LAS VEGAS — North Dakota State needed one yard twice against UNLV, once to keep a scoring chance alive and once to escape its own end of the field. Neither run gained anything. The Rebels won 13-7 without an offensive touchdown.
Jake Pope and Justin Flowe stopped Nyeoti Punni on fourth-and-1 at the UNLV 9 in the second quarter. Early in the fourth, Cam Santee and Kamuela Ka’aihue stopped Myles Mitchell at the Bison 18, giving UNLV the possession that produced its final field goal. Those stops followed three fourth-down stops against Cal.
Asked Monday about that stretch, coach Dan Mullen pointed to players becoming more comfortable in Paul Guenther’s defense. He credited the defensive coordinator with making sure players understood each call and where they needed to be, then emphasized their awareness of the game situation.
UNLV has allowed 141.3 rushing yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry through six games, down from 177.4 and 5.2 last season. Opponents have scored touchdowns on nine of 19 red-zone trips, compared with 27 of 39 in 2025. Those comparisons cover different opponents and a six-game sample against a full season, but the improvement has already helped the Rebels win games their offense struggled to finish.
Last year, UNLV needed 51 points to beat Air Force, which gained 428 yards on the ground. This year, Hawai‘i never reached the end zone against the Rebels, and North Dakota State scored once. UNLV has held its first two conference opponents to 13 combined points.
North Texas had exposed the cost of failing to sustain those stops before the bye. Turnovers left UNLV defending difficult field position in a 44-6 loss, but the Mean Green also scored 24 points after halftime. Mullen said afterward that the defense had played well early before playing poorly in the second half.
The defense’s progress within this season has been less steady. At Akron, Mullen came into halftime frustrated that the Zips had 17 first downs. UNLV had ended possessions with an interception, an opponent’s holding penalty and a fourth-down stop, but Akron was still finding enough on ordinary running plays to avoid difficult passing situations.
“We had guys come in the second half not just bringing pressure, but also guys getting home,” Mullen said afterward.
He credited the front with reaching the quarterback and cutting off the five- and six-yard runs that supported Akron’s run-pass options. As UNLV’s lead grew, Akron had to throw more often. The Zips did not score after halftime.
Cal showed why stopping the run alone would not be enough. The Golden Bears rushed for 69 yards but passed for 395, erased a 24-7 halftime deficit and took the lead in the fourth quarter before UNLV recovered to win 39-31. The Rebels are also allowing opponents to convert 37.9% of third downs this season, up from 32.9% in 2025.
Against North Dakota State, the coverage helped produce takeaways as well as incompletions. On Mumu Bin-Wahad’s first interception, CW analyst Cody Kessler described Bin-Wahad underneath Chris Kiel with Tre Fulton over the top. Nathan Hayes tried to fit the pass between them. Bin-Wahad took it away.
Andre Porter’s 23-yard interception return had already supplied UNLV’s only touchdown.
UNLV still gave Hayes opportunities. On the snap before Bin-Wahad’s first interception, Kessler identified a twist up front that lost outside contain, allowing Hayes to escape and complete a 28-yard pass to Reis Kessel. The Bison also finished with 176 rushing yards. Mitchell gained 91 on 22 carries.
After halftime, the Rebels began putting stops together. On North Dakota State’s first possession, Kal-El Togafau dropped Mitchell for a three-yard loss, creating third-and-9. Denver Harris broke up the next pass, and the Bison punted.
In the fourth quarter, Santee stopped Brady Wavrunek for a one-yard loss. Tony-Louis Nkuba then tackled Wavrunek three yards behind the line on a short pass. Kessler’s replay explanation focused on Nkuba defeating Jeremiah Patterson’s block to reach the receiver. That left third-and-14, and Porter followed with a sack and forced fumble. North Dakota State recovered the ball but had to punt.
The final possession required another recovery from a bad down. Hayes scrambled 28 yards to the UNLV 24 with two minutes remaining. On the next snap, Dee Crayton sacked him for a seven-yard loss. Kessler described a run-pass option with a quick throw attached, coverage rotating toward the receiver and Hayes keeping the ball when the throw was unavailable.
A holding penalty pushed the Bison farther back. Bin-Wahad intercepted the next pass, his second of the game. UNLV had allowed a quarterback to escape into scoring range, then ended the possession before North Dakota State attempted another fourth down.
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