LAS VEGAS — UNLV played Cal on Saturday for the third time ever. The last time Las Vegas played Cal was during the LA Bowl in 2022 under Barry Odom. Last time, UNLV walked away with a win, scoring 20-14 in a tight game that came down to the final drive. Since that time, Cal has undergone some changes, with first-time head coach Tosh Lupoi coming in with high expectations.
Around Lupoi is also a first-time offensive coordinator and a first-time defensive coordinator. There is plenty of experience on that sideline, including a name that has been familiar with the Mountain West for decades. Former Hawai‘i head coach Nick Rolovich returns as Cal’s quarterbacks coach.
Saturday’s meeting was considered a pivotal game for both teams. Both had high expectations entering the season, and both have struggled in their out-of-conference games. Cal is led by quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who was seen as a potential first-round draft pick by multiple head coaches last season. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound sophomore has struggled so far because of a weak offensive line and other game-planning missteps.
Cal was also without its leading contributor on offense, Adam Mohammed. Lupoi and his staff have struggled against FBS opponents, with their defense scoring as many points as their offense in losses to UCLA and Clemson. Anchoring the defense for Cal is Kingston Lopa, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound defensive back who could play multiple positions but chose to play in the secondary. He currently leads the nation with five interceptions, including one pick-six.
Also anchoring the defense is linebacker AJ Tuitele, a Las Vegas native and Mojave standout alumnus. Saturday’s game would become a story of defenses.
First Quarter
UNLV exited the first quarter tied with Cal, 7-7. Cal took 12 seconds on its second drive to score on a 91-yard touchdown from Sagapolutele to Taimane Purcell. Purcell caught a short pass, beat man coverage and raced down the field untouched.
UNLV responded five minutes later with a three-play drive that took just one minute, with Jackson Arnold finding Kayden McGee for a 70-yard touchdown pass.
Despite Cal leading most measurable statistics in the first quarter, UNLV’s defense held firm and contributed a late interception when Quandarius Keyes read a broken play from Sagapolutele. Cal had almost double the time of possession and more than twice the passing yards. The wildest stat was that UNLV had completed only two of seven attempts.
Lopa was also knocked out of the game and walked back to the locker room after suffering an injury as the quarter ended tied at 7.
Second Quarter
Cal came out swinging, intercepting UNLV in the end zone on a double-pass play in which Matt Byrnes threw the ball to the Cal defense. Cal was unable to capitalize on the turnover, with UNLV’s defense remaining stout.
On UNLV’s second series of the quarter, Arnold broke through three tackles and ran 55 yards for a touchdown.
Cal starting quarterback Sagapolutele was later knocked out of the game while rolling out of the pocket on a broken play. With Cal already without Mohammed and then losing Lopa and Sagapolutele, the Bears had lost several of their most important players regardless of what ultimately happened on the scoreboard.
Cal’s only scoring opportunity in the quarter ended with a missed field goal. UNLV’s defense kept the Bears off the board and helped send the Rebels into halftime leading 24-7.
Third Quarter
Cal opened the second half with an onside kick and successfully recovered it. UNLV’s defense adjusted, however, and came up with a big stop on fourth-and-2 during Cal’s first drive.
The rest of the quarter was marred by sloppy mistakes and bad penalties. Cal backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau found Perry Smith open in space for a 53-yard touchdown.
On the ensuing kickoff, Cal capitalized on a Peyton Zachary fumble and took over with great field position at UNLV’s 16-yard line. To UNLV’s credit, the Rebels were able to keep Cal out of the end zone for a second time. Unfortunately for UNLV, a series of bad penalties also kept the Rebels from getting into scoring position, and the lead was down to 24-18 entering the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter
This might have been the most exciting quarter of football UNLV has played this season. UNLV opened the quarter by going four-and-out, and it took Cal only 1:51 to score a touchdown and convert a successful two-point try, giving the Bears a 25-24 lead.
UNLV responded almost immediately. Arnold broke loose for a 42-yard run to move the Rebels into position, and Keyan Burnett finished the drive with the touchdown. UNLV added the two-point conversion to retake the lead.
The Rebels later added another touchdown to stretch the advantage. Cal hurt its chances of completing another rally by committing several penalties, including a targeting penalty on a play involving McGee that removed one of the Bears’ starting cornerbacks from the game.
Cal finished with a staggering 147 penalty yards, but the Bears still had one final push. Ian Strong made a late touchdown catch to give Cal a chance in the final seconds.
Without any timeouts remaining, Cal needed the ensuing onside kick to have another possession. UNLV recovered it and sealed the 39-31 victory.
UNLV walked away with the win after Cal had erased a 17-point halftime deficit and briefly taken the lead in the fourth quarter. The Rebels survived the comeback, responded when Cal went ahead and improved their record with another win over a Power Four opponent.
UNLV returns to Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 10 at 4 p.m. to play North Dakota State in what should be another wild game against a new conference member.
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