LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV (6-2/2-1) football lost a tight first-place battle with No. 17/19 Boise State (6-1/3-0), 29-24, before a record crowd of 42,228 fans Friday night at Allegiant Stadium.
 
The Rebels bolted to a 10-3 lead but the Broncos outscored the hosts 17-0 in the second quarter, powered by the lone turnover in the game, a Rebel interception that was converted into a touchdown right before halftime. It marked just the second time this season that UNLV allowed points off a turnover and the game was just the second in the Barry Odom era where the Rebels failed to grab an interception or fumble.
 
The Rebels regained the lead with a 14-3 third quarter but failed to score in the last period while the Broncos got a one-yard scoring run from Ashton Jeanty on fourth down with 12:38 remaining for the final points of the game.
 
Jeanty, who came in averaging a nation-leading 208 yards per game, was largely held in check, finishing with 128 net yards on 33 carries for a per-rush average of just 3.9 yards.
 
STAT OF THE GAME:
The crowd of 42,228 broke the school record set in 2002 when 42,075 were on hand at Sam Boyd Stadium to watch Wisconsin down UNLV. The previous high mark for a Rebel game at Allegiant Stadium was 35,193 vs. Iowa State in 2021.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Punter Marshall Nichols posted a season-best 50.5-yard average on four attempts, including a season-long 63-yarder. The junior ranks among the career leaders at both UNLV and in the Mountain West.
 
QUOTABLE:
"I want to say thank you to the city of Las Vegas and I want to say thank you to all the work that our marketing staff did as well as our athletic department. It took everybody to pull off an environment like tonight. That was a big-time game and was created not only because Boise State is a really good team, but because so is UNLV. It was two great teams going at each other.
 
"I figured it would come down to turnover margin and having to find a way to win in the fourth quarter. I am devastated for our team that we couldn't find a way to win that one. There are always reasons why you win a game or you lose one, and the takeaway that they created and then turned into points right at the end of the first half, we didn't play real well as a team, but our guys battled. There is no consolation. We lost the game, and I'm frustrated as a head coach that I couldn't get us in position to go win that.
 
"I think our bye week comes at a perfect time for what our team needs. We will get back to work, and we have to find a way to win in November. There is still a lot of things that we can attain, goal-wise as a program. I hate it that we didn't get that done but I know what college football can be in Vegas and I'm sure thankful for that."
-UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom
 
NOTABLE:
-When BSU converted a UNLV interception into a touchdown just before halftime, it marked just the second time this season that the Rebels allowed points off a turnover and still lead that stat overall, 71-14
-All-American WR Ricky White III's five catches moved him into fourth place at UNLV with 190 career receptions
-This marked the first time under Barry Odom that UNLV lost a game it led after the third quarter (14-1)
-UNLV held the high-powered BSU offense to just 3-of-15 on third downs but the Broncos converted all four of their fourth-down attempts
-UNLV and Boise State played each other in Las Vegas for the third consecutive meeting
-This was the fourth of five Friday games this season for UNLV
-Boise State improved to 10-3 vs. UNLV all-time
-UNLV QB Hajj-Malik Williams finished with 105 net rushing yards on 19 carries, including a touchdown run. He became just the third UNLV QB in history to have more than one century-mark game in a career, joining Armani Rogers (five) and Jason Thomas (three)
-Williams turned in the longest offensive play for UNLV this season with a scintillating 71-yard scamper on the first drive of the game
-Williams also connected on the second-longest pass play of the year for UNLV when he hit Casey Cain for a 50-yarder
-Tight end Kaleo Ballungay scored the first touchdown of the night on a nine-yard throw from Williams that marked the senior's third score of the season
-WR Jaden Bradley, who transferred to UNLV from Charlotte, scored his first touchdown as a Rebel with a 34-yard catch to give UNLV a 24-23 lead in the third quarter
-PK Caden Chittenden got UNLV on the board with a 28-yard field goal to cap the opening drive to give the rookie 18 made three-pointers on the year, which ranks fourth in the program's single-season history
-LB Jackson Woodard, who came in averaging 9.0 TT per game, finished with 14 vs. the Broncos
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UP NEXT: The Rebels will get their second bye week of the season before heading to play Hawai'i on Nov. 9 at 6 pm PT on CBS Sports Network. The next UNLV home game is Nov. 16 vs. San Diego State at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting UNLVTickets.com.