The UNLV football team fell to Air Force 41-31 on Saturday at Falcon Stadium, unable to stop the Falcons’ option offense which gained 430 rushing yards. Turnovers, including an interception, a key fourth-quarter fumble, and a turnover on downs, hurt the Rebels’ chances. The loss snapped a three-game win streak and left UNLV at 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Mountain West play.
Despite the defeat, UNLV coach Dan Mullen emphasized the team still has a path to the conference championship game, noting the league’s tight competition and frequent one-score outcomes. He acknowledged the difficulty of simulating Air Force’s option attack in practice and cited injuries to leading defensive linemen Lucas Conti and Cohen Fuller as factors that hindered the defense.
Quarterback Jackson Arnold admitted the turnovers killed the team’s chances, saying he forced a throw on the interception that should have been thrown away. Mullen added that Cohen Fuller’s NCAA ineligibility was a tragedy and stressed that the next man must step up. The Rebels will use their bye week to regroup before home games against Northern Illinois and Wyoming, followed by a key matchup at New Mexico.
Mullen reiterated that UNLV must rediscover the intangibles from their three-game winning streak and improve efficiency on both sides of the ball. While acknowledging the team is banged up, he said injuries cannot be an excuse moving forward. The Rebels still believe they can play for the Mountain West championship.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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