LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV (8-2/4-1) football beat San Diego State (3-7/2-3) in Las Vegas for the first time since 2017 with a 41-20 victory Saturday night before a crowd of 30,386 at Allegiant Stadium.
 
Second-year head coach Barry Odom improved to 17-7 at UNLV, which marked the first time a Rebel coach was at least 10 games over .500 at the school since Tony Knap retired after the 1981 season.
 
The Rebels, who would finish with 515 yards of offense, built a 21-0 lead in the second quarter and led 28-6 at halftime. The advantage ballooned to 29 points when quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams ran in his second score of the night to make it 35-6. Williams completed 20-of-29 pass attempts for 244 yards, which was his most as a Rebel. He also added a touchdown throw to tight end Kaleo Ballungay to open the scoring.
 
UNLV, which snapped a four-game losing skid to SDSU, won the turnover battle 2-1 powered by a pair of interceptions. Linebacker Jackson Woodard led all tacklers with 14, including 1.5 TFL, while safety Jalen Catalon added five takedowns to go with a QB sack and a pick.
 
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV scored six times in eight red-zone trips, including five touchdowns, while SDSU was only 1-of-2 inside the Rebel 20-yard line.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Senior captain Jacob De Jesus, who missed the previous seven quarters of play, returned in fine fashion, leading all players with 152 all-purpose yards. The wide receiver caught seven passes for a game-leading 75 yards through the air, rushed twice for 42 net yards on the ground and returned five punts for 35 yards, with a long of 14.
 
QUOTABLE:
"What a feeling to get this team to win number eight. That was the goal going into this week, to find a way to get to 1-0 this week and how important in the conference race it is and what we are trying to do and accomplish here as a program. We are now in a position to play another meaningful game in the month of November.
 
"I'm really proud of Hajj's efforts and Jackson's as well. I thought that some of the extended plays that Hajj made were big-time runs and a difference in the game. Woodard had 14 tackles and continues to have an All-American run in the way he approaches things and the way he plays. Hajj is one of the elite players, not only in our conference, but in all of college football in what he's done since he took over. It's fun to win when you are at home and now with the quick turnaround, we will get ready for San Jose State."
-UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom
 
NOTABLE:
-Cameron Oliver's first-quarter interception was his second of the season and the 12^th of his career, which ranks fourth in UNLV history
-Jalen Catalon's second-quarter interception was his team-leading fifth of the season
-Jet Thomas' four-yard scoring run on fourth down in the second quarter marked his 19^th touchdown as a Rebel in just his second season
-This marked Barry Odom's first game coaching SDSU as these teams did not face each other in 2023, which broke a 24-year streak of the regional rivals playing
-UNLV has faced SDSU more than any other original Mountain West program (33 times)
-SDSU's only trip into UNLV territory in the first half came after a blocked punt, which was the first against the Rebels since 2022
-WR Ricky White III continued to make his case for MW Special Teams Player of the Year honors by thwarting an early Aztec fake punt with an open-field tackle
-Las Veqas product Caden Chittenden scored 11 points and his two made field goals gave him 22 on the season, which tied the Mountain West single-season record by a freshman set by Matt Araiza of SDSU in 2019

UP NEXT: The Rebels will close out their regular-season road schedule with a trip to San Jose State on Friday. Kickoff on FS1 is set for 7 p.m. The Rebels' home finale vs. UNR is Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. and tickets are available by visiting UNLVTickets.com.