LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV (9-4/6-2) football made its first-ever appearance in a Mountain West Championship and even earned hosting duties but fell 44-20 to surging Boise State (8-5-4/6-2) Saturday afternoon.
 
Allegiant Stadium drew 31,473 fans, which was a record for a Mountain West Championship game, besting the 31,362 that attended the first such game at Fresno State in 2013.
 
The early part of the matchup was a back-and-forth affair as both teams scored 14 points in the first quarter (plus 10 seconds of the second). UNLV's touchdowns came on a five-yard rush from Vincent Davis Jr. and then a thrilling 47-yard interception return by linebacker Fred Thompkins to even things up.
 
Boise, however, converted two Rebel turnovers into 10 points en route to taking a 31-17 halftime lead and then limited the hosts to three points after the break.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Groza Award Finalist Jose Pizano turned in another perfect kicking performance, making both of his extra points and blasting a pair of long field goals – 51 yards and 46 yards. The All-America candidate extended his school record for field goals in a season with 25 out of 27 attempts. His eight points vs. Boise State also moved him third place in Mountain West history for kicking points with 127 on the season.
 
STAT OF THE GAME:
All-America wide receiver candidate Ricky White III had a big first half, catching six passes for 86 yards, allowin him to break one of the oldest major records left in the UNLV record book. His 1,386 yards moved him past Jim Sandusky, who had 1,346 way back in 1981. White now has 81 receptions on the season, putting him in fourth place at the school and seven shy of Ryan Wolfe's 88 posted in 2008.
 
QUOTABLE:
"I want to thank Vegas, it was a great environment. When we walked in, you felt it, we felt it even pulling into the stadium, and that's what this place is going to be. I hate that we came up short, but we're going to be back in this arena, and that's the standard. That's what one of our goals will be every single year. I'm thankful for our coaching staff and our administration, and these players are a heck of a crew."
-UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom
 
NOTABLE:
-White looked destined to extend his school record for consecutive 100-yard receiving games to six, but was blanked in the second half after a strong start
-Safety Johnathan Baldwin led all tacklers with 12, including one TFL
-Team tackle leader Jackson Woodard added nine stops to give him 113 on the season, and got two TFL and his team's lone sack on the day
-Fred Thompkins' pick-six marked UNLV's 14th interception of the season but the first this season that went back for a score
-True freshman WR DeAngelo Irvin Jr. made his first two receptions as a Rebel for 42 yards. He became the 17th different UNLV player to catch at least one pass this season
-First Team All-MW kick returner Jacob De Jesus had a big day, turning in a 50-yard and a 33-yard kickoff return en route to a MW Championship record 181 total. Throw in his 55 receiving yards and five punt return yards and he finished with a whopping total of 250 all-purpose yards vs. the Broncos
-Punter Marshall Nichols continued his stellar season, averaging 53.3 yards on three attempts, including a long of 57 yards
-UNLV finished 5-2 at Allegiant Stadium in 2023, which represented the most home wins since going 6-0 in 2000
-While the Rebels were playing in their first MW title game, it actually marked the second one to be staged in Las Vegas as the pandemic year of 2020 saw San Jose State down Boise State 34-20 at now-shuttered Sam Boyd Stadium when SJSU could not host in northern California
 
NEXT FOR THE REBELS:
UNLV will be bowling for the first time in a decade and its destination will be announced at midday on Sunday. Tickets will be available by calling (702) 739-FANS or visiting UNLVTickets.com.