference's top two scoring receivers but it was QB McDonald who scored both of his team's offensive TDs with a pair of short rushes
 
NEXT FOR THE REBELS:
UNLV will close out its 49th and final season at Sam Boyd Stadium by hosting San Jose State next Saturday starting at 1 p.m.