FSM Recap: UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack - NCAA Football - Week 14 - 2025 | Rebels Punch Their Ticket to the MWC Championship with a Blowout in Reno

FSM Recap: UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack – NCAA Football – Week 14 – 2025

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UNLV Rebels (10-2)  |  Nevada Wolf Pack (3-9)

UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack – 1st Quarter

UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack (Reno, NV) – UNLV would take possession first after Nevada won the opening coin toss and deferred the ball to the Rebels. The UNLV offense then chunked out an opening-drive touchdown, finally putting the cherry on top after Rebels’ running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas sliced the Wolf Pack defense in half for a 17-yard score.

Nevada’s first drive wouldn’t end up as successful, with the Wolf Pack stalling out just shy of midfield before a punt back to UNLV. The Rebels would start the drive from their own 2-yard line before a three-and-out punt back to the Wolf Pack.

With the ball right back where they started at their own 46-yard line, the Wolf Pack chipped away to the Rebels’ 30-yard line before a 40-yard field goal from Joe McFadden put Nevada on the board. With just over a minute left in the first quarter, the Rebels would get the ball back, eventually heading into the second quarter at midfield after a 21-yard rush from Jaylon Glover brought the first quarter to a close.

 

UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack – 2nd Quarter

 

One play into the second quarter, Rebels’ quarterback Anthony Colandrea dropped a pass in the bucket down the right sideline, hitting running back Jaylon Glover for 37 yards. On the next play, Colandrea worked his magic again as he escaped pressure to hit wide receiver Troy Omeire crossing the field for a UNLV touchdown.

With the Rebels now leading 14-3, and Nevada driving into Rebels’ territory, Wolf Pack running back Caleb Ramseur would cough the ball up to the Rebels’ defense. UNLV linebacker Chief Borders would pounce on the ball, giving the Rebels the ball back at their own 35-yard line. A 33-yard rush from Thomas, coupled with a defensive pass interference from Nevada, would put UNLV within striking distance once again. This time, Colandrea would finish the drive himself, slicing through the Wolf Pack defense on a quarterback keeper from 17 yards out for his first rushing touchdown of the game. 

The Rebels would take a 21-3 lead on the play as the second quarter passed the 11-minute mark. Nevada then went three-and-out, gifting the ball back to UNLV, who embarked on another scoring drive with four plays of over 10 yards to cross into the red zone. Thomas then scored his second touchdown of the day on a direct snap, powering through the Wolf Pack defense for an 18-yard touchdown, giving the Rebels a commanding 28-3 lead with just over 4 minutes left in the half.

The Wolf Pack would attempt a 48-yard field goal later in the quarter, but the kick hit the left upright and fell to the turf. Colandrea then tossed a pick, giving the ball right back to the Nevada offense, but neither team would add a score before the first half came to a close.

UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack – 3rd Quarter

 

The third quarter started with a bang for Nevada, with quarterback Chubba Purdy taking off for 58 yards through the middle of the Rebels’ defense on the first play from scrimmage. On the very next play, Ramseur would make up for his earlier fumble, giving the Wolf Pack their first touchdown of the game on a 17-yard rush up the right hash.

The Rebels didn’t take too kindly to that, embarking on another scoring drive of their own that saw Colandrea hit wide receiver Jaden Bradley for 48 yards down the middle of the field, putting the Rebels at the 4-yard line with another chance at six. Thomas then scored his third touchdown of the game, taking another wildcat direct snap as he dragged the Wolf Pack defense across the goal line. 

Nevada then went three-and-out on the ensuing drive before another Rebels’ drive was cut short by a Colandrea interception. The Wolf Pack then embarked on a 13-play, 58-yard drive that was capped off by a sack fumble of Carter Jones, and after the Rebels pounced on the ball, Colandrea and the UNLV offense would take back over their own 44-yard line, bringing the third quarter to a close with a 23-yard strike to tight end Nick Elksnis.

UNLV Rebels vs Nevada Wolf Pack – 4th Quarter

 

Another big play for the Rebels’ offense would get them into scoring position early in the fourth quarter when Colandrea hit wide receiver Dajon Reynolds for 22 yards down the middle of the field. Two plays later, Thomas hit paydirt once again, scoring from a yard out for his fourth score of the day, while eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark for the fourth time this season in the process.

Nevada would do its best to keep things interesting, though, chipping away at the Rebels’ defense in an attempt to look competitive late in the game. The Wolf Pack hit paydirt this time, with Ramseur finishing off a 14-play, 75-yard drive on a 3-yard rush up the middle.

The Rebels’ offense then drained the clock down to 1:51 before punting back to Nevada, giving the Wolf Pack offense just enough time to stall out at midfield before UNLV took back over and knelt out the clock.

And after a restless night of waiting on computers and algorithms to deem the 10-win Rebels worthy of a Mountain West Conference Championship berth, the powers that be decided that, yes, the UNLV Rebels are worthy.

Their opponent? A date with destiny against the 8-4 Boise State Broncos, one of UNLV’s two losses this season, that saw the now much-improved Rebels’ defense give up a whopping 56 points to the Broncos’ offense in a 56-31 shootout from Boise.

The UNLV Rebels will now travel back to Boise, Idaho, for that date with destiny against the Boise State Broncos, with the MWC Championship kicking off Friday, December 5, at 5:00 p.m. Thank you for visiting FranchiseSportsMedia.com for your Las Vegas Sports news.

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– Matthew Conigliaro – Franchise Sports Media

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