LAS VEGAS—Just like that, the margin for error for the UNLV Rebels has officially hit zero.
On Saturday, the Rebels were unable to crawl out of an early deficit, falling short of an incredible comeback in a 41-35 loss to Wyoming at Allegiant Stadium.
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The loss officially means UNLV is no longer in control of its own destiny in regards to the Mountain West championship game, and a loss to New Mexico next week would likely all but eliminate the Rebels from contention.
“Obviously, extremely disappointed in our performance tonight,” said UNLV head coach Dan Mullen.
“We got a lot of issues, a lot of things we got to fix.”
There were many culprits for the loss, but one of the major sticking points was UNLV being unable to stop the run.
For the third straight week, the Rebels defense allowed the opponent to run the ball at will, with Wyoming putting up 351 net rushing yards. Running backs Samuel Harris and Markelle Holman each ran for over 100 yards, and quarterback Tyler Hughes ran for 71 yards on 12 carries before exiting the game due to injury before the end of the first half.
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With over a thousand rushing yards given up over the last three games, stopping the run has gone from a sore spot to a genuine Achilles heel, and teams are now finding success with regularity on the ground.
“I got to look at us schematically, personnel-wise, who we have on the field and how we’re doing coaching,” said Mullen on the struggles in shoring up the run defense. “It’s my job to fix it because it’s not very good.”
Offensive execution was not at its cleanest point either, putting UNLV behind the eight-ball early.
While Jackson Arnold did put together a couple of key plays with two touchdowns, he was wildly inefficient with a 7-for-18 passing line for 83 yards and an interception on a tipped ball. Jai’Den Thomas was having a relatively quiet day outside of an early touchdown, while the offensive line took a beating with four sacks in the first half, three of them from Wyoming linebacker Ethan Stuhlsatz.
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In the third quarter, when Arnold was still struggling to move the ball down the field, Mullen decided to make the change and put Alex Orji in at quarterback.
“We just needed a spark,” said Mullen on making the quarterback change.
“We just look lethargic out there on the field, and I was trying to look for a spark within the team.”
From that point forward, something appeared to click offensively, as the Rebels were able to get the rushing attack figured out. Thomas would finish the day with 96 yards and two touchdowns on the night, while Orji would also put a touchdown on the board to put UNLV in a one-possession game with just under six minutes remaining.
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However, the offense would ultimately commit the final mistake out of the two-minute warning, as the Rebels decided to pass and Orji ultimately threw a final interception that would allow Wyoming to ice the game.
“We were moving the ball right down the field right there,” said Mullen as he explained the decision to go back to the passing attack despite the success in running the ball.
“On the first down play, they zero blitzed us. We had a guy on misprotection, and we had a guy wide open for the touchdown in the end zone on the first down play…second down, he was trying to make a play. I’ll see it.”
With the season looking more like it will finish below expectations, Mullen and UNLV now must have important decisions.
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The Rebels should ultimately earn their way into bowl eligibility with three more chances to pick up their sixth win. However, the inconsistencies have put offensive coordinator Corey Dennis and defensive coordinator Paul Guenther on the hot seat late into the year.
“I look at everything within our program,” Mullen said about making changes in the coaching staff.
“I look at whether it’s our routine, whether it’s what we do in preparing for today…I got to evaluate everything right there from play call to execution.”
Whatever the Rebels’ fate may be this season, the final three or four games of 2026 may require certain members of the staff to prove themselves.
