UNLV got their first win of the season, beating Idaho State 38-31. It wasn’t the prettiest win, but a win is a win.
Before the game started Dan Mullen told the media that both Alex Orji and Anthony Colandrea would get time at quarterback. Alex Orji started off the game leading UNLV all the way down the field before he fumbled the ball in the red zone.
Anthony Colandrea led the offense for the vast majority of the game and he showed off his skills. He had a few incredible drives at moments in the game where it was desperately needed. He showed great balance with both his arm and legs throughout the game. He had a few big runs including one in the 4th quarter where he nearly scored after rushing it for 37 yards.
In terms of quarterback play, Colandrea performed better, but it’s because he had more opportunities. Orji used his legs to score the game winning rushing touchdown which made the game 38-31. He didn’t use his arm, only having three passing attempts.
Putting the quarterback battle between Colandrea and Orji aside, Jai’den Thomas was the X-factor in this game. Without him, UNLV would’ve lost. He ran for 147 yards and scored three touchdowns. His big 70 yard touchdown was UNLV’s only real offense in the first half.
The offense was hard to watch in the first half, not by any fault of the players, but they were very reliant on big plays. There was a lot of failure in the red zone with two missed field goals by Ramon Villela, and the team was down 17-14 at halftime.
The offense came back to life especially in the fourth quarter after they were down 31-24. Jaden Bradley made two incredible diving catches in the second half, one led to Ramon Villela’s field goal from 28 yards out, and the other one he made was for 41 yards which then led to a touchdown to Daejon Reynolds.
Overall, the offense played solid….
Source link : https://www.mwcconnection.com/unlv-rebels-football/71756/unlv-escapes-idaho-state
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Publish date : 2025-08-24 12:00:00
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