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LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – No. 25/23 UNLV (4-1/1-0) football closed its non-conference schedule with a heartbreaking 44-41 overtime loss to Syracuse (4-1/1-1) in front of 31,329 boisterous fans at Allegiant Stadium Friday night.
In the first-ever meeting between the schools, the Rebels rallied from a pair of double-digit deficits to take a 38-31 lead with under three minutes left but the Orange dodged disaster multiple times on a game-tying, 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive to send it to OT. UNLV got the ball first and kicked a 41-yard field goal before Syracuse scored the final touchdown to end it.
Syracuse raced to a 14-0 lead before UNLV rallied with 21 consecutive points and eventually led at halftime, 21-17.
All-American wide receiver Ricky White III caught 10 passes for the second consecutive week, this time for 135 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown to put his team up 38-31. White, who is also a mainstay on special teams, blocked one punt that was recovered for a UNLV touchdown after using his speed to force the Syracuse punter to abort an attempt and be tackled for a 13-yard loss earlier in the game.
UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, making his second start as a Rebel, was precise again, completing 21-of-25 pass attempts for 227 yards and three scores while adding 53 net yards and a TD on the ground. The 84-percent pass completion percentage was just short of the school record of 86 percent set by Caleb Herring in 2013 (24 of 28).
Defensively, safety Jalen Catalon posted 17 total tackles with a pass breakup while linebacker Jackson Woodard added 14 takedowns to go with two pass breakups and a key interception to thwart an Orange scoring threat in the fourth quarter.
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV was penalized for 108 yards compared to 56 for Syracuse.
REBEL OF THE GAME:
With just 31 games played for the Rebels, Ricky White III moved into seventh place on the UNLV career receiving yards list with 2,490. He also moved into a tie for third place at the school with 11 career 100-yard games. He also became the first Rebel to block at least two punts in the same season since running back Ronnie Smith had two in 2006. White also moved into a tie for sixth place with 18 career TD catches at UNLV.
“It’s heartbreaking. I hate it for our team that we couldn’t pull that one out. What an unbelievable environment tonight. I’m really thankful for the city responding the way they did.”
“We are disappointed. We had opportunities to win it and we came up short in a lot of areas. We couldn’t get off the field enough defensively on third downs, and we assisted with the number of penalties, which is frustrating. Syracuse is a good team, give them credit.”
“We have a tough team with great young men. We are close as a team, but this will draw us closer. I have no doubt about that. We’ve got to learn from the good, learn from the bad and then go apply it. We will be on a mission to get that done. This game won’t define us, but how we respond will. Our players are gutted because they have invested so much, but we will work, we’ll get back at it, and we’ll make sure that we find a way to go play our best ball next Friday night,” said UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom.
NOTABLE:
-The crowd of 31,329 was the third-biggest for a UNLV game at Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020
-UNLV was playing for the first time as a team ranked in both major polls
-UNLV faced a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference for only the second time and first time since going to Clemson in 1993
-This cross-country matchup was announced in January after Army joined the AAC and left both UNLV and Syracuse needing a non-conference game this fall
-UNLV has scored on blocked punts in back-to-back games after not having one since 2016
-Freshman kicker Caden Chittenden improved to 11-of-13 in field goals this season after hitting from 20 yards out and 41 yards out. After just five games, he already is tied with Sergio Aguayo for the UNLV freshman season record (11-of-15 in 2004).
-Jet Thomas led his team in rushing with 64 net yards on just six carries
-Casey Cain, a wide receiver who transferred to Las Vegas from Texas, scored his first collegiate touchdown on a nine-yard play to give UNLV its first lead of the night at 21-14
-TE Kaleo Ballungay hauled in a TD for the second straight game and for the fourth time as a Rebel
-True freshman LB Charles Correa recovered the blocked punt in the end zone for a TD that tied the game 31 in the third quarter
-With Woodard’s pick, the Rebels have now forced at least one turnover in 18 of the 19 games under defensive coordinator Michael Scherer
-UNLV allowed its first points off a turnover this season but after scoring a TD of its own, still leads in that category 44-7
-The Rebels were a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone vs. the Orange
-Playing in their first overtime game since the 2021 season-opener, UNLV fell to 6-12 all-time in OT. The Rebels last win in extra time came at UNR in 2019
UP NEXT: The Rebels hit the road for two straight weeks, starting with a trip to Utah State next Friday at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be shown nationally on CBS Sports Network.
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