UNLV averts disaster in Dan Mullen’s debut with win over Idaho State
A great deal of excitement has been generated by a new coaching staff at UNLV and all the talent Dan Mullen was able to bring in for his first year on the job.
Yet it was two of the few returners in the football program who helped save the Rebels from disaster in a 38-31 season-opening win over FCS-foe Idaho State at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday in front of 25,273 fans.
Running back Jai’Den Thomas ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yard score, while senior linebacker Marsel McDuffie came up with a key interception in the fourth quarter that led to the eventual winning touchdown.
“There’s a reason these two guys were the captains (today),” Mullen said. “These two guys are more committed to the program than I am. They’ve given more to this program than I have. That says a lot. These are people that have given so much to this program and them sticking around and making plays, I’m not sure who the player of the game is or whatever, but it would have to be one of them. I’m so happy to see them succeed because they’ve given so much to this program.”
Thomas and McDuffie were the Rebels’ two representatives on the preseason All-Mountain West first team, but expectations were sky-high entering the season because of Mullen’s SEC pedigree and an influx of power conference talent.
It took some time for the new-look Rebels (1-0), a 30-point favorite, to get going in the earliest game played in program history, particularly on defense.
Senior steps up
Idaho State (0-1) racked up 555 yards of offense and led 31-24 with 13:40 to play after Dason Brooks put the Bengals ahead with a 2-yard touchdown run.
After UNLV tied the score with a 9-yard TD pass from Anthony Colandrea to DaeDae Reynolds 2:14 later, it was the defense’s turn to step up.
Aamaris Brown dropped what could have been a pick-six on second down and McDuffie held on to a throw over the middle on the next play to get the ball back for the Rebels. Quarterback Alex Orji scrambled for an 11-yard touchdown on fourth down to put UNLV ahead for good on the ensuing drive.
ORJI IN THE ENDZONE
📺: MWN pic.twitter.com/z6PS3R0iXb
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) August 23, 2025
“It was a back-and-forth game and we weren’t playing the way we wanted to defensively, but we knew we still had time left,” McDuffie said. “I knew personally that somebody had to go out and make a play, so why not me?
“I saw the quarterback get ready to throw it and knew I had to go get it. I went and got it, the offense went and scored and we turned the momentum around and it ultimately helped us win the game. That’s what it’s all about.”
Mullen conceded there is a lot to work on, but he also wanted to remind his team to not take winning lightly.
Finding a way
“The great thing is finding a way to win. It could have been very easy for us to find a way to lose as a team,” he said after his first game since he was fired from Florida in November 2021. “But these guys all stuck together and found a way to win. So, we’ll enjoy it tonight and we’ll come in early tomorrow to start coaching and teaching.”
Pass defense will be one area after Idaho State’s Jordan Cooke, who Mullen called an “NFL prospect,” torched UNLV for 380 yards. Red zone offense will be another focus as the Rebels missed a pair of short field goals and fumbled into the end zone.
UNLV had more than enough offense to win, however, including from Jaden Bradley with six catches for 131 yards.
Colandrea ran for 93 yards and completed 15 of 21 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown in his UNLV debut. Fellow transfer Orji completed all three of his attempts for 37 yards and added 34 yards and the winning score on the ground.
“I thought with the exception of (Orji’s) fumble into the end zone, (both) quarterbacks played exceptionally well in their first game managing and running the offense,” Mullen said.
The Rebels displayed a balanced attack, running for 300 yards and passing for 232. They went just 3-for-12 on third downs, however, and scored on just four of seven trips to the red zone.
Defensively, two of UNLV’s four interceptions came in the fourth quarter before Quandarius Keyes broke up a pass at his own 10-yard line on a fourth-and-22 in the final minutes to shut the door on Idaho State.
“For 50 minutes, maybe 48, (it wasn’t great),” Mullen said. “Then turnover, turnover, fourth-down stop. Our defense finished the game unbelievably.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
