UNLV vs Memphis: NCAA Football - Week 0 - 2026

“It was a tough game. Memphis came out and they played good ball and we have to tip our hats off to them.” said starting quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Saturday was UNLV’s season opener at Allegiant Stadium against the Memphis Tigers, and it didn’t end with happy Rebels fans.  The biggest storyline heading into UNLV’s game last night was Jackson Arnold.  Arnold is a recent five-star quarterback transfer from Auburn University who made his big debut in this game. Rebels fans expected him to be an impactful player this season 

The first quarter started inconsistently for the Rebels; the action picked up later in the second quarter when former Centennial High School WR Tavian McNair broke free and scored an explosive 38-yard touchdown from a beautiful Arnold pass.  However, the Tigers attacked back just as fast, scoring on a 16-yard touchdown with Hunter Tipton jumping over a UNLV defensive player to land in the end zone.  

The UNLV offense was able to find its way into the end zone again on the legs of the surprisingly fast quarterback, giving the Rebels the lead before heading back to the locker room.

Halftime Score: 14-7 UNLV

Memphis came out firing in the second half.  They were able to tie the game, 14-14, with a 48-yard touchdown pass from QB Marcus Stokes to wide receiver Stonka Burnside.  Stokes ended the game with an efficient line of 15 of 26 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns

“I think they did a good job getting pressure more in the second half,” said UNLV Head Coach Dan Mullen

But it didn’t take long for Vegas to respond.  Arnold connected with Kayden McGee, completing a 22-yard pass leading to Arnold putting a six-yard touchdown on the scoreboard, giving UNLV the momentum once again as the back-and-forth battle continued.

The turning point for UNLV happened in the third quarter when Memphis’ Jailyn Carter ripped off a 36-yard touchdown, cutting into UNLV’s lead and igniting the Tigers’ comeback.  No matter how many opportunities Vegas’s offense had, they couldn’t find success against the bend-but-don’t-break Tiger defense.  Memphis took this opportunity and added a late third-quarter 32-yard field goal to put them in the lead 27-21.  

“There’s 11 guys on defense and, like Coach said, we let up some explosives. That really is what it came down to on the defensive side and we got to get to work on Monday,” said safety Jake Pope.

UNLV got the ball back with just over a minute left, but behind a tired O-Line that had just lost its best player as starting center Austin Boyd left the game with what looked like a significant lower leg injury, Arnold was sacked twice on the final drive, and Memphis was able to seal the win.

“Losing sucks, I’ll tell you that. Some critical errors, some areas we got to be better at,” said Mullen.

Franchise Sports Media. Las Vegas sports news about Las Vegas Sports teams.

— Lily Martin (@latest_with_Lily) for Franchise Sports Media

-> CLICK TO FOLLOW THE FRANCHISE ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA