SAN JOSE, Calif. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV (4-2/2-1) football team saw its three-game win streak snapped, 40-7, at San Jose State (4-1/2-0) Friday night before 16,669 fans at CEFCU Stadium.
 
The Rebels, who have not won in this city since 1993 when both teams were members of the Big West Conference, lost starting quarterback Doug Brumfield to injury near the end of the first quarter. Cameron Friel, last year's Mountain West Freshman of the Year, came off the bench and completed his first seven pass attempts but could not rally the Rebels as the Spartans took a 23-0 halftime lead and never looked back.
 
In the third quarter, Friel found Senika McKie from 14 yards out to mark the wide receiver's first touchdown as a Rebel and get their team on the board. Friel ended up completing 15-of-22 attempts for 153 yards.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Super Senior LB Austin Ajiake, who is from nearby Fremont and came in leading the team in tackles, again led the way with a game-high 13 takedowns, including two sacks.
 
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV was 0-5 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down in the first half while the Spartans built a big lead. The Rebs finished 4-of-12 on third down.
 
QUOTABLE:
"We've got to do a better job, hands down…To not play the way we've played is something we've really got to look at. Our identity tonight wasn't what we have been."
-UNLV Head Coach Marcus Arroyo
 
"This isn't how we envisioned the game going, but I don't want to just leave it at that. I want to find a way for us to turn this into a positive. We can learn from this. We've still got a lot of games left, it's a long season. We're not where we want to go and where we know we can be, but we know we can get there."
-Senior Linebacker Austin Ajiake
 
REBEL NOTES:
-UNLV recorded four quarterback sacks to bring its season total to 16 through six games after having 22 all of last season
-Brumfield, who entered the game leading the conference with 273 offensive yards a game, left with an injury after completing 1-of-6 pass attempts for eight yards
-UNLV was shut out in a half for the first time since the 2021 season finale at Air Force, which also came in the first half
-Marcus Arroyo returned to his alma mater as a head coach for the second time (2020). He is the third head coach in UNLV history to face his alma mater while leading the Rebels (Bill Ireland and Tony Knap). Arroyo, who also coached at SJSU, lettered three times at quarterback for the Spartans between 1998-2002
 
NEXT FOR THE REBELS:
UNLV celebrates Homecoming by hosting Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling (702) 739-FANS or visiting UNLVtickets.com. The game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network.