UNLV defeated Utah State 50-34 on Friday night, fueled by dominant performances from senior captains Jackson Woodard and Ricky White III.
White hauled in seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, while Woodard intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble. The Rebel defense forced four turnovers and held off a second-half Aggie push to remain undefeated in Mountain West conference play.
UNLV matched last week's point total in the first half, heading into the break with a 41-7 lead—the most points in a half in school history against an FBS opponent.
Woodard was everywhere on the field, forcing three of the four Aggie turnovers in a performance that will almost certainly win him another Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, if not national honors as well.
Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams and White continued their strong connection, linking up seven times for two scores, including a 31-yard TD that capped off the explosive first half.
It was the run game, however, that powered the offense behind the duo of senior Kylin James and sophomore Jai’Den Thomas. James ran for a UNLV career-high 105 yards and found the end zone twice while Thomas led the charge with 139 yards and a TD of his own. It was also Thomas’ first game over 100 yards as a Rebel.
USU narrowly outgained UNLV in total yardage 584-546, but the turnover margin was the separation factor. Williams and the Rebel offense converted those takeaways into 20 points.
Aggies quarterback Spencer Petras finished 41-of-59 passing for 461 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. His 41 completions were just one away from the FBS single-game record this season, but the costly picks and missed opportunities prevented them from sustaining drives. Wide receiver Jalen Royals caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown, while his counterpart Jack Hestera also caught 10 passes for 152 yards and a score.
Williams opened the game with a four-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, setting the tone early. After a few defensive stops, Williams found White open in the back of the endzone for a highlight-reel touchdown catch to take the 14-0 lead. USU briefly closed the gap with a 20-yard touchdown run by Rahsul Faison, but UNLV responded with 27 unanswered points.
Freshman linebacker Charles Correa jump-started the second quarter by forcing a fumble that led to the second-quarter onslaught. By halftime, the Rebels had scored on six of their seven drives.
The Aggies found rhythm in the second half, outscorcing the Rebels 27-9, but their surge was too little too late and the turnovers spoiled any chance at a comeback. Woodard’s second interception came midway through the fourth quarter on the back of a 14-0 Aggie run, and stopped any real momentum to secure the Rebels’ fifth win of the season.
Woodard has constantly found himself in the right spot leading to takeaways but continues to credit his teammates for setting him up.
“My teammates are incredible,” Woodard said. “Charles Correa knocks the ball out…and I’m just there to jump on it, I didn’t do anything that play.
“Cam Oliver makes a heck of a play on a receiver, it pops up, comes right into my hands. So I just do my part and just play as hard as I can for my guys and luckily I was able to find the ball.”
Despite recording three turnovers in an elite performance, Woodard came away a bit frustrated after missing out on his fourth takeaway late in the game.
“It speaks about his competitive spirit, what kind of guy he is,” coach Barry Odom said. “He expects to make every play and when you do that there will be frustrations at some point.”
While the Rebels tenure in the national top-25 polls was short lived, the College Football Playoff hopes remain alive and well. With Friday’s win, they move to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West, and the path back to the conference championship is evident.
Williams knows the gravity of the upcoming schedule and is locked in on this week’s matchup.
“Next week we need to win,” Williams said. “It’s time to get back to work, get on those flights, get our wounds right and get back to work.
It’s another week, another opportunity so that’s what we’re focused on.”
The next two weeks are make-or-break for UNLV’s season, as wins over Oregon State next week and No. 17 Boise State the following week would likely cement their path to the MW championship, where they’ll aim to avenge last year’s loss to the Broncos and claim their first MW title in school history.
The first of the two big tests for UNLV is 7 p.m. Saturday at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.
