UNLV Rebels quarterback Doug Brumfield (2) scores a touchdown during the first half of a game against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Allegiant Stadium Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.
Published Friday, Nov. 11, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Updated Friday, Nov. 11, 2022 | 11:09 p.m.
Related content
Fresno State made the big plays down the stretch and handed UNLV its fifth straight defeat, 37-30.
After UNLV tied the game on Aidan Robbins' 66-yard touchdown run, the Bulldogs came out and immediately regained control of the game. Jake Haener hit Jalen Cropper on an out route, and Cropper turned upfield for a 65-yard touchdown to put Fresno back in front.
On UNLV's ensuing possession, the Scarlet and Gray found themselves facing a 4th-and-1 from the 34-yard line — the same scenario that produced Robbins' long run just moments earlier. Marcus Arroyo called Robbins's number again, but this time the FSU defense stuffed him for a loss.
Working with a short field, Fresno State tacked on a field goal to make it a 10-point game with less than three minutes to play, and UNLV could only muster a late field goal. An onside kick attempt failed with 11 seconds remaining and that was that.
Haener finished with 313 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Cropper had 164 yards and two TDs.
Robbins posted 144 yards and a score on 26 carries.
UNLV falls to 4-6 on the season and now finds itself in a situation it desperately wanted to avoid: having to win both of its final two games (at Hawaii next week and vs. UNR on Nov. 26) in order to qualify for a bowl game.
Aidan Robbins touchdown run has UNLV tied with Fresno
After a wild turn of events, UNLV and Fresno State are suddenly tied, 27-27, with 9:28 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Two fourth-down plays turned the game. First, Fresno State decided to kick a short field goal on 4th-and-inches from the 6-yard line, giving the Bulldogs a 27-19 lead. Faced with a similar 4th-and-short situation on the ensuing drive, UNLV handed off to Aidan Robbins, and the junior broke through the line and pulled away for an electrifying 66-yard touchdown run.
On the 2-point play, receiver Kyle Williams took a handoff and tossed a pass to Nick Williams in the corner of the end zone to convert and knot the score.
Robbins now has 145 rushing yards tonight, and we've got a game that looks like it's going to produce a wild finish.
Fresno State leads UNLV football, 24-16
It's been a rocky start to the second half for UNLV, as Fresno State just got into the end zone to increase its lead to 24-16 with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs drove the length of the field and kicked a field goal on the opening possession of the half to take a 17-16 lead. The UNLV offense, which had been near-perfect in the first half, committed two penalties and went 3-and-out, punting for the first time. That gave Fresno a short field, and Jake Haener eventually hit Zane Pope for a 2-yard touchdown to give FSU some breathing room.
Haener is picking apart the UNLV secondary, as he is 22-of-27 for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
UNLV would help its cause greatly by producing points on the next drive, because right now the visitors have the lead and all the momentum.
UNLV takes 16-14 lead over Fresno State just before half
UNLV just scored on another clock-chewing drive before the half, giving the Scarlet and Gray a 16-14 lead over Fresno State heading into the locker room.
The 14-play, 66-yard drive ate up 5:59 of game time and nearly ended in a touchdown, but Ricky White just couldn't hold on to a fade pass in the corner of the end zone. UNLV settled for Daniel Gutierrez's third field goal of the game instead.
The first half was a masterclass in game dictation, with Marcus Arroyo's offense controlling the ball for 20 minutes and 41 seconds; that limited Fresno State's electric offense to just three possessions and 9:19 of game time.
Aidan Robbins continues to lead the UNLV attack with 70 rushing yards on 20 carries. Doug Brumfield has been used as a game manager and is 8-of-15 for 61 yards.
Fresno State up on UNLV football, 14-13
Fresno State is slinging the ball around, and that's not good for UNLV — with 6:16 left in the half, FSU has just taken a 14-13 lead.
A Fresno fumble set UNLV up for a field goal and a 13-7 lead, but Jake Haener came back and passed for 65 yards on the Bulldogs' next drive before Jordan Mims finished it off with a 6-yard TD run to erase UNLV's lead.
Haener has had no trouble with the UNLV defense thus far, hitting 11-of-13 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
UNLV would love to get a score before the end of the half, as Fresno is set to receive the kickoff to open the third quarter.
UNLV football on top of Fresno State, 10-7
UNLV came in as a big underdog tonight, but after one quarter of play the Scarlet and Gray have a 10-7 lead over Fresno State.
The first 15 minutes could hardly have played out better for UNLV. A strong rushing attack (104 yards on the ground already) allowed the home team to score on each of its first two drives, including a 6-yard touchdown run by Doug Brumfield to cap the last possession.
Aidan Robbins is rolling early, with 62 rushing yards on 11 carries.
