UNLV quarterback suffers season-ending injury against UCLA
UNLV backup quarterback Alex Orji suffered a Grade 3 LCL sprain that tore the hamstring off the bone Saturday against UCLA and will miss the rest of the season, coach Dan Mullen said Monday.
Orji was hit out of bounds with 3:18 remaining in the first quarter after a 1-yard run. He jogged back to the sideline on his own power.
Mullen said Orji will have surgery in the next couple of weeks.
“He’s got to be one of the toughest guys I know, jogging off the field,” Mullen said.
Mullen said the medical staff thought the worst-case scenario was avoided because Orji was able to jog after the hit.
“Then the MRI came back, and it ended up being worse than we thought about the hamstring aspect,” Mullen said.
Cameron Friel is now the backup behind Anthony Colandrea, who was named the Mountain West’s offensive player of the week Monday after his three-touchdown effort in a 30-23 victory over the Bruins.
Friel, the 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year, has appeared in only 10 games the past three seasons after playing in nine his first year.
Orji, a senior with two years of eligibility left, transferred to UNLV from Michigan in January after appearing in 20 games for the Wolverines. He was part of Michigan’s national championship team in 2023.
He entered training camp competing with Colandrea, a transfer from Virginia, for the starting spot and started the season opener against Idaho State on Aug. 23.
But Colandrea took hold of the job during that game and has started the past two to push UNLV to 3-0 heading into a bye week.
Orji finished with 37 passing yards and 42 rushing yards to go with a rushing touchdown in three appearances.
“The devastating part is not just the loss of his talent on the field, but his leadership, his demeanor, the man that he is,” Mullen said. “It’s heartbreaking for him, for all the work he puts in.”
Bend but don’t break
UNLV played close to a perfect first half against UCLA. Its defense, after struggling the first two weeks, kept a talented Bruins offense in check.
But an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on wide receiver Jaden Bradley after a 19-yard touchdown run by running back Keyvone Lee gave UCLA life. The Bruins kicked a field goal at the end of the half to go into the locker room trailing 23-3.
That was one of 13 penalties called on UNLV in a game that featured 27 combined for 259 yards.
“A lot of those were avoidable penalties,” Mullen said.
The Bruins attacked UNLV’s defense with the short passing game to make the game close. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava shook off a rough 30 minutes with 59 passing yards to finish with 255 yards and a touchdown.
“It just got into a different game for them,” Mullen said. “It got into where they were basically in a two-minute (drill) the whole second half because we were up so early. When you’re in that situation, you’re kind of playing a little bit of bend but don’t break.”
Mullen said the Rebels didn’t want to give up the big play, especially when they went three-and-out on their first drive to begin the second half.
Strong answer
The response after giving up 13 consecutive points was critical in Mullen’s eyes.
Colandrea engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive to begin the fourth quarter, highlighted by his 33-yard run on second-and-4, then his third touchdown pass, to tight end Var’Keyes Gumms, to restore the three-score lead, 30-13.
Colandrea finished with 262 total yards. He has seven total touchdowns to one interception through two-plus games as the starter.
Mullen knew what kind of quarterback Colandrea could be when he was working for ESPN and called one of his games at Virginia. His mobility, especially out of the pocket, is an asset he doesn’t want to take away.
“When he came in, I (said), ‘I don’t want to take away from who you are,’ which is like playing backyard pickup football,” Mullen said. “It’s a pickup game for him, running around doing all the different things and his ability to make exciting things happen on the field.”
Miami (Ohio) game
ESPNU will televise UNLV’s Sept. 20 game at Miami (Ohio), with a 9 a.m. PDT kickoff. It’s the first meeting between the schools.
The game will be the home opener for the RedHawks (0-2).
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.