Kansas Jayhawks defeat UNLV Rebels 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl

However, from there, it was practically all Jayhawks, as their offense completely dominated UNLV’s secondary.

Quarterback Jason Bean threw for a season-high 449 yards along with 6 touchdowns. Of these touchdowns, three went to WR Luke Grimm, while the other three went to WR Lawrence Arnold.

Bean was named Capital One Player of the Game with this dazzling performance that included 11 passes that resulted in 15 yards or more.

While the Rebels attempted to mount a comeback in the 3rd quarter, with two touchdowns, setup by a pair of interceptions thrown by Bean, Kansas halted this momentum with some lengthy drives in the final 15 minutes.

UNLV, who allowed 44 points against Boise St. in the Mountain West Championship, gave up a 10-play, 99-yard drive that concluded with a 40-yard touchdown pass on a 4th and 1 attempt.

Of course, it was WR Lawrence Arnold securing his second TD of the game to cap off the 99-yard drive.

Remarkably, this was just barely the longest drive that Kansas went on in their win, as they also had a 98-yard drive in the 1st quarter.

If it were not for some mental mistakes—those coming in the form of three interceptions thrown from Jason Bean and 18 penalties committed—Kansas could have very well sealed the deal much earlier.

Instead, it came down to a slow and methodical 6-minute drive to seal the deal for the Jayhawks.

Considering Kanas entered their 2023 campaign with a 4-29 record spanning over the past three seasons, the 9 wins that they picked up this year signal a major shift in culture within the program. For reference, the last time the Jayhawks won 9 games or more dates all the way back to 2007.

As for the UNLV Rebels, while they did end the season on a sour note, they broke a franchise record with 9 wins. Now, all of a sudden, they will be in discussions for Mountain West Champs for many years to come.

After, the game, when UNLV’s Barry Odom was asked what Rebel fans can look forward to next season, the head coach responded with, “Where we’ll go from here, the goal is to compete to win championships.”

Key performances:

• Jason Bean- 19/28, 449 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs
• Jayden Maiava- 24/35, 291 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
• Devin Neal- 20 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
• Luke Grimm- 4 receptions, 160 yards, 3 TDs
• Lawrence Arnold- 6 receptions, 132 yards, 3 TDs
• Ricky White- 7 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD