Rebels survive, get much-needed win

For the first 30 minutes of Friday night’s homecoming game at Sam Boyd Stadium, UNLV looked like it might be cruising to a victory over Fresno State.

It seems victories never come easy for the Rebels these days, though.

In the end, UNLV survived a blown lead and a horrid field goal miss at the end of regulation to earn a 30-27 overtime victory that snapped a four-game losing streak.

The Rebels will take the wins any way they can get them at this point.

“Obviously a really big win for us. Exciting for our team,” UNLV coach Bobby Hauck said. “To defeat the defending conference champions who are so well coached and have so many good players is just a huge win for us. I was really proud of our guys.”

Receiver Devonte Boyd agreed.

The freshman, who had seven catches for 77 yards as he continued to fill in as the go-to threat on the outside in the absence of star Devante Davis, was beaming as he exited the locker room following the game.

“This is the biggest win for us. We needed this bad,” the Basic High School alum said. “Not just the players, but the coaches and the staff. Everybody. We needed this.”

The Rebels almost didn’t get it.

After squandering a 17-0 halftime lead and a 24-14 advantage in the fourth quarter, there were certainly some tense moments. The nerves must have mounted after Jonathan Leiva shanked a 26-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game in regulation.

Hauck said he was proud of the team’s ability to regroup and find a way to win.

“You know that would deflate a lot of teams, and I think you couple that with the fact we were 1-5 and had lost four in a row, then we have that happen to us,” Hauck said. “It just shows the type of character that we have in our locker room. I really believe in these guys and they showed why tonight.”

Junior quarterback Blake Decker, who finished 29 of 40 for 332 yards, said the adversity made the win even more rewarding.

“We proved that we are never going to give up, we’re never going to lie down. It’s just fun to be a part of a win like that where you’re continually tested,” he said. “I felt like our guys did a great job making plays in critical situations.”

UNLV will now head into a bye week with the boost in confidence that comes with winning a game, particularly a league contest.

Hauck said one of the reasons his team was able to win on Friday night, however, was that it never got down on itself despite the lack of positive results on the field.

“(The media) kind of asked the question (earlier in the week), ‘Is this team confident?’ I said we probably don’t have any reason to be, but we are a little bit that way,” he said. “They still have a bit of swagger to them and I think it speaks volumes when you can get challenged like that and get put into adverse situations, and come out with a win.”

Friday’s victory can only help the confidence level as the Rebels begin the second half of the schedule following the week off with a road game at Utah State on Oct. 25.