Falcons Snap UNLV's Three-Game Win Streak

Saturday, October 17

USAF Academy, CO

12:30 PM PT

University of Nevada Las Vegas

4-3 , 2-1

Air Force

5-1 , 3-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
UNLV	0	17	7	7	31
Air Force	3	10	7	21	41

10/17/2026 5:11:00 PM | Football

Box Score

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UNLVRebels.com) – In a battle of teams on three-game win streaks, Air Force (5-1/3-1) scored 21-straight points in the fourth quarter to rally past UNLV (4-3/2-1), 41-31, before a crowd of 23,636 at Falcon Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Rebels lost for the first time under head coach Dan Mullen when leading after the third quarter and for only the second time in the last 33 games overall when having the advantage entering the final quarter.

Jackson Arnold's second touchdown pass of the day to WR Kayden McGee gave UNLV a 24-20 lead in what was a back-and-forth affair for three periods. However, after the hosts regained the lead, 27-24, the Rebels fumbled after picking up a first down on the ensuring drive and the Falcons soon found the end zone to secure the momentum.

Air Force, which had lost the last two meetings in this series, improved to 10-3 all-time at home vs. UNLV, which suffered a rare road loss in conference play

Arnold finished 21-of-33 for 246 yards and led the team in rushing with 78 net yards on 13 carries, including a three-yard run into the end zone to close the scoring in the final minute. McGee grabbed five passes for 99 yards, including a 60-yard bomb at the start of the second quarter that gave his team an early 7-3 lead.

Sophomore reserve specialist Ethan Schwartz wowed the crowd with a school-record long 60-yard field goal to earn UNLV a 17-13 halftime lead. It was six yards longer than the previous best by a Rebel and just one yard short of the Mountain West record.

Senior safety Jake Pope led all tacklers with 15 while senior LB Cam Santee added a dozen. AFA QB Evan Medders was Air Force standout, rushing for 152 yards and three TDs on 18 attempts.

QUOTABLE:
"We didn't do a good enough job on either side of the ball. I think we had one defensive stop on the day. That's not good enough. You've got to be better, we've got to be more physical inside, we've got to tackle on the perimeter and be able to get off that field defensively. You have to flip it over the other side of the ball. You know that you need to be efficient. We talk about being efficient offensively. You can't have two turnovers, a minus-two turnover ratio, and expect to win a game against these guys."
-UNLV Head Coach Dan Mullen

STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV, which turned the ball over on downs after a long opening drive, threw an interception to go with the key fumble to lose the turnover battle 2-0.

NOTABLE:
-Senior star RB Jet Thomas became the fifth Rebel player in history to reach the 3,000-yard mark in career rushing yards as his 48 yards vs. AFA gave him exactly 3,000
-Thomas scored a three-yard TD to move him into a tie for fourth place at UNLV with Charles Williams with 34 career rushing scores
-UNLV played in its fifth different time zone in the first seven games of the season. The Rebels are the only team scheduled to play in that many time zones in 2026
-UNLV fell to 31-2 since the start of 2023 when leading after the third quarter, including 12-1 under Mullen
-Schwartz, a JC transfer who had only punted for UNLV before Saturday, shattered the school record with his 60-yard boot. A trio of Rebels shared the previous record of 54 yards: Nicolai Bornand (2014), Nick Garritano (twice in 1994) and Jim Cook (1988)
-UNLV only punted one time vs. AFA – and it came in the fourth quarter. The Rebels last went an entire game without punting in 1985

UP NEXT: UNLV will have the second of two bye weeks before hosting NIU on Halloween night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium and tickets are available at unlvtickets.com.