UNLV vs. Northern Illinois Recap: Dan Mullen’s Coordinator Problem Isn’t Going Away

UNLV beat Northern Illinois 31-24, but the result did little to answer the bigger questions surrounding Dan Mullen’s coaching staff. The Rebels came out of a bye week against a winless NIU team and allowed 493 yards, 240 rushing yards and repeated third-down conversions. UNLV’s offense also failed to score over the final 26 minutes despite multiple opportunities to put the game away. In this Rebel Daily Drive, Mike Cooper breaks down the win, the continued problems under defensive coordinator Paul Guenther and offensive coordinator Corey Dennis, and why Mullen’s loyalty to both coordinators could eventually affect more than UNLV’s Mountain West championship hopes. One year ago, on Nov 1, 2025, Cooper asked Mullen why what UNLV was teaching in practice was not consistently translating to Saturdays. One year later, after another bye week, many of the same questions remain. UNLV is 5-3 and still firmly in the Mountain West race. But with Wyoming next, the Rebels need more than another escape. Subscribe to The Scarlet Standard for daily UNLV football, basketball and hockey coverage. #UNLV #UNLVFootball #DanMullen #MountainWest #CollegeFootball