Content Provided by UNLV
BOISE, IDAHO (FOX5) – In what was only the sixth-ever matchup of two Mountain West teams both ranked in the AP top 20, No. 20 UNLV (10-3/6-1) football lost the conference championship game to No. 10 Boise State (12-1/7-0) for the second consecutive year, this time 21-7 before a chilled crowd of 36,663 at Albertsons Stadium Friday night.
Playing in below freezing temperatures and even some fog, the Rebels saw their opening drive derailed at midfield by a penalty and later watched a field-goal attempt hit the crossbar as the Broncos slowly built a 21-0 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, UNLV’s Kylin James broke through for an 86-yard sprint downfield – tied for the fourth-longest rush in school history and the longest play from scrimmage in MW Championship history – but was tackled at the five-yard line and the Rebels eventually turned it over on downs.
UNLV finally broke through in the fourth quarter when on fourth-and-one, freshman Greg Burrell out of Las Vegas rumbled 31 yards into the end zone to close the scoring as the Rebels held the Broncos scoreless in the second half.
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV, which went undefeated on the road during a six-game regular-season for the first time in history, saw its school-record eight-game away winning streak snapped. The Rebels lost in a true road game for the first time in 14 months (at Fresno State on Oct. 28, 2023).
QUOTABLE:
“I want to make sure I say publicly how proud I am of our football team and our program on the steps that these guys have taken to build on a national stage — a relevant team and two years in a row now competing for a championship. From where we started to where this group has brought us, I’m forever thankful and grateful for the things that they have done every single day.
“Credit to Boise and their team. They’re a really good football team that will make a lot of noise during the postseason.”
-UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom
NOTABLE:
-Kylin James 95 rushing yards on two carries marked the most rushing yards in history in a game by a MW player who had two or fewer carries
-The Rebels failed to score in the first half for the first time since Sept. 9, 2023, at Michigan
-Hajj-Malik Williams, who joined UNLV this season from Campbell, became the only active player in Division I (FBS and FCS) to surpass 10,000 career passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his career
-UNLV failed to force a turnover for only the second time this season
-MW Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Woodard finished with 10 total tackles
-UNLV has not won at Boise State since 1976 when both teams were in Division II
UP NEXT: The Rebels will await their bowl-game destination, which will be announced Sunday. UNLV is bowl-eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time in history and Barry Odom will become the first head coach to take the Rebels to more than one bowl in a career at the school.
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