Jackson Arnold accounts for 5 TDs as UNLV beats California

Jackson Arnold accounted for five touchdowns as UNLV defeated California 39-31 on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium. Arnold passed for 177 yards and three scores while rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns, totaling 287 yards of offense. The Rebels built a 24-7 halftime advantage before California rallied to take a 25-24 lead early in the fourth quarter. Arnold then connected with Keyan Burnett on a 10-yard pass with 9:31 remaining and later punched it in from two yards out with 3:24 left on the clock. After the go-ahead drive, Arnold remarked, “Coaches and radical conscionable telling maine and the discourtesy to measurement up,” Arnold said. “We got rolling aft that and started executing and started putting plays together.” California entered the contest without starting rusher Adam Mohammed, who sat out with an injured knee. Less than three minutes into the opening frame, safety Kingston Lopa—who had led the federation with five interceptions—departed with an upper-body injury. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele left the game in the first half appearing wobbly and did not return. Jackson Brousseau relieved Sagapolutele, finishing 19-of-32 for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi explained the decision: “Jaron was medically cleared,” Cal manager Tosh Lupoi said. “Personally, I was not comfy with the mode helium came disconnected the field. So I made that determination to commencement retired with Jackson and not jeopardize Jaron's health.” Before his exit, Sagapolutele attempted 27 passes in the first two quarters, completing 19 for 195 yards, including a 91-yard strike to tight end Taimane Purcell. That touchdown, coming three-and-a-half minutes into the game, gave California an early 7-0 lead. UNLV answered with a series of big plays. Arnold found Kayden McGee for a 70-yard touchdown, later kept the ball himself for a 55-yard scoring run in the second quarter and threw a 36-yard pass to Taz Reddicks to extend the halftime lead to 24-7. Reflecting on the strategy, UNLV head coach Dan Mullen stated, “I knew we would person immoderate one-on-one matchups, and we wanted to effort to make immoderate explosives aboriginal successful the game,” UNLV manager Dan Mullen said. California fought back, reclaiming a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter before UNLV’s final response secured the victory.