Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 168 yards and ran for 104 more as No. 22 UNLV beat rival Nevada 38-14 in Las Vegas on Saturday to clinch a berth in next week’s Mountain West Championship Game.
Jacob De Jesus led UNLV with a season-high 84 yards in receiving, while Ricky White III added five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown in each player’s final home game at UNLV. Jai’Den Thomas led the team in rushing with 135 yards on 15 carries, equaling his total from last week’s win at San Jose State in 11 fewer carries.
UNLV took a 17-7 lead with 14:05 remaining in the second quarter as Jarvis Ware executed a perfect strip sack on Nevada QB Brendon Lewis with the Wolf Pack pinned at their own 13-yard line. Jackson Woodard fell on the loose ball as it rolled unimpeded into the end zone.
The Rebels took a 24-7 lead into halftime after Thomas capped off an 11-play, 72 yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 4:53 remaining in the half.
UNLV wasted little time breaking the ice, going 69 yards downfield in 2:11 to start the game as Williams found Kaleo Ballungay for a one-yard touchdown on the Rebels’ sixth play from scrimmage. Nevada tied the game at 7-7 on their first possession as Lewis found a wide-open Cortez Braham Jr. for a 45-yard touchdown.
UNLV’s Caden Chittenden made his only field goal attempt from 26 yards out. Chittenden is now second nationally in made field goals this season with 25.
UNLV tacked on two touchdowns late courtesy of White and Hajj-Malik Williams, while Nevada added a score of their own on Lewis’ second touchdown pass of the day for 20 yards to Jaden Smith.
Lewis finished the game with 292 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Nevada, completing 27 of his 37 pass attempts. Nevada had an abysmal day running the football, as their running backs tallied just 67 total yards on 28 carries.
UNLV outgained Nevada 519-359 in total net yards and outgained them 351-67 on the ground. UNLV registered six sacks resulting in a total loss of 44 yards for Nevada.
–Field Level Media
