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UNLV has reached the nine-win mark for the second straight season under head coach Barry Odom.
After dropping a crucial game to San Jose State last season, the Rebels bounced back to beat the Spartans on the road, 27-16, Friday, Nov. 22. It had been 31 years since the program’s last win in San Jose.
“I’d like to give a lot of credit to our team for staying in the game,” Odom said. “Ugly and terrible conditions. Really good resolve and toughness and they stuck together [and] overcame some things that didn’t go our way.”
With one more game left on the regular season schedule, Odom’s Rebels have recorded a 9-2 overall record. This includes a perfect 6-0 road record.
”To find a way to go 6-0 on the road this year is a big thing for us,” Odom said. “First win here since 1993. We just keep breaking down walls like good programs do.”
As a result, the school entered Friday ranked 24th in the College Football Playoff. It’s the program’s first-ever ranking in the field.
A rivalry game remains on the schedule for UNLV as it gets ready to welcome in the Nevada — Reno Wolf Pack. That game is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 30 with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
In the second half, the Rebel defense pitched a shutout in slushy conditions as the rain persisted for about 40 of the 60-minute ball game. It forced four punts on all four second half drives for the Spartans.
San Jose State wrapped up the third quarter with three first downs recorded in the 15-minute session. Two of those three first downs came on UNLV penalties.
“[Linebacker] Jackson Woodard continues to make plays for us,” Odom said. “There were a lot of times defensively [where] we gave them a light box. They started to try and run the ball a little bit, we were able to shut that down.”
Facing adversity and the elements on the road, the Rebels went into halftime down 16-10.
Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams coughed up the first San Jose State points of the night on a pick-six interception in the second quarter. Even after briefly taking the lead, UNLV gave up the lead again on a 33-yard touchdown with about five minutes left in the first half.
The home team even added two more points via a safety on the ensuing Rebel drive.
“There were a lot of guys that stepped up and made huge plays in the second half when we needed it,” Odom said. “They really controlled the message and the narrative at halftime, as they have most — all of the year.”
UNLV found its footing in the second half behind its rushing attack. As a result, the team racked up 200+ rushing yards for the sixth time this season.Both of the team’s rushing touchdowns came in the second half.
Williams broke free on a 4th and 1 with a 45-yard touchdown run that would eventually be called back due to a penalty. That drive would end in a punt.
On the next drive, he’d find All-American receiver Ricky White III for 29 yards on the first play. Sophomore running back Jai’Den Thomas followed it up with a 14-yard rush on the next play.
Thomas would cap the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run three plays later to give his team the, 20-16, lead. It was the Rebels’ first lead since 10-7.
“Jet Thomas came up huge in the way he ran the ball,” Odom said.
Thomas closed the night with a career-high 26 carries with 135 yards and a touchdown. He has three 100-yard games in his career, all have come this season.
Teammate Kylie James was responsible for the other rushing touchdown on his way to 48 yards on 10 touches.
Williams went 11-for-20 through the air with 131 yards, a touchdown and an interception. White accounted for 98 of those 131 yards on seven receptions. No other player had more than one catch.
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