AKRON, Ohio (UNLVRebels.com) – Playing at
Akron (1-3/0-0) for the first time since the nation's Bicentennial,
UNLV (2-2/1-0) got its mojo back on both sides of the ball with a 38-10 win in front of 5,607 at InfoCision Stadium early Saturday.
The Rebels' only other visit to Akron came in the 1976 NCAA Division II playoffs but this result was much different as
Jet Thomas scored three total touchdowns and the defense shined for most of the game after the Zips scored a touchdown on the very first drive of the game, including tossing a second-half shutout.
Quarterback
Jackson Arnold tossed a trio of scores in 17-of-29 passing for 290 yards.
Taz Reddicks became UNLV's first 100-yard receiver this season with 116 yards on just four catches, including a 59-yard bomb.
Former Holy Cross transfer linebacker
Cam Santee, who graduated from a nearby high school in Avon, Ohio, paced the Rebels with 10 total tackles and grabbed his first interception as a Rebel. That was one of three for the visitors, as
Tre Fulton grabbed one in the first half and
Mumu Bin-Wahad returned his pick 35 yards for the game's final score. The Rebel defense recorded three sacks on the day, including one by Fulton, while the o-line gave up zero.
REBEL OF THE GAME:
Star RB Jet Thomas moved into a third-place tie at the school with Tim Cornett with 38 career touchdowns en route to posting his 11th- career 100-yard rushing game with 113 yards on 15 carries. Two of his three TDs came through the air as he caught a 40-yard score and then a two-yarder as UNLV took a 14-7 lead and never looked back.
QUOTABLE:
"I came in at the half and (Arkon) had 17 first downs in the first half. We were playing good defense, and yet no one was making a play. We had a tip and a pick to stop one drive, we had a holding penalty on them that stopped a drive, and we had a fourth down stop to stop a drive, instead of us just slamming the door on them. But we had guys come in the second half not just bringing pressure, but also guys getting home, the defensive front getting home and creating pressure, which we weren't getting in the first half. They're a very good football team when they get it rolling in their run game and RPOs. That's their strength. But as soon as we got a lead and we started slamming the door, not giving up the five- and six-yard runs, now they become a pass team, and it was great to see guys make plays when Akron had to become a pass team."
-UNLV Head Coach Dan Mullen
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV has now won two straight games played in the Eastern Time Zone after dropping its first 14 all-time such trips. The Rebels downed Miami in Oxford just last season for their first ET victory.
NOTABLE:
--UNLV scored more than 21 points for the first time this season and first time since downing UNR 42-17 on Nov. 29, 2025
--The Rebels finished plus-three in turnovers just two weeks after being minus-four in the category during a loss at North Texas
--Backup punter
Ethan Schwartz saw his first action as a Rebel and averaged 51.7-yards on three attempts, including a 60-yarder
-UNLV was playing a third-straight road game for the first time in a dozen years
--The Rebels played in their fourth time zone in the first four games of a season for the first time ever
--UNLV won a game in the state of Ohio for the second straight campaign and improved to 5-4 all-time vs teams from the state
--The Rebels are now 9-6 vs. teams from the Mid-American Conference at the time of the game
--UNLV has now won seven of its last eight games played on the road vs. non-conference opponents
--The 50 years between meeting the Zips shattered the school record for time between games with an opponent. The former record was 44 years vs. Jackson State (1974 to 2018).
UP NEXT: UNLV will finally be back at Allegiant Stadium when it hosts Cal from the ACC on Saturday at 12:30 pm PT. The game will be shown nationally by CBS Sports Network.
