The UNLV Football team is seeking to build on their recent close victory, having defeated the Idaho State Bengals 38-31 in Vegas. They will face the Sam Houston Bearkats in Huntsville Texas, who also opened their season in Week 0 with a loss to Western Kentucky, ending 41-24. Both teams are still in the process of finding their identity early in the season, as they were heavily reshaped through the transfer portal during the offseason. UNLV has just two returning starters, while Sam Houston has none on defense.
Both teams struggled defensively in their season openers, with UNLV allowing 555 yards and Sam Houston conceding 506 total yards. Despite UNLV’s defensive challenges, their offense performed solidly against Idaho State. The Rebels amassed 532 yards of total offense, led by quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who threw for 195 yards, one touchdown, and rushed for 93 yards.
Colandrea and the UNLV offense carried this momentum into their game against Sam Houston, where they found success in Dan Mullen’s offense in the first half. The Rebels recorded 238 total yards, resulting in 24 points. At halftime, Colandrea boasted an impressive 210.2 QB rating, completing 13 of 16 passes for 167 yards and throwing two touchdown passes.
The main question heading into the game for UNLV was how the defense would respond after a disappointing performance the week before. In the first half, the defense limited Sam Houston to just 112 yards of total offense and allowed only seven points on the Bearkats’ opening drive. Additionally, the scarlet and gray secured their first pick-six of the season from Aamaris Brown, marking his second interception of the year, which gave the Rebels a 24-7 lead.
The Rebels maintained their momentum on offense early in the second half. On their first offensive drive, they executed a 5-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. This included a noteworthy 49-yard pass to Jaden Bradley, which set up a 3-yard touchdown run by Jia’den Thomas.
Anthony Colandrea was exceptional both in the air and on the ground. He had 6 rushing attempts for 23 yards, including a 13-yard rushing touchdown. In the passing game, he completed 19 of 23 attempts for 249 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and achieving a QBR of 193.5.
Another performance worth noting on offense is receiver Jaden Bradley. Bradley finished the night with 6 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Despite the offense maintaining its momentum, the defense did allow some significant plays against Sam Houston. One notable play was a 53-yard rushing touchdown by Landon Brown early in the fourth quarter. Later in the same quarter, Mabrey Mettauer connected with Tim Burns Jr. on a short pass that turned into a 59-yard touchdown.
UNLV’s lead was cut to 17 points, but the defense rallied late in the game, showing no signs of giving the Bearkats any hope. Overall, the defense made great strides compared to last week, allowing only 332 total yards. Additionally, they recorded four sacks, with two coming from Aamaris Brown.
UNLV showed significant improvement in situational play, particularly in the red zone and on third downs, compared to the previous week. Last week, they went 4 for 7 in the red zone against Idaho, while tonight they were perfect, finishing 4 for 4. They were also better on third downs, converting 4 of 8 opportunities, compared to 5 of 13 last week.
These results leads to a 38-21 victory for the Rebels.
Moving forward, the team aims to build on its progress and strives for their third consecutive win against a Big Ten opponent, the UCLA Bruins, at Allegiant Stadium next Saturday. The last time the Rebels faced UCLA was in 2016 when they traveled to Pasadena, California, for the Rose Bowl and lost 42-21.
Make sure to stay tuned on Vegas Sports Today for all UNLV Football coverage throughout the season.
