Mullen returns to the sidelines results in thrilling Week 0 win for UNLV

UNLV running back Jai'Den Thomas races through the Idaho State defense during a Week 0 matchup. Photo Credit: UNLV Football

Coming off a rare bowl win last season, UNLV football is back to work with a new head coach on the sidelines.

In the coaching return of former SEC head coach Dan Mullen, UNLV beat Idaho State, 38-31, Saturday, Aug. 23 from Allegiant Stadium. It came in a Week 0 series opener for the program after moving the game up from a later date due to a scheduling change.

“Told you we were going to put on a great show,” he said. “Right? In the words of Maximus, ‘Are you not entertained?’ That was pretty entertaining, it was fun.”

Mullen made his Rebel debut after nearly 1,400 days away from the sidelines.

“You know what, I’m really pleased with myself,” he said. “I don’t think I went ballistic ever once during the course of the game. Which I think that’s really good for my health.”

Back on the sidelines and back into the win column, 1-0 UNLV will now prep for Week 1 action on the road. The team will travel to Texas for a date with Sam Houston State with the game scheduled for Friday, Aug. 29.

Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.

“We’re going to enjoy that win tonight,” Mullen said. “We’re going to get in here tomorrow, we’re going to start coaching, fixing and correcting.”

It goes down in the record books as a win for the Rebels but what it won’t show is the team trailed the Bengals, 17-14, at halftime from Allegiant Stadium. That was what showed from a glittery first half from the visitors.

“The message was, ‘We came to play,’” Mullen said. “We’ve worked really hard to get an opportunity to play a 60-minute game. So we better get ready to go play a 60-minute game.”

After a delay of game on the first play from scrimmage, Idaho State ripped back-to-back 21-yard plays. A big-play theme that continued throughout the course of the game.

Rebels linebacker Marsel McDuffie stares down Bengals quarterback Jordan Cooke. Photo Credit: UNLV Football

There was even a trick play in the first quarter from the Bengals while led by NFL prospect Jordan Cooke, who went 30-for-50 with 380 passing yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

“That Jordan Cooke is one hell of a quarterback,” Mullen said. “Unbelievable football player.”

Just before halftime, UNLV’s defense gave up a long touchdown run of 27 yards. Idaho State had scoring plays of 15 yards, 27 yards and 64 yards on the way to 555 total yards with 30 first downs.

“We’re going to watch it on film – I want to watch it,” Mullen said. “There’s going to be little things. Two of them were, ‘The call stands,’ bang-bang where their kids made big plays. We’re getting off the field on all of those third and long bang-bang plays and their kids go and make plays.”

Even with the big plays given up, the Rebel defense made enough plays when it matters most.

Transfer defensive back Aamaris Brown killed an early second quarter drive with the team’s first interception of the season. Fellow defensive back Latterance Welch followed suit in the third quarter but that was his first of two on the night.

“[We’re going to play defense] for 46 minutes?” Mullen said. “Then turnover, turnover, fourth down stop? We’ve got to go play defense for four quarters. Our defense finished that game unbelievably.”

Brown would’ve had a second interception of his own early in the fourth quarter but could not complete the catch. That mishap cleared the pathway for senior inside linebacker Marsel McDuffie to haul in his first career interception on that same drive.

UNLV quarterback Alex Orji celebrates after scoring a rushing touchdown in his team debut. Photo Credit: UNLV Football

“It was a back-and-forth game defensively,” McDuffie said. “We weren’t playing the way we wanted to but we knew we still had time left. Somebody had to go out there and make a play so why not me?”

While the storyline throughout the first game of UNLV’s season, the program’s entire offseason was mainly dominated by talks of who would get the start under center for the team at quarterback.

Former Michigan shot-caller Alex Orji got the call and was involved in an instant trick play which included a pitch to fellow transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who air mailed a long pass attempt down the sidelines.

Orji would get the bulk of the snaps on the drive before nearly scoring on a nine-yard scamper from the pocket. His run was cut short after a defender clipped him at the knees, causing him to flip and fumble the ball in the end zone.

“If we just score touchdowns in the red zone, we win by 32 [points],” Mullen said. “It’s a different game [...] We’ve just got to be cleaner in the red zone. You’ve got the ball down there and you want to be a good team, you’ve got to score touchdowns in the red zone. You want to be a bad team, don’t score touchdowns in the red zone.”

Later in the game, Orji would redeem himself on an 11-yard touchdown run while facing a 4th and 1 to give the team the, 38-31, advantage. He went 3-for-3 through the air while compiling 71 total yards and a touchdown.

Rebels quarterback Anthony Colandrea hypes up the crowd inside of Allegiant Stadium. Photo Credit: UNLV Football

The aforementioned Colandrea played most of the second half, going 15-for-21 with 288 total yards and a touchdown.

“I thought the quarterbacks played pretty well,” Mullen said. “Both of them, that’s their first game playing in this system. A couple things that I’ve got to get with them on is if we give them a bad call or I call something that isn’t great for the situation, the freedom [of] when to stick with it and when to change it.”

Junior Jai’Den Thomas was perhaps the offense’s biggest star with three touchdowns on the day after recording just four all of last season.

He broke free for a 39-yard scoring strike for the team’s first score of the season early in the second quarter. Before that point, the team faced a 10-0 deficit.

Thomas would later break for 77 yards and another touchdown. To that point, he had tallied 132 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. By the final horn, he racked up 163 yards on 12 total touches.

“It felt great,” he said. “It felt emotional after I came off to the sidelines. I started to [tear up], it was just emotional.”

Thomas dedicated this season to his father, who passed away earlier this year.