Defense, run game lifts UNLV football past Hawaii in conference opener

Yes. It’s true. UNLV’s defense and running game powered a 21-6 victory over Hawaii in the Mountain West conference opener Saturday night. The Rebels improved to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in league play, while Hawaii fell to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference. UNLV recorded five sacks and limited the Rainbow Warriors to 109 total yards, forcing several key second-half stops that kept Hawaii’s offense, including quarterback Micah Alejado of Bishop Gorman, out of the end zone. Jackson Arnold completed 6 of 12 passes for 89 yards and added 89 yards on the ground. Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas rushed 20 times for 143 yards, marking his 10th career game with 100 or more rushing yards, and sealed the win with a 50-yard touchdown run with less than five minutes remaining. UNLV accumulated 248 rushing yards, leading 14-3 at halftime after gaining 128 yards on the ground while allowing Hawaii just 47 yards on the ground. Arnold scored two touchdowns before the break on runs of seven and two yards. In the first half, Alejado was 6 of 20 passing for 62 yards. This is simply a processing story. Check backmost for updates.