The ground game has also limited Fresno's elite offense for now. The Bulldogs have only had one possession so far; they're currently staring at a 4th-and-1 from their own 44-yard line. We'll see if they decide to go for it when the second quarter resumes.
Fresno State takes early lead over UNLV
Fresno State just scored on a touchdown pass from Jake Haener to Jalen Cropper to give the Bulldogs an early 7-3 lead over UNLV.
UNLV aided Fresno State on its opening drive, first by committing a 15-yard personal foul on the kickoff, then by going offsides and negating an interception a few plays later. Haener then converted a third-and-long before finding Cropper on a 33-yard crossing route for the TD.
UNLV managed to produce points on its opening possession, which has been an issue for the offense all season. Doug Brumfield was nearly intercepted on his first throw, but recovered to guide the Scarlet and Gray on a 10-play, 51-yard drive that concluded with a 42-yard field goal by Daniel Gutierrez.
Aidan Robbins was the main engine on the drive, carrying four times for 41 yards.
UNLV football seeks to avoid fifth straight loss
After coming tantalizingly close to knocking off San Diego State last week, the UNLV football team will pick itself up again and aim for an upset when they host surging Fresno State on Friday night at Allegiant Stadium (7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network).
It’s yet another game with significant stakes for the Scarlet and Gray (4-5 overall, 2-3 Mountain West), as they look to secure the program’s first bowl bid since 2013.
Three keys to watch:
Knock off the rust
Doug Brumfield showed a fair amount of rust against San Diego State, which was understandable considering it was his first game action since Oct. 7. The sophomore QB completed 17-of-27 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown, but that rust manifested itself in poor decision-making in the red zone, as Brumfield tossed two end-zone interceptions in a game UNLV eventually lost, 14-10.
That’s not the kind of performance UNLV can survive. Brumfield is supposed to win games for the Scarlet and Gray, not be the reason they lose.
Head coach Marcus Arroyo knows that, made it a priority this week to get Brumfield back up to speed in practice.
“A little more rust than I probably anticipated,” Arroyo said. “He’s disappointed. Made some critical mistakes in there that were costly. He’s got a chance to fix them. There’s some errors that I think, whether it was rust-driven or decision making or accuracy things, are all part of being off for that long. Protections, some things like that. But all things that are fixable.”
If Brumfield is all the way back, UNLV might be able to trade scores with Fresno State. If there’s any rust on the chain, however, UNLV’s chances start looking pretty bleak.
Fresno on fire
It looks like UNLV is catching Fresno State at the wrong time, as the Bulldogs are on fire offensively and have rolled off four straight wins.
FSU is averaging 36.3 points during that streak, and the passing attack has gone to the next level now that Jake Haener is back under center; in the last two games, Haener has passed for 721 yards and seven touchdowns in wins over San Diego State and Hawaii.
It seems to be a given that UNLV is going to allow a lot of yardage through the air on Friday. But can the Scarlet and Gray make enough plays in the secondary to offset that? It’s been a strength of the defense this year, as UNLV has accumulated 13 interceptions in nine contests — good for seventh in the nation. Against SDSU last week, Ricky Johnson came away with a pick in his first game of the season.
Time running out
A look at the remaining schedule reveals a clear picture: UNLV has to snap its losing streak and prevail tonight, or both of the final two games become must-wins.
It’s quite a turnaround from a month and a half ago, when UNLV was 4-1 and stirring excitement for a potential run at the MWC title game. Now the team sits at 4-5, and a defeat against Fresno would drop them to 4-6 and leave the narrowest of pathways to bowl eligibility.
Would you feel comfortable with the Scarlet and Gray having to win at Hawaii next week and at home against UNR in the season finale in order to qualify for a bowl? Because that’s the reality facing the program if they’re unable to topple Fresno State.
If UNLV wants to leave itself any breathing room at all, they’ll need to spring an upset tonight. Lose this game, and their backs are officially against the wall.
Who: UNLV (4-5, 2-3 MWC) vs. Fresno State (5-4, 4-1 MWC)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium
TV: CBS Sports Network
Line: Fresno State -9.5
UNLV leaders
Passing: Doug Brumfield — 67.6%, 1,438 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs
Rushing: Aidan Robbins — 706 yards, 4.8 per carry, 8 TDs
Receiving: Ricky White — 44 receptions, 547 yards, 4 TDs
Defense: Austin Ajiake — 96 tackles, 9.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 2 INTs
Fresno State leaders
Passing: Jake Haener — 74.3%, 1,575 yards, 11 TDs, 3 INT
Rushing: Jordan Mims — 802 yards, 5.0 per carry, 9 TDs
Receiving: Jalen Cropper — 56 receptions, 664 yards, 3 TDs
Defense: David Perales — 31 tackles, 11.0 TFL, 8.5 sacks
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy