UNLV football avoids disaster, rallies for win in opener

UNLV players celebrate after defeating the Idaho State Bengals 38-31 in their home opener at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. Photo by: Steve Marcus

Let’s be honest: It could have been much worse.

The UNLV football team entered Saturday’s season opener against Idaho State as heavy favorites, expected to cruise to victory by three touchdowns or more at Allegiant Stadium.

Instead, the Rebels found themselves trailing at halftime, leaving their faithful supporters with an all-too-familiar sinking feeling.

For loyal followers of the program, they couldn’t help thinking back to humbling losses to Southern Utah, Northern Arizona and Howard, and fearing the worst.

Was Idaho State — which was moving the ball with alarming ease against the Rebels’ defense — about to become the next lower-tier program to stroll into Las Vegas and deliver a gut-punch defeat?

Thankfully, UNLV had other plans. The Rebels stormed back in the fourth quarter to secure a season-saving — and yes, it truly was season-saving — 38-31 victory in coach Dan Mullen’s debut.

UNLV was one victory away from the College Football Playoff last season. The Rebels have played in back-to-back bowl games. They are receiving votes in the preseason Associated Press rankings.

This is a team that, at least on paper, should not have surrendered 555 yards — including 395 through the air — to a program like Idaho State. A defeat to Idaho State doesn’t exactly reaffirm the successes of the past two season.

And, let’s be realistic: If UNLV somehow fixes whatever was broken on Saturday and positions itself for the playoff, do you think the committee will want a team that barely beat Idaho State?

Just about everything that could have gone wrong — minus the result, of course — did.

Alex Orji appeared to have scored a 9-yard touchdown run on UNLV’s initial series of the game, only to fumble at the goal line. Idaho State recovered, and drove the length of the field for a touchdown and 10-0 lead on a trick play.

Kicker Ramon Villela missed two field goals, the offensive line at times looked out of sync and gave up at least two ugly sacks, the Rebels only threw for 232 yards in struggling to get their passing game going, and there were some downright ugly defensive performances.

Some good news: This can all be fixed.

Teams are judged on the improvements they make from the first game of the season to the second, meaning next week’s contest at Sam Houston State will give a better outlook.

The program has too much talent — at least 37 players formerly competed in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 or SEC — to not get better.

They’ve got a few special players, including junior running back Jai’Den “Jett” Thomas, who rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries. It’s the kind of individual performance a program needs when they aren’t at their best.

Thankfully, they found their rhythm late in the game.

The defense, for the licks it took most of the game, recorded four interceptions — including two from Laterrance Welch.

The passing game, after being nonexistent, picked up a critical gain in the fourth quarter with Anthony Colandrea’s long pass to a diving Jaden Bradley for a 47-yard completion.

If the two don’t connect, UNLV likely would have punted the ball back to Idaho State trailing by three points with about 12 minutes to play.

It was surely nerve-wracking thinking another defeat to a lower-tier opponent was brewing, but UNLV dug deep and escaped with a win.

They didn’t earn any style points. But, that doesn’t matter. A win is a win — ugly or not.