Hawai‘i: Heading to Hawai’i, Where Does UNLV Stand after a Week Zero Letdown?.
Hawai‘i · UNLVDan Mullen and UNLV were one of the Group of Six darlings this offseason, selected by many to break through and make the College Football Playoff. But before the calendar even flipped to September, that dream was crumpled up and tossed away by the college football faithful.
Like many who wake up after a bad Saturday night on the Vegas Strip, the Rebels woke up on Sunday with a question: What happened? It helps when the answer is familiar: a lack of a run game, explosive plays on defense, and, most of all, undisciplined football.
A 48-yard touchdown pass and a 36-yard touchdown run from Memphis, both coming on drives that took less than two minutes to open the second half, proved to be the difference-makers in UNLV's 27-21 loss. On offense, the next chapter for Auburn transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold began.
Arnold finished with 25-for-3 for 291 passing yards and two touchdowns, but the offense couldn't come up big in the red zone, going one for three in red zone trips. Arnold's play also took away from star senior running back Jai'Den Thomas, finishing with just 44 yards on 12 carries.
KEY POINTS
- Heading to Hawai’i, Where Does UNLV Stand after a Week Zero Letdown?.
- "Losing sucks, I'll tell you that," head coach Dan Mullen said at the postgame press conference.
- Some untimely penalties littered the second half for the Rebs as well, finishing with seven penalties for 75 yards in the game.
- So, after 300 words of negativity, is there any hope for UNLV's season after this loss?