UNLV pulled off a thrilling fake punt with a chest pass during the Art of Sport LA Bowl

What a play!

During Wednesday night’s Art of Sport LA Bowl, UNLV executed one of the best fake punts in recent memory.

As the team faced California at SoFi Stadium, UNLV decided to go for a trick play instead of punting early in the second quarter.

The team caught Cal by surprise by having punter Marshall Nichols catch the long snap and pass the ball from his chest to defensive back Cameron Oliver, who ran it all the way to the red zone for a stellar gain.

From Nichols pulling off the chest pass with ease to Oliver catching it and sprinting down the sideline, this was just perfectly executed by UNLV.

If you’re a special teams nerd, you are in for a field day with this trick play. We won’t blame you if you want to watch this one over and over again.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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Former Florida coach Dan Mullen takes head coaching job at MWC school

ESPN analyst Dan Mullen finds a new coaching job at UNLV is very far away from Kirby Smart, Georgia football

Former ESPN college football analyst and Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen has been a known critic of the Georgia Bulldogs for some time. Now that Mullen has a new coaching job with the UNLV Rebels, he will be far away from Georgia.

Mullen agreed in principle to a five-year deal with the Rebels on Thursday. The deal hasn’t been finalized, but the financial terms should come out soon, according to ESPN.

Mullen coached at Florida from 2018-2021. He coached talented, but often undisciplined teams that came close to the College Football Playoff (see: 2020), but never reached it.

Mullen was fired in 2021 after a loss to Missouri sunk the Gators to a 5-6 record. He had a 34-15 record with Florida. Before that, he coached at Mississippi State for nine years with a 69-46 record.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDhfQUApr44/

Mullen will replace Barry Odom, who left UNLV to coach Purdue on Dec. 8. The Rebels will lose a great deal of talent due to graduation, including their starting quarterback; linebacker Jackson Woodward, the Mountain West defensive player of the year; and wide receiver Ricky White III, who won the Mountain West special teams player of the year award after blocking four punts.

Is UNLV QB Matthew Sluka’s cryptic redshirt announcement about NIL money?

Is the UNLV QB asking for more money or getting it elsewhere?

Well, this is something.

UNLV’s football team is 3-0 for the first time in program history, and QB Matthew Sluka has thrown six touchdowns in six games, plus run for one more to go along with 253 yards on the ground.

… And now he’s leaving?

In an announcement on social media, Sluka talked about redshirting and how he won’t play the rest of the season.

“I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled,” he said. What does THAT mean? Is that a subtle implication about NIL money? We have no idea.

Hmm.

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Former Texas A&M senior CB Tony Grimes flips commitment from Michigan State to UNLV

Then on Sunday, he announced via X that he would be “coming to the West Coast soon,” and has committed to play at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

2020 5-star prospect Tony Grimes has flipped from his initial decision in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The former Texas A&M senior cornerback entered the portal on New Year’s Day after spending a year in Bryan-College Station. Before choosing the Aggies in the portal, he spent three years in Chapel Hill, North Carolina playing for the Tarheels.

Grimes initially chose Michigan State as his next destination on Jan. 7. However, on Saturday he posted a video on X that alluded to his upcoming decision to flip from the Spartans.

Then on Sunday, he announced via X that he would be “coming to the West Coast soon,” and has committed to play at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Grimes played three seasons at the University of North Carolina from 2020 to 2022 before coming to College Station. While in Chapel Hill, he tallied 97 tackles, 20 pass breakups and an interception.

The senior defensive back dealt with injuries during his tenure with the Aggies, limiting his playing time at Kyle Field. After taking a redshirt season in 2023, Grimes transfers to the Rebels program with one year of collegiate eligibility remaining.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Report: Georgia targeting UNLV QB in the transfer portal

Georgia and USC are battling to land a commitment from coveted UNLV transfer quarterback

The Georgia Bulldogs are targeting UNLV transfer quarterback Jayden Maiava, per Graham Coffey of the Players’ Lounge. Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart noted that the Bulldogs like to have four scholarship quarterbacks. However, Georgia only has three scholarship quarterbacks on their roster entering the spring.

Georgia’s current back up quarterback is projected to be Gunner Stockton. The Dawgs’ second-string quarterback in 2023, Brock Vandagriff, transferred to Kentucky this offseason.

Georgia’s top competition for Maiava is the USC Trojans. USC has a lot to offer to quarterbacks due to head coach Lincoln Riley’s history of success developing elite players at the position.

What should Georgia fans know about UNLV transfer quarterback Jayden Maiava?

Kansas Staves Off UNLV, 49-36, At The Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Recap of UNLV vs. Kansas.

