UNLV wide receiver Ricky White (11) stands in the field after UNLVs 44-20 loss to Boise State in the Mountain West championship football game at Allegiant Stadium Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Driving east on Russell Road Saturday morning toward Allegiant Stadium featured something unusual for the commute to a UNLV football game.
Traffic. Lots of it.
The streets leading to the stadium for the Mountain West championship tilt against Boise State were lined with supporters decked out in Rebel red.
It was a scene, quite frankly, that this native Las Vegan thought would never come.
The same can be said for the season, which despite the Rebels coming up short 44-20 against Boise State, has been a breakthrough decades in the making.
The result surely stings, but it shouldn’t take away from what has been accomplished this season. The program, after years of two-win seasons played in front of sparse crowds, is refreshingly relevant to supporters in its home base.
That is the moral victory of all moral victories. It’s not a consolation prize for being thoroughly beaten by a better Boise State team, but the result of a nine-win season that became so uncharacteristic that the community took notice.
When Vincent Davis scored on a short touchdown run in the first quarter, or Fred Thompkins had an interception return for a score in the second, the Mountain West championship record crowd of 31,473 erupted in anticipation of the score. When the defense was facing a crucial third-down play, the stadium — with Rebel supporters taking up about 75% of the lower bowl — got louder and louder.
It was a big-game atmosphere that has become painfully infrequent for all UNLV programs over the years, bringing Rebel Nation together by the thousands for the first time since Rebel basketball was a regular NCAA Tournament qualifier about 10 years ago.
Interest was so high for the Mountain West title game that the university started selling tickets in the second deck at Allegiant. That section is usually closed for UNLV games.
The hope for UNLV is the tremendous backing witnessed Saturday is a precursor of things to come for future seasons.
Locals have historically only supported winning programs and all signs point to the Rebels continuing their winning ways. Remember, they have the best stadium in the Mountain West, are housed in the best on-campus training facility in the league, and have the conference’s highest paid coach.
They also have the top incoming recruiting class and are situated in one of the premier cities in the West. So, yes, it’s fair to say the program is just getting started.
The time to criticize its performance — like that poor secondary play against Boise State — will come in future seasons when contending for a championship is a regular occurrence.
Right now, it’s about celebrating the start of what should be the new normal of winning seasons, bowl-game berths and Allegiant Stadium packed with locals wearing red.
That, after all, is how a community supports its hometown university.
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