EVANSTON, Ill. (UNLVRebels.com) – Playing at Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern (1-1) for the first time since 1998, UNLV football (1-2) saw three costly turnovers quell the team's upset bid in a 30-14 loss Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field.
 
The Rebels used two Charles Williams touchdown runs to take a 14-10 lead in the first half and trailed by two points at halftime as the Wildcats answered by hitting two of their three field goals on the day. Williams ran for 132 yards on 12 carries in the first half alone but only gained 12 yards on four attempts after the break as Northwestern made adjustments to stop the junior standout.
 
UNLV was still in the game when it missed a 38-yard field goal attempt that would have shaved the Wildcat lead to six points with 10 minutes remaining.
 
The Rebels were led defensively by linebacker Rayshad Jackson who had 11 total tackles (seven solo) and three pass breakups.
 
TURNING POINT:
UNLV faced a third-and-one at its own 29-yard line while trailing 16-14 in the third quarter. The Wildcats stopped the drive short, forced a punt and two plays later hit a 50-yard touchdown pass to capture the second-half momentum.
 
STAT OF THE GAME:
All three of UNLV's turnovers – two fumbles and one interception – came on first down.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Charles Williams has opened the season with three consecutive 100-yard rushing days, which doubles his career total to six.
 
QUOTABLE:
"I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win the game. It comes down to turnovers and they just killed us today."
-UNLV Head Coach Tony Sanchez
 
REBEL NOTES:
-UNLV made just its second trip to Evanston (1998) and fell to 0-3 all-time vs. the Wildcats and 2-16 vs. teams that currently make up the Big Ten Conference
-UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers completed 16 of 26 attempts for 120 yards to eight different receivers but was sacked five times
-With his 57 net yards rushing, Rogers became UNLV's career leader for rushing yards by a quarterback. He broke Jason Thomas' record of 1,528 set in 2000-02
-UNLV finally got its first interception of the season when Javin White snagged one in the end zone in the first half. It was the senior's seventh career pick after leading the team with four in 2018
 
NEXT FOR THE REBELS:
UNLV will have the week off before opening Mountain West play with a trip to Wyoming on September 28.