LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV (6-0/2-0) became bowl-eligible for a third straight season for the first time in history with a wild 51-48 win over Air Force (1-5/0-4) on Saturday afternoon before 32,932 fans at Allegiant Stadium.
 
The four-hour, 15-minute affair featured a stunning 11 lead changes as UNLV downed Air Force at home for the first time since 2012.
 
The Rebels, who are 6-0 for the first time since 1974, scored 38 points in the second half and still needed to watch the Falcons miss a 40-yard field goal attempt as time expired. UNLV, which scored on every possession after halftime, trailed by four with 1:13 remaining but marched right down field for the go-ahead touchdown on a 19-yard run into the end zone by quarterback Anthony Colandrea. The transfer from Virginia rushed for 62 net yards and a pair of TDs while completing 20-of-32 passes for 361 yards, including a stunning 86-yard scoring strike to DaeDae Reynolds.
 
Wide receiver Jaden Bradley caught three passes for 73 yards and tossed a 16-yard touchdown to tight end Var'Keyes Gumms. Ramon Villela nailed all three of his field goal attempts as part of his career-high 13-point day. Running back Jet Thomas netted 88 yards on the ground and 58 through the air on a career-high six receptions. His 51-yard sprint to the end zone gave his team a 44-41 lead with under five minutes remaining. Defensive back Andrew Powdrell led all tacklers with 13 to lead four Rebels with double-digit takedowns.
 
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Anthony Colandrea overcame a rough start to complete 65-percent of his passes and throw for the 19th-most yards in a game by a Rebel and the most since Max Gilliam threw for 387 at San Jose State in 2018. The junior also coolly led his team to the winning score with under a minute to go, capped by his own TD run.
 
STAT OF THE GAME:
The teams combined for 65 total points in the second half, including UNLV's five touchdowns and one field goal.
 
QUOTABLE:
"Heck of a team win. So proud of our team. I want to give Air Force a lot of credit. That's a really good football team. They were 1-4 coming in, but had only been outscored by eight points or something on the season. Every game has come down to the wire. We knew they were an explosive offense and that we were going to have to score. Yards were 603 to 597. It was a back-and-forth game and could have gone either way. Heck of a football game. But so proud of our guys."
-UNLV Head Coach Dan Mullen
 
NOTABLE:
--As part of the Homecoming festivities, UNLV honored its 2000 Las Vegas Bowl champion squad during its 25th anniversary. Those Rebels downed Arkansas 31-14 at Sam Boyd Stadium behind legendary head coach John Robinson
--UNLV's win streak, which includes a victory over Cal in the LA Bowl to cap 2024, is only bested by a 12-game streak in 1974 and eight-game bursts in 1968 and 1975-76
--The 99 points scored were the most in a UNLV-AFA game (82 in 1996) and the 51 by the Rebs alone bested a 42-39 win over the Falcons in 2006
--The 51 points marked the 27th in history that UNLV reached 50 in a game
--UNLV recovered an AF fumble on the opening drive of the second half, which improved the Rebels to plus-nine in turnovers on the season
--The 86-yard pass play by UNLV was the longest in school history vs. a conference opponent and the third-longest for the Rebels overall, behind a 94-yarder in 2017 at Idaho and an 87-yarder in 1977 vs. NAU
--Jet Thomas' long score moved him into a tie with Mack Gilchrist (1968-71) in fifth place on the UNLV career rushing touchdown list with 25
--Dan Mullen is just the second coach to start his UNLV career 5-0, joining original head man Bill Ireland in the inaugural season of 1968  
--The Rebels have won two consecutive meetings vs. the Falcons, who still lead the all-time series 18-8
 
UP NEXT: Undefeated UNLV heads to a showdown at Boise State next Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network. The Rebels are next at home on November 1 vs. New Mexico with a noon kickoff. Tickets are available at unlvtickets.com.