LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – In the first-ever meeting between the programs,
UNLV (4-2/2-0) shut out
North Dakota State (5-1/1-1) in the second half to remain in first place in the Mountain West with a hard-fought, 13-7 win before a crowd of 33,516 fans at Allegiant Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Having sprinted to a 5-0 start in their first season – including never having trailed -- on the FBS level, the Bison were turned away thanks to a home defense that posted a trio of interceptions, including one in the first quarter that was returned for a 23-yard touchdown by defensive lineman
Andre Porter. NDSU got its lone score with a 21-yard TD pass as the teams were tied 7-7 at halftime.
The only scoring of the second half came from the leg of UNLV kicker
Ramon Villela, who made good from 29 and then 24 yards out to push the lead to six.
With under two minutes left, the Bison drove to the Rebel 24-yard line before a
Dee Crayton sack led to an eventual second-and-27 when the NDSU QB was intercepted for the second time on the day by nickel
Mumu Bin-Wahad, who now leads the team with three picks on the year.
UNLV's star RB
Jet Thomas posted his 12th career 100-yard game with 112 yards on the ground on 22 attempts. WR
Kayden "Big Play" McGee led all players with 43 yards on three grabs while safety
Jake Pope paced the game with a dozen total tackles.
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Sophomore
Andre Porter, who is a Rebel legacy as the son of former UNLV defender Donnell Porter from the early 1990s, set the tone early with the monstrous pick-six and later added a pair of tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
QUOTABLE:
"What a great team win by our guys with the toughness coming through. It was a great football game against a very good football team. Give North Dakota State a lot of credit as they are an extremely physical group. They know how to win games and know how to win tough games. They (NDSU) are used to winning and we (UNLV) found a way to win that game at the end. I'm really proud of our team. You're talking about a game that could have gone either way again, with two great football teams battling right down to the end."
-UNLV Head Coach Dan Mullen
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV held NDSU to its fewest points scored in a game since 2014 and the seven points were the fewest allowed by the Rebels at home vs. a Mountain West opponent since shutting out Utah 27-0 on Sept. 22, 2007, at Sam Boyd Stadium.
NOTABLE:
-UNLV, which won its third straight game overall, moved to 7-2 at home under second-year head coach Dan Mullen
-The Rebels improved to 29-29 all-time in Homecoming games
-UNLV won its home-opening MW game for the fifth straight season
-UNLV improved to 31-1 since the start of 2023 when leading after the third quarter
-With his second-quarter pick, Rebel QB
Jackson Arnold saw his school-record streak of not throwing an interception to start a career end at 142 pass attempts. That total is also the third-longest at any point in a career by a Rebel QB
-
Peyton Zachary's 22-yard punt return in the third quarter was not only the rookie's longest but the longest for any Rebel since 2024
-NDSU played its first-ever game in the Silver State
-This marked the first time UNLV faced a league game vs. an opponent it had never played before since traveling to TCU during the Rebs' first year in the WAC in 1996
UP NEXT: UNLV will travel to Air Force next Saturday for a 12:30 pm PT game on CBS Sports Network.
