UNLV handed North Dakota State its first loss of the season Saturday night, winning a physical 13-7 battle at Allegiant Stadium in front of 33,516 fans. The Rebels intercepted three passes and stopped the Bison twice on fourth down, including a crucial stand at the North Dakota State 18-yard line that led to a Ramon Villela field goal.
The game was tied 7-7 at halftime after UNLV scored on a pick-six by redshirt freshman defensive lineman Andre Porter, a former Liberty High standout. "I was surprised I caught the ball," Porter said. "I hadn't caught a ball in a minute. But the coaches put us in a good position, and I was able to go make a play."
Running back Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas carried the load in the second half, finishing with 112 yards as part of a 178-yard rushing attack that wore down the Bison. UNLV outgained the nation's top-ranked defense on the ground, a point of pride for coach Dan Mullen. "You're playing the No. 1 defense in the country, and we outgained them on the ground," he said.
A final interception by defensive back Mumu Bin-Wahad in the last minute clinched the victory for the Rebels, who improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Mullen acknowledged the game could have gone either way against a team that "knows how to win tough games" and suggested the two programs might meet again in the championship game.
North Dakota State coach Tim Polasek, whose team fell to 5-1 and 2-1, said the conference race won't be decided until November and predicted a chaotic finish. "I thought it would be a four-quarter, knock-them-out, drag-it-out fight," Polasek said. "We were looking for that. That's what we wanted it to be. We had a shot there at the end to win this thing."
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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