Live coverage: UNLV comeback falls short at Cal

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Published Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Updated Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022 | 4:28 p.m.

The Scarlet and Gray have to be leaving Berkeley disappointed after their repeated comeback attempts fell short, allowing Cal to escape with a 20-14 win.

UNLV trailed, 20-7, until an Aidan Robbins touchdown run cut the deficit to six points midway through the third quarter. From that point on, UNLV had five separate drives with a chance to take the lead, and all of them came up empty.

UNLV had a golden opportunity after a 23-yard pass to Senika McKie put the ball at the Cal 10 with three minutes to play. But on 3rd-and-goal from the 8, Cal blitzed and Brumfield barely had time to get rid of the ball before being hit. Cal stuck with the same strategy on fourth down and forced Brumfield into another desperation heave, which fell incomplete in the end zone.

Cal took over and ran the ball three straight times, exhausting UNLV's remaining timeout before punting the ball back with a minute on the clock. A first-down completion to Ricky White moved the ball across midfield and sparked hope, but Brumfield took a 13-yard sack to put UNLV in a deep hole. He was sacked again for a 4-yard loss on second down, and his third-down hail mary was intercepted to end the game. 

Brumfield finished 18-of-33 for 206 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

UNLV is now 1-1 on the season and will return to Las Vegas to host North Texas on Saturday. 

UNLV driving to take late lead at Cal

UNLV continues to hang around, and Doug Brumfield will get yet another chance to give UNLV the lead as UNLV takes over possession, trailing 20-14 with 7:30 on the clock.

Cal could given itself some breathing room, but a 43-yard field goal sailed wide right to end the last possession.

UNLV has had the ball three separate times trailing by six points, and all of them have come up empty. If Brumfield can lead the Scarlet and Gray into the end zone here, this could be a season-altering victory for UNLV. As of now, Brumfield is 14-of-25 for 160 yards. UNLV is 0-of-9 on third downs.

Cal holding onto late 20-14 lead over UNLV

UNLV has had the ball three times trailing 20-14, and all three have come up empty. The Scarlet and Gray just punted and Cal will have the ball with 11:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Penalties are really hurting the comeback effort. A holding call on first down pinned UNLV inside its 10-yard line, and Doug Brumfield's 3rd-and-12 pass was batted down to end another drive that could have potentially given UNLV the lead.

Then on the punt, UNLV was called for a late hit after a fair catch, which added another 15 yards. Call will have the ball at the UNLV 46 to begin its drive as the Golden Bears look to deliver a dagger.

UNLV trails heading into fourth quarter at Cal, 20-14

UNLV was unable to capitalize after the onside kick recovery, but they got the ball back and they'll head into the fourth quarter trailing, 20-14.

The defense of the Scarlet and Gray has become the story, as they've held Cal to a pair of field goals on the last six possessions. That has allowed UNLV to hang around and potentially steal this one despite a lackluster showing from the offense.

Doug Brumfield is 11-of-19 for 130 yards and a touchdown, and UNLV is 0-of-8 on third downs. But because Cal hasn't found the end zone since the first quarter, the Scarlet and Gray are still within striking distance. UNLV will have the ball at their own 35 to begin the fourth quarter. 

UNLV down 20-14 with ball

The UNLV offense is beginning to generate big plays, and Cal's lead has been trimmed to 20-14 with 7:04 left in the third quarter.

Cal received the ball coming out of halftime, but after a seven-minute drive the UNLV defense rallied in the red zone to force a short field goal.

Trailing by two scores, Doug Brumfield lofted a deep pass down the right sideline that got jostled around in the air, eventually ending up in the arms of a Cal defensive back. But receiver Kyle Williams ripped the ball away on the way down, securing control and giving UNLV a 33-yard gain.

Two plays later, Aidan Robbins broke through the line and into open field, racing for a 31-yard touchdown.

Williams' play was a big energy shift, and suddenly UNLV is within a touchdown and the defense is playing well.

Following the Robbins touchdown, UNLV went with a surprise onside kick and recovered. The Scarlet and Gray now have the ball at the 49-yard line with all the momentum on their side.

Cal leads UNLV at half, 17-7

The UNLV defense stiffened in the second quarter, and at halftime Cal is ahead, 17-7.

The 10-point deficit is not ideal for Marcus Arroyo's squad, but it could be much worse. Cal had two chances to increase its advantage late in the half, but UNLV held inside the 10, holding the Golden Bears to a short field goal. And on Cal's final drive of the half, the Scarlet and Gray forced their first punt.

Doug Brumfield has struggled, completing 8-of-14 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. His decision-making outside the pocket has been questionable as well; each of UNLV's final two drives stalled because Brumfield chose to first slide, then step out of bounds short of the first-down marker. 

Cal quarterback Jack Plummer is having a good time working against the UNLV secondary. So far Plummer has hit on 17-of-22 passes for 205 yards, but considering he opened the game a perfect 11-of-11, perhaps the UNLV defense is gaining traction as the game goes on.

Cal will receive the kickoff to open the second half, so the UNLV defense will have to come up with another stop after the break. 

UNLV on comeback trail at Cal, down 14-7

The UNLV defense finally made a play, as junior cornerback Jerrae Williams intercepted a pass on the goal line to snuff out a Cal drive.

UNLV was unable to capitalize, going 3-and-out on the ensuing possession, so with eight minutes remaining in the half Cal is still holding a 14-7 lead.

It looked like Cal was on the verge of extending its advantage, as they moved inside the UNLV 10. But on third down, Williams slid inside of Cal tight end Keleki Latu to snag his first career interception. The return became an adventure — it appeared as though Williams could have gone the distance if he took it to the sideline, but instead he cut into the middle of the field, seeking contact. That nearly turned disastrous, as he lost control of the ball and Cal recovered. But on review, his knee was down before the fumble and UNLV was awarded possession.

The drive stalled, however, with Doug Brumfield sliding prematurely and coming up short on a third-down play. Now the UNLV defense will have to make another stand if they want to even this game up before halftime.

Brumfield TD pass brings UNLV within 14-7 at Cal

UNLV is on the board via a Kyle Williams touchdown, and we've got a game, as Cal's lead has been halved to 14-7 early in the second quarter.

Doug Brumfield and the passing game came alive on UNLV's third possession, as the sophomore hit Ricky White and Jeff Weimer on consecutive plays to move the ball into the red zone at the end of the first quarter. The Scarlet and Gray then got tricky on the opening play of the second, as Brumfield fed Williams in the backfield and Williams sliced through two Cal defenders to score from 11 yards out.

The play was ruled a forward pass, and Brumfield is now 6-of-10 for 79 yards and a score. It was Williams' first catch of the game. White has three receptions for 45 yards.

Now it'll be up to the UNLV defense to get its first stop of the day. Cal quarterback Jack Plummer has feasted so far, completing 8-of-8 for 125 yards and a TD. 

Cal storms out to 14-0 lead over UNLV

This has turned into a nightmare start for UNLV, as Cal just scored again to make it 14-0 with 3:52 left in the first quarter.

UNLV's second offensive drive started with a quick pass to Ricky White that White turned into a first down, but that's as far as the Scarlet and Gray advanced. Doug Brumfield missed his next two passes and a punt followed.

Cal quarