The UNLV Rebels celebrate after defeating the California Golden Bears in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UNLV Wins Silver State Series For Third Straight Year, Topping Nevada 27-21

Originally posted on UNLV Rebels on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:43 AM ET

The UNLV Rebels athletic department has won the Silver State Series presented by America First Credit Union for the third straight year and for the 10th time in its 13-year existence. With all the points now tallied, the Rebels have won by a score of 27 - 21.

LAS VEGAS > RENO

For the third year in a row and the 10th time in 13 years, UNLV takes home the Silver State Series title

: https://t.co/rpJraZdW9G pic.twitter.com/xaf783tqzv
— UNLV Athletics (@UNLVathletics) May 22, 2025

The Silver State Series is a competition between UNLV and the Nevada Wolf Pack each year since 2012. It was originally known as the Governor's Series. The two Division I athletic departments compete head-to-head for statewide supremacy in both athletic and academic challenges. The team with the most points based on athletic wins, series results, and Academic Progress Rate wins the series and retains the trophy for a year.

Scoring According to the UNLV Rebels Official Site

"- Head-to-head competitions will be worth 3 points

-Series or home-and-home competitions will be worth a total of 3 points; head-to-head competition in the conference tournament will serve as a tie-breaker (if available); 1.5 points for series tie in the event the teams split in the regular season and don't play head-to-head in the conference tournament.

-Highest finish in Mountain West Championships will be used for sports that don't compete head-to-head or in a series

-3 points will be awarded for sport-by-sport comparison of APR scores (school with the most "wins" by sport in the head-to-head comparisons will be awarded 3 points; 1.5 point per institution in the event of tie)

-Winning institution will be retain the trophy for one (1) year

-In the event of a tie, the winner of the Battle for Fremont Cannon football game will be used as the tie-breaker"

This is a victory that means a lot to both schools, and after a tight 6 - 6 race at the end of the fall, the Rebels pulled away. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper congratulated his student-athletes and staff after their big series win.

"I want to offer my congratulations to our student-athletes, coaches and staff for another win in this ongoing series," Harper said. "Keeping the Cannon red always gets us off to a good start in the competition and we earned points throughout the calendar from a variety of men's and women's teams this year. America First Credit Union is a tremendous partner and we owe a great deal of gratitude for their unwavering support of the Silver State Series. We look forward to another spirited series next year and wish all teams the best. Go Rebels!"