Kansas Staves Off UNLV, 49-36, At The Guaranteed Rate Bowl


Double-Digit Loss For The Rebels


Follow @michaelbraydaly & @MWCwire

UNLV Ends Season With Bowl Loss To Kansas

In a high-scoring bowl game, Kansas held on for a 49-36 win over UNLV at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Tuesday evening.

There were 85 total points scored between UNLV and Kansas. The 2015-2016 Guaranteed Rate Bowl was the last time two teams combined for 85 points in the bowl game.

Kansas jumped on UNLV in the first half and had a 28-7 lead in the first half. Despite being down by 21 points, UNLV took advantage of Kansas’s penalties. Kansas racked up 135 yards of penalties in the first half.

The momentum shifted in UNLV’s favor after halftime and the Rebels scored 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters. Kansas quarterback Jason Bean was intercepted twice in the third quarter by UNLV defensive back Cameron Oliver.

At the start of the fourth, Kansas reclaimed a double-digit lead following Bean’s 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lawrence Arnold. Kansas led UNLV, 35-24. UNLV quickly responded with a Jacob De Jesus 11-yard touchdown run with 12:06 to go in the game. With a failed two-point conversion, UNLV trailed by five points, 35-30.

Arnold added to Kansas’s lead following a 56-yard receiving touchdown at the 11:10 mark in the fourth quarter. Kansas was ahead 42-30.

By the end of the game, the Jayhawks capped off a 49-36 win. Even with 49 points scored, Kansas finished the game with 18 penalties.

Kansas closed out its season with a 9-4 record. For UNLV, head coach Barry Odom posted a 9-5 record in his first season. This was the most single-season wins for UNLV since 1984.

The future is promising for UNLV after the program reached a bowl game and had a winning season for the first time since 2013.

UNLV and Kansas are scheduled to meet again next season in Lawrence, Kan., on Sept. 14, 2024.

Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released

Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released The Mountain West revised its college football schedule to include games against wayward Oregon State and Washington State. Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire What’s new? The vagaries of …

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Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released


The Mountain West revised its college football schedule to include games against wayward Oregon State and Washington State.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

What’s new?

The vagaries of college football realignment didn’t directly impact the Mountain West Conference over the last calendar year, but the shockwaves of moves across the country resulted today in a revised slate of matchups that includes the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars, the two Pac-12 programs left behind by their conference mates’ exodus.

When it was announced that the conference would do away with the Mountain and West divisions in 2022, the conference announced a rotation that would protect two games for each team and extend through the 2025 season. A multitude of Power 5 programs had other plans, however, and when the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC raided the Pac-12 for ten of its teams throughout 2023, it left Oregon State and Washington State standing alone.

Here are the home and away games that the Mountain West had previously unveiled for 2024:

Air Force, Nevada, and San Diego State will host the Beavers while Boise State, Fresno State, and New Mexico will do the same for the Cougars. Conversely, Colorado State, San Jose State, and UNLV will travel to Corvallis; Hawaii, Utah State, and Wyoming will head to Pullman. None of the games will count as part of the conference standings, however, meaning that each Mountain West team will have seven conference games rather than the usual eight.

The changes, as you might expect, have differing impacts on every Mountain West team’s pre-existing schedule. Air Force, for instance, will get to face Oregon State at home instead of Hawaii, but Colorado State now travels to Oregon State and Nevada rather than Boise and San Diego. As DNVR Sports’s Justin Michael noted, it will be the first time since 2010 that the Rams and Broncos do not face each other. Similarly, Wyoming will now host San Diego State and Utah State rather than Nevada and UNLV.

One interesting twist is that the two teams who played in the Mountain West championship game this month, Boise State and UNLV, are now set to square off at Allegiant Stadium rather than Albertsons Stadium next year. Exact dates for the Mountain West schedule will be released at a later time, but next year’s title game is slated for Saturday, December 7, 2024.

Air Force

Home – Colorado State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Oregon State
Away – Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, Wyoming

Boise State

Home – Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington State
Away – Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming

Colorado State

Home – New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State, Wyoming
Away – Air Force, Fresno State, Nevada, Oregon State

Fresno State

Home – Colorado State, Hawaii, San Jose State, Washington State
Away – Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV

Hawaii

Home – Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV
Away – Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington State

Nevada

Home – Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State
Away – Boise State, Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV

New Mexico

Home – Air Force, Fresno State, Wyoming, Washington State
Away – Colorado State, Hawai‘i, San Diego State, Utah State

San Diego State

Home – Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon State
Away – Boise State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

San Jose State

Home – Boise State, Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming
Away – Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State

UNLV

Home – Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State
Away – Hawaii, San Jose State, Utah State, Oregon State

Utah State

Home – Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV
Away – Boise State, Colorado State, Wyoming, Washington State

Wyoming

Home – Air Force, Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State
Away – Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Washington State

Oregon State

Home – Colorado State, San Jose State, UNLV
Away – Air Force, Nevada, San Diego State

Washington State

Home – Hawaii, Utah State, Wyoming
Away – Boise State, Fresno State, New Mexico

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Bowl Season Opt-Out And Transfer Tracker

The transfer portal is open. NFL Draft prep looms. Business decisions are made. Which players will sit out the Mountain West’s bowl games?

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Bowl Season Opt-Out and Transfer Tracker


The transfer portal is open. NFL Draft prep looms. Business decisions are made. Which players will sit out the Mountain West’s bowl games?


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Not all the stars will be out in December.

December marks perhaps the busiest time of college football season. Between the upcoming slate of bowl games, the official opening of the transfer portal, and buzz surrounding the game’s brightest stars and their standing in next year’s NFL Draft, players have plenty on their minds when deciding how to finish their season.

Not everyone will choose to stay on the field, though. Check back here throughout the month as we watch which athletes opt out of bowl season, both among the Mountain West’s seven bowl teams and their opponents.

Note: Significant contributors among opponents will be noted in italics.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Air Force

  • Aidan Behymer, TE
  • Caden Blum, DL
  • Mason Carlan, OL
  • John Lee Eldridge III, RB
  • Jonah Jensen, QB
  • Brady Phillips, DL
  • Caleb Rillos, TE
  • Jarius Stewart, QB
  • Anthony Wenson, WR

James Madison

  • Brent Austin, DB
  • Kaelon Black, RB — team-high 594 rushing yards, 23 catches, 220 receiving yards in 2023
  • James Carpenter, DL — FCS Freshman All-American in 2021; two-time all-Sun Belt
  • Aiden Fisher, LB — third-team all-Sun Belt, 91 tackles, seven passes defended, six tackles for loss in 2023
  • Desmond Green, WR
  • Zach Horton, TE — first-team all-Sun Belt, 26 catches, 266 yards, six touchdowns in 2023
  • Taurus Jones, LB — first-team all-Sun Belt, 82 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss in 2022
  • Mikail Kamara, DL — second-team all-Sun Belt, 18.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks in 2023
  • Wayne Knight, RB
  • Ty Son Lawton, RB — 742 all-purpose yards, six total touchdowns in 2023
  • Chauncey Logan, DB — 42 tackles, four tackles for loss, six passes defended in 2023
  • Carter Miller, OL — redshirt freshman, nine starts, 639 snaps at left guard in 2023
  • Abi Nwabuoku-Okonji, DL
  • Tyler Stephens, OL — 30 career starts; four starts each at left guard, right tackle, left tackle in 2023
  • Jailin Walker, LB — 30 career starts; 55 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four passes defended in 2023
  • Tyshawn Wyatt, OL

Starco Brands LA Bowl, Hosted By Gronk

Boise State 

  • Taylen Green, QB
  • Eric McAlister, WR
  • Keenan McCaddy, DB
  • Kivon Wright, DL

UCLA

  • Kam Brown, WR
  • Keegan Jones, WR
  • Laiatu Latu, DL — Ted Hendricks Award winner, Lombardi Award winner, Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2023
  • Dante Moore, QB — five-star true freshman, five starts in 2023
  • William Nimmo Jr., DB
  • Kamari Ramsey, DB — redshirt freshman safety, 11 starts in 2023
  • Carsen Ryan, TE
  • Jake Wiley, OL

Isleta New Mexico Bowl

Fresno State

  • Tanner Blount, LB
  • Logan Fife, QB
  • Chrishawn Gordon, DB
  • Abraham Montaño, K
  • Hayden Pulis, OL
  • Raymond Scott, LB

New Mexico State

  • Reggie Akles, WR
  • Ta’ir Brooks, WR
  • Jamari Buddin, LB
  • Tyler Devera, TE
  • Trent Hudson, WR — 36 catches, 571 yards, team-high ten touchdowns in 2023
  • PJ Johnson, WR
  • Malachi McLean, DB
  • Jordin Parker, WR
  • Tyriece Thomas, DL

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

San Jose State

  • Branden Alvarez, WR
  • Fernando Carmona Jr., OL
  • Blake Davis, DB
  • Charlie Leota, DL
  • Anthony Madrigal, OL
  • Dominick Mazotti, TE
  • Elijah Wood, LB

