Three takeaways from UNLV’s victory over Hawaii

HONOLULU – The Golden Pineapple is staying in Las Vegas.

On Saturday, the UNLV Rebels were able to brave the Honolulu rains in order to eke out a 29-27 victory over the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

The victory puts the Rebels at 7-2 on the season and 3-1 in Mountain West conference play. The game also stands as UNLV’s school-record seventh straight road win dating back to last season, including going 5-0 for the first time in program history this season.

“Great credit to a team that found a way to win in a place that UNLV hasn’t won at very often,” said UNLV head coach Barry Odom. “We’ll build on it. We’re 7-2 with three games left in November to do something really special.”

Here are a few takeaways from the Rebels’ narrow victory:

Ground and Pound

At 248.7 rushing yards per game (sixth in the nation), most of UNLV’s victories have relied on them establishing a strong running game.

Against Hawaii, this would hold true once again, as the Rebels put up 290 rushing yards on the Rainbow Warriors. Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams led the charge with 122 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while sophomore running back Jai’Den Thomas contributed 109 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Freshman Greg Burrell would also notch 51 yards on six carries.

No drive exemplified the Rebels’ dominance on the ground in this game than on the final drive. Hanging on to a two-point lead, UNLV would run the ball and bleed out the clock, capped off by Williams breaking a game-long 40-yard run on third down to ice the game.

Up-and-Down Defense

On the other side of the ball, the Rebels were a mixed bag of tricks.

UNLV made several impact plays on defense, despite the rough conditions. As a group, the Rebels’ defense notched six sacks, led by Fisher Camac’s 1.5 sacks. UNLV would also generate the game’s sole turnover, with defensive back Johnathan Baldwin intercepting a pass from Hawaii quarterback Brayden Schager on the second play of the game.

That being said, Schager was still able to make plays against the Rebels. Schager was able to connect on deep touchdown passes to wide receivers Dekel Crowdus and Jonah Panoke, the latter of which briefly gave Hawaii the lead. While the Rebels ultimately held up defensively, there is still some room for improvement.

White Making History

Senior wide receiver Ricky White III’s draft stock continues to soar.

While White was once again spectacular on offense (seven receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown), it has been his play on special teams that is capturing attention. Towards the end of the first quarter, White notched his fourth blocked punt of the season, resulting in a safety.

White currently leads the nation and holds UNLV’s school record in this category.

UNLV’s next game is against the San Diego State Aztecs on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas.