The UNLV Rebels Ride Jai'Den Thomas To Week 0 Victory

The UNLV Rebels football team won their first game of the season in Week 0 against the Idaho State Bengals. However, the game was tighter than most expected. The Bengals put up a tough fight and led for a good portion of the game. The Rebels headed into halftime down three, but eventually came away with a 38 - 31 victory. At the end of the day, a win is a win, and UNLV came away with a well-deserved, hard-fought victory.

Quarterback Play

As expected, both quarterbacks got their opportunities in this one. However, it was clear that Anthony Colandrea was the guy they leaned on in this matchup. At the very least, we can expect to see him in shootouts when the team needs to throw the ball to keep up. With that said, he impressed with his legs as well.

He finished throwing 15 of 21 for 195 yards and a TD, while adding an additional 93 yards on the ground on 13 carries. Alex Orji went three of three for 37 yards through the air and carried the ball six times for 34 yards, and the game-winning touchdown. While we don't know that this is the formula they will go with on a weekly basis. At this point, it looks like Colandrea has a clear leg up in the quarterback competition.

Jaden Bradley was the clear top target in the passing game. He caught six passes for 131 yards. The next leading receiver was Troy Omeire who caught three for 24. It was Daejon Reynolds who caught the only TD pass on his one nine-yard grab.

Flying The Jet

Jai'Den Thomas was everything he was hyped up to be and more. He was the reason they were even in this game at halftime. Ultimately, he finished with 10 carries for 147 yards and three touchdowns. The first two TDs came after the Rebels had fallen in a 10 nothing hole. The first TD run was from 39 yards out, and the next from 70. He was absolutely electric and showed why he has been touted as the potential eventual Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year this season.

Shaky Defense

The defense has to be better. They can't allow Idaho State to jump out to a lead and finish with 31 points. They allowed 395 passing yards and 160 rushing yards. We always knew that they were going to take some time to gel, but they are going to have to clean that up quickly if they plan on eventually competing for the Mountain West Championship or even a playoff spot.

There were some bright spots, though. Linebacker Marsel McDuffie came away with a sack and a pick, while safety Jake Pope led the team with 10 tackles. Defensive back Aamaris Brown impressed with an interception and eight tackles, and Laterrance Welch came away with two picks of his own. The turnovers were nice, but they have to start slowing opposing offenses down.