Coastal Carolina

  • CJ Beasley, RB — team-high 717 rushing yards in 2022; 262 rushing yards, two touchdowns in 2023
  • Mason Bowers, OL
  • Jahmar Brown, DB
  • Jared Brown, WR — 2022 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year; 108 career receptions, 1,534 career receiving yards, 11 career touchdowns
  • Bailey Carraway, LB
  • Evan Crenshaw, P — sophomore; 83 career punts, 39.7 career yards per punt
  • Aaron Diggs, DB
  • Jarrett Guest, QB — two starts in 2023 following injury to Grayson McCall
  • Eli Hillman, DB
  • Kaleb Hutchinson, DB
  • Tavyn Jackson, DB
  • JT Killen, LB — 25 career starts; 65 tackles, three tackles for loss in 2023
  • Derrick Maxey, DB
  • Grayson McCall, QB — three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year
  • Tyson Mobley, WR
  • Tre Pinkney, LB
  • Jacob Proche, DB
  • Chris Rhone, WR
  • Braylon Ryan, DL — 38 career games, 21 career starts; 24 tackles, two tackles for loss in 2023
  • Laurence Sullivan, DB
  • Bryson Summers, OL
  • Dami’on Thompson, WR
  • Donnell Wilson, OL

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

UNLV

  • Jordan Jakes, WR
  • Jordyn Morgan, DB

Kansas

  • Will Huggins, TE
  • Reece Thomas, WR

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Utah State

  • William Testa, K
  • Josh Williams, LB

Georgia State

  • KZ Adams, RB
  • Rico Arnold, WR
  • Bryquice Brown, DB — 42 career games; 35 tackles, six passes defended in nine games
  • Marcus Carroll, RB — first-team all-Sun Belt, 1,350 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns
  • Montavious Cunningham, OL — redshirt sophomore, 15 career starts, 737 snaps at right tackle in 2023
  • Jaquon Dixon, RB
  • Cameron Dye, OL
  • Evan Graham, LB
  • JayT Jackson, DB
  • Jordan Jones, LB
  • Robert Lewis, WR — led team with 70 catches, 877 yards, five receiving touchdowns
  • Tony McCray, DB
  • Jalen Tate, DB

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

Wyoming

  • DQ James, RB
  • Kolbey Taylor, DB

Toledo

  • Dequan Finn, QB — three-time all-MAC, 2023 MAC Vern Smith Leadership Award winner (conference MVP)
  • Jaret Frantz, WR
  • Micah Kelly, RB
  • Brad Ling, K
  • Vinny Sciury, OL — first-team all-MAC in 2023, 836 snaps at left guard
  • Ty Thomas, DL

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UNLV Football: Jacob De Jesus Named Jet Award Finalist

The Rebels return specialist broke out in a big way this season and is a finalist to be named the college football’s best.

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UNLV Football: Jacob De Jesus Named Jet Award Finalist


The Rebels return specialist broke out in a big way this season and is a finalist to be named the college football’s best.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Will a Vegas ace get his due?

The UNLV Rebels have received plenty of help from new contributors during one of the program’s best seasons ever, but few have stood out like Jose Pizano, who was named today as one of three finalists for the Jet Award, named after former Nebraska great Johnny Rodgers and given annually to college football’s top return specialist.

De Jesus joins USC’s Zacariah Branch and Marshall’s Jayden Harrison in the running for this award. He was brought to Las Vegas from Modesto Junior College in California, part of UNLV’s 2023 recruiting class, and didn’t need a lot of time to generate buzz in spring practice. In the fall, he served as UNLV’s top slot receiver and returned both punts and kicks for the Rebels, ranking fourth among all FBS players with 16.1 yards per punt return and 14th with 26.3 yards per kickoff return.

According to Mike’l Severe, the executive director of the Jet Award Foundation, the winner will be announced after bowl season and presented with the honor on April 4, 2024.

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UNLV Football: Jose Pizano Is MWwire’s 2023 Special Teams Player Of The Year

The Rebels kicker replaced a program great with ease and won the nod as Mountain West football’s best specialist.

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UNLV Football: Jose Pizano Is MWwire’s 2023 Special Teams Player Of The Year


The Rebels kicker replaced a program great with ease and won the nod as Mountain West football’s best specialist.


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

A key leg up on the competition.

Mountain West Wire’s 2023 postseason honors:

All-Conference Teams | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the YearFreshman of the Year | Newcomer of the Year | Coach of the Year | Coordinator of the Year

Mountain West football was once again flush with reliable special teams contributors in 2023, but UNLV kicker Jose Pizano comfortably thrived in what might have been a difficult situation and earned the right to be named as our staff’s pick as the conference’s top specialist.

Pizano transferred to the Rebels last off-season from Missouri State, where he’d twice earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors before being tasked to replace Daniel Gutierrez in Las Vegas this season. Despite the big shoes to fill, the Lehi, Utah native thrived and connected on 23-of-25 field goals and 50-of-50 extra points, posting 119 points in all. For his efforts, he was also recently named a finalist for the Lou Groza Award, though the scarlet and gray faithful may already claim him as the best kicker in the country.

Also received votes: Jack Browning, P/K, San Diego State; Jonah Dalmas, K, Boise State; James Ferguson-Reynolds, P, Boise State; Jacob De Jesus, KR/PR, UNLV; Tory Horton, PR, Colorado State; Marshall Nichols, P, UNLV

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