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With a 31- 27 win over Air Force, the UNLV Rebels are now in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West.
”What a great performance by our kids,” Barry Odon said in a press conference. “We started the game extremely well. Then they made some adjustments and were having success. We made some adjustments there in the second quarter and then at halftime. Staying in the arena is something we’ve talked about since we got started – let’s go 60 minutes and play one play at a time – and tonight was a really great test of that for everybody in the organization. I’m so happy for our guys, our team and our university to get that win.”
Early in the first quarter, Jayden Maiava threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Ricky White, giving UNLV a 7-0 lead.
Go-Go 78 yards to the endzone 🙌@jayden_maiava's & @Only1RW's 7th TD connection this season‼️
📺: @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/GlF9aMojCJ
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) November 18, 2023
Later in the quarter, with the Rebels driving to try to go up by double digits, Maiava threw an interception, and the Falcons’ momentum swung to Air Force. After the interception, the Falcons went on to score 24 unanswered points.
Air Force led 27-14 at halftime but did not score another point. The Rebels outscored the Falcons 17-0 to win.
After giving up 200-plus yards rushing in the first half, the Rebels did a better job controlling their rushing attack in the second half.
Despite throwing two interceptions, freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava improved to 7-1 as a starting quarterback, finishing 15 of 29 for 339 yards and two touchdowns.
Ricky White caught eight passes for 169 yards and a touchdown, and Kaleo Ballungay caught two for 90 yards and a score.
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Defensively, the Rebels were led by a pair of linebackers. Marsel McDuffie totaled 15 tackles (10 solo) and a forced fumble, while Jackson Woodard added nine stops and had a critical quarterback sack in the game-winning stand.
.@Marsel2x had himself a game 😮💨
15 TOT // 10 SOLO // 5 AST // 1 FF pic.twitter.com/BiRc6Ecry3
— UNLV Football (@unlvfootball) November 19, 2023
“On defense, Coach (Mike) Scherer and his staff did an unbelievable job,” Odom said. “The kids showed toughness, resolve, and resilience, overcoming some penalties and adversity.”