UNLV football prepares for huge early test against Big Ten opponent

UNLV football coach Dan Mullen probably can’t count how many big games he has been involved in throughout his career. But there were plenty during his time at Mississippi State and Florida.

He knows about the hype, the buildup, the expectations of fans. Knows how personal some folks can take things.

The Rebels get their first taste of such a moment under Mullen when they meet UCLA at 5 p.m. Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.

UNLV is 2-0 this season with wins against Idaho State and Sam Houston. UCLA lost its opener to Utah 43-10, so the Bruins will come to Las Vegas with something to prove.

“Listen, it’s the same as last week and two weeks ago,” Mullen said. “We had our first game for the program with me as head coach. That was a big deal. We had our first road game. That was really big. You don’t approach it any differently. We don’t change our approach or routine or preparation.

“You’re going to see the intensity at practice pick up because players know this is a big game. I’d be disappointed if it didn’t. We know it’s a big game and if you need me to motivate you for that, you’re playing the wrong sport. I mean, you have problems. You should be excited to be on a big stage. It’s kind of a cool deal. But we’re going about it like every single week.”

Better defense

UNLV’s roster is littered with Power Four transfers who have played in big matchups before.

Junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea, a Virginia transfer, is one of them.

“Playing at Clemson was a big deal, for sure,” Colandrea said. “It was a super fun environment to play in. You know there are going to be a lot of people at the game. But at the end of the day, you have to win the week. You have to win Monday through Thursday. You have to prepare at a high level. That’s the biggest thing for us this week so we can get the win Saturday.”

Mullen’s take: His team made a big jump from escaping FCS opponent Idaho State 38-31 to easily handling Sam Houston 38-21. Another jump this week is required for the Rebels to earn another win.

“We’re playing by far the most talented team we’ve played so far,” Mullen said. “That kind of sounds pretty obvious. I think they’re going to come in with a little chip, an edge, trying to make that jump from Week 1 to Week 2.”

Part of UNLV’s jump at Sam Houston came on the defensive side of the ball. The Rebels were quicker up front and tackled much better than they did against Idaho State.

UNLV played harder. It was more aggressive. Applied more pressure on the quarterback.

It was just undisciplined at times. Sam Houston converted three first downs via penalty.

That can’t happen against UCLA. The Bruins are just a 2½-point favorite but, as Mullen said, they’re the biggest, fastest and most skilled team UNLV has faced so far.

“Mistakes didn’t end up costing us a game, but they could cost us a game down the road,” Mullen said. “Those types of mistakes will cost us in a game like this week. So attention to detail is something we really need to improve on.”

A big moment?

Senior defensive back Aamaris Brown attended Kansas State and South Florida before landing at UNLV. He’s seen his share of big games. He isn’t quite sure why this particular one warrants any additional hype.

“It means a lot to the city,” Brown said. “But last year’s (UNLV team) laid the foundation and set the standard. We’re just kind of continuing it. What they did last year, we don’t feel like this is that big a moment. It’s just another week, another opponent. We’re going to take the same steps we took (preparing) as we took playing Idaho State.”

Same approach. Same routine.

But yes, much bigger moment.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.