BOISE– The dream of the UNLV Rebels making the College Football Playoff will have to remain a dream for now.
On Friday, UNLV fell short of their goal for the Mountain West conference championship, losing to the Boise State Broncos for the second straight season 21-7 at Albertsons Stadium.
With the victory, Boise State secures a bid into the CFP as the Group of Five champion, and they stand a chance to earn a first-round bye. Meanwhile, UNLV must wait to know what bowl they are playing in and who they will play against, but they are bowl-eligible in consecutive years for the first time in program history.
Here are three takeaways from the losing effort
Jeanty dominates
It was always going to be a tall task to contain Broncos running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty, and this game cemented his case for the award.
Even against a typically stout UNLV run defense, Jeanty was able to do what he has done all season and take over games on his own. Jeanty recorded 209 yards and a touchdown against the Rebels, the sixth time that the potential first-round pick has crossed the 200-yard mark this season. His touchdown run came on a 75-yard sprint in the second quarter, tying LaDainian Tomlinson‘s record of five 70+ yard touchdown runs. Jeanty also came ever closer to more history, as the spectacular performance pushes him to fourth on the all-time FBS single-season rushing list at 2,494 rushing yards, needing 132 more to pass Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders in 1988.
Stars too quiet
Whereas Boise State got their offensive weapons involved early and often, UNLV was never able to establish a rhythm on that side of the ball.
Despite the Rebels having the seventh-most potent offense in the nation at 38.7 points per game, being down 21-0 in the first half forced them out of their comfort zone. Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams did not record a touchdown, passing for 113 yards and an interception and ran for an additional 56 yards. Top receiver Ricky White III was held to four catches for 21 yards, and no receiver on the team had more than 32 yards. The offensive line did not help matters, as they could not contain the Broncos and allowed six sacks and 11 tackles for loss. While the Rebels would not be shut out thanks to freshman running back Greg Burrell in the third quarter, it was a bad time for the Rebels’ best players to have their worst games of the year.
Broncos stand tall
In the third quarter, the Rebels had a fantastic chance to turn the momentum of the game in their favor.
Running back Kylin James threatened to put the Rebels in the driver’s seat with an 86-yard run before being tackled at Boise State’s five-yard line. The Rebels were in fantastic position to get back in the game, but a delay of game penalty pushed the Rebels back to the 10-yard line. From there, UNLV could not find the end zone as Boise State forced a turnover on downs. The entire drive was emblematic of the Rebels’ performance offensively, which was riddled with far too many miscues. Had UNLV been able to get on the board, that could have given the Rebels the confidence to put together the furious second-half comeback. Ultimately, it ended up as the game’s biggest missed opportunity.
The Rebels now wait until Sunday, when they get to know their bowl game and opponent.
