UNLV was in a battle against Utah State on Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium, and thanks to three missed field goals from the Aggies, the Rebels were able to hang on in double overtime for a 29-26 victory.
OFFENSE
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea once again led UNLV’s offense to success. He passed for 276 yards, not on the most excellent efficiency, throwing 24-for-43, but he made big plays when needed. Colandrea’s best throw of the night was a touchdown into the back of the endzone to wide receiver DaeDae Reynolds that gave UNLV the lead in the third quarter. Colandrea also once again showed off his dual-threat ability with a dive for the pylon in the second quarter on a great run. He wasn’t as efficient with his legs either, getting sacked three times and only averaging 2.4 yards per carry.
UNLV had a significant gap in the running back room with Jai’den Thomas being marked as out for an undisclosed reason. This left the door open for running backs Jaylon Glover and Keyvone Lee to do some damage. Glover ran for 15 yards on five carries, while Lee ran for 43 yards on 11 carries. Neither could come up with the efficiency Thomas had last week in the victory against Colorado State, but they were able to get the ball rolling when it needed to be rolled.
Wide receiver Jaden Bradley had another solid performance with 62 yards on six catches. He also had multiple targets in the end zone late in the fourth quarter, but he and Colandrea had miscommunications, which is something to work on in the future. Bradley was also potentially interfered with on those late throws, but no call was made. Wide receiver Troy Omeire had another nice game with 83 yards on four catches, including a 48-yard catch that he reached out for and made a solid grab.
After all was said and done in the four quarters of play, thanks to some missed field goals, the game was forced into overtime. UNLV’s first offensive drive in overtime ended with disappointment as kicker Ramon Villela missed a 39-yard field goal wide left.
Thankfully, Utah State had some missed field goals to keep the game alive; this will be mentioned later.
Wide receiver Kayden McGee then ended it on a handoff that he took all the way to the house after a dive for the pylon. He somehow kept his feet in bounds to get UNLV the double overtime victory. That play wouldn’t have been possible without some great defensive plays and a little bit of luck.
DEFENSE
The defense didn’t match the performance from last week, but considering how it has been going lately, they did a solid job. Utah State did have multiple big plays, including a 58-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bryson Barnes, but the unit was able to make stops when needed.
Barnes had 256 passing yards, 124 rushing yards, and a touchdown through the air and on the ground. The defense was unable to stop his favorite target, wide receiver Braden Pegan, who was lethal again with 109 yards on eight receptions.
UNLV was able to put immense pressure on the Aggies’ front five, sacking Barnes seven times and coming up with eight tackles for loss. Defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye led that effort with two sacks, while linebacker Marsel McDuffie once again was a tackling machine, coming up with ten tackles and a sack. Defensive back Jake Pope also had 1.5 sacks.
Utah State made big-time plays that had a huge impact on the game. The Aggies also made horrific plays that had a huge impact on the game. The first was by kicker Tanner Rinker, who has 100% on field goals coming into this game. He missed on the first drive of the game and seemed to have been significantly shaken up by that.
After UNLV tied the game after being unable to score a touchdown with less than three minutes to go in the fourth, Utah State was able to drive down the field in huge part thanks to a 21-yard rip from Barnes. This set up a 44-yard field that Rinker missed, going wide right.
Overtime was then forced, and as mentioned earlier, Vilela missed a field goal. This means if Rinker were to make a field goal, the game would be over. This time, after Utah State couldn’t get a first down, he was lined up from 41 yards out, and Rinker missed again. He was able to make a field goal on Utah State’s second overtime possession, but then UNLV scored to win the game.
Overall, the defense did its job. Although the unit still gave up over 400 yards, when it mattered most, it got the job done.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Two more games left in the season, and UNLV has a tough challenge ahead. The team will take on the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, who are 7-3 on the season and 4-2 in Mountain West play. The game will be on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 PM on FS1.
