Boise State football opponent preview: UNLV

In what could be a 2025 Mountain West championship game preview, Boise State will host UNLV on The Blue in a mid-October showdown.

The Broncos and Rebels have faced off in the last two MWC title games. Boise State earned a 44-20 win in the 2023 championship game at Allegiant Stadium and secured a 21-7 victory in a title game rematch last December at Albertsons Stadium. 

First-year head coach Dan Mullen takes over a UNLV program that has won 20 games over the past two seasons and finished last year ranked 23rd in the AP top 25. 

Game 7: UNLV at Boise State 

Date: Saturday, Oct. 18

Kickoff time: TBD

Location: Boise, Idaho

TV/Streaming: FOX networks

UNLV offense preview

During his time in the SEC with Mississippi State (2009-17) and Florida (2018-21), Mullen developed a reputation as an offensive guru. Mullen and offensive coordinator Corey Dennis — a rising star in the coaching world who learned from Urban Meyer and Ryan Day at Ohio State — are essentially building the UNLV offense from scratch. 

Michigan transfer Alex Orji and Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea are in a two-man race for the starting quarterback job. Mullen said both players are still getting the hang of the new system.

“I don’t even know if there’s a competition yet, because it’s not fair for them to compete when they’re learning,” Mullen said during MWC media days. 

Junior running back Jai’Den Thomas is one of the top candidates to win MWC offensive player of the year. Thomas ran for 918 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore. 

The Rebels added a pair of impact transfers behind Thomas in Jaylon Glover (Utah) and Keyvone Lee (Mississippi State).

Senior Jaden Bradley and junior DeAngelo Irvin Jr. both saw time a season ago at wide receiver. Irvin Jr. should also be a factor in the return game.

The Rebels must replace all five starters along the offensive line. Mullen brought in several key transfers, but the unit will need to gel during fall camp. 

UNLV defense preview

Outside of Ashton Jeanty, UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard was the best player in the MWC the last two years. 

Woodard, the 2024 MWC defensive player of the year, piled up 251 total tackles (26 for loss), six sacks, five interceptions and 21 pass breakups during his two seasons with the Rebels. Woodard now plays for the Houston Texans, but Mullen believes senior linebacker Marsel McDuffie is ready to lead the UNLV defense.

The 6-foot-1, 245-pound McDuffie had a strong junior season for the Rebels with 46 total tackles, two sacks and four pass breakups. McDuffie and Thomas were UNLV’s lone representatives on the preseason all-MWC team. 

To add depth on the defensive front, Mullen hit the transfer portal hard with nose tackle Jalen Lee (LSU) and pass rushers Tunmise Adeleye (Texas State) and Chief Borders (Pittsburgh). 

Justin Flowe, a former five-star recruit who was previously at Oregon and Arizona, could start alongside McDuffie at linebacker. 

Cornerback Denver Harris was also a five-star prep recruit who has played for Texas A&M, LSU and UTSA. Safety Jake Pope was at Georgia and Alabama before heading west to Las Vegas.