Idaho State Bengals at UNLV Rebels
· NCAA - Football
Jai'Den Thomas scores 3 TDs and UNLV holds off Idaho State 38-31 in Dan Mullen's debut as coach
After winning 11 games in 2024, UNLV is starting over with only two returning starters and a new coach. Mullen, 103-61 in 13 seasons at Mississippi State and Florida, picked up the 12th season-opening win of his career.
Thomas gained 147 yards on 10 carries and Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea threw for 195 yards to go with 93 yards rushing.
The Rebels trailed 31-24 in the fourth quarter and struggled to put the game away even after their defense intercepted Idaho State's Jordan Cooke on back-to-back drives in the fourth.
After Colandrea's 9-yard touchdown pass to Daejon Reynolds tied it at 31, UNLV cashed in one interception with Michigan transfer quarterback Alex Orji's 11-yard scramble for a score on a fourth-and-one play. Now leading 38-31, the Rebels intercepted Cooke again, but Ramon Villela missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.
Idaho State drove to the UNLV 32 but Cooke was called for intentional grounding while he was being sacked for a loss of 11 yards. On fourth-and-22, Quandarius Keyes broke up a pass to seal the win for the Rebels.
Cooke finished 30-for-50 passing for 380 yards with one touchdown but he threw three of Idaho State's four interceptions.
Thomas, one of the two returning starters for the Rebels (the other is linebacker Marsel McDuffie) erased ta 10-0 deficit with second-quarter touchdown runs of 39 and 70 yards but Idaho State led 17-14 at halftime after Dason Brooks scored on a 27-yard run with two minutes left in the half.
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How To Watch
How can I watch Idaho State Bengals vs. UNLV Rebels?
- TV Channel: Bengals at Rebels 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on MWN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
FG | 1st Period 11:14 | Trajan Sinatra 26 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 1st Period 5:49 | Jordan Cooke 15 Yd pass from Michael Shulikov (Trajan Sinatra Kick) |
 |
TD | 2nd Period 10:34 | Jai'Den Thomas 39 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 7:12 | Jai'Den Thomas 70 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 2:06 | Dason Brooks 27 Yd Run (Trajan Sinatra Kick) |
|
TD | 3rd Period 11:57 | Jai'Den Thomas 3 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick) |
|
FG | 3rd Period 6:00 | Ramon Villela 26 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 4:15 | Ian Duarte 64 Yd pass from Jordan Cooke (Trajan Sinatra Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 13:40 | Dason Brooks 2 Yd Run (Trajan Sinatra Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 11:26 | Daejon Reynolds 9 Yd pass from Anthony Colandrea (Ramon Villela Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 8:51 | Alex Orji 11 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick) |
Statistics
 IDST |
 UNLV |
|
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1st Downs | 25 |
| 5-13 | 3rd down efficiency | 3-12 |
| 1-3 | 4th down efficiency | 1-1 |
| 555 | Total Yards | 532 |
| 395 | Passing | 232 |
| 31/52 | Comp/Att | 18/24 |
| 7.6 | Yards per pass | 9.7 |
| 160 | Rushing | 300 |
| 25 | Rushing Attempts | 44 |
| 6.4 | Yards per rush | 6.8 |
| 10-80 | Penalties | 8-90 |
| 4 | Turnovers | 1 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 1 |
| 4 | Interceptions thrown | 0 |
| 28:48 | Possession | 31:12 |
Game Information
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Attendance: 25,723 · Capacity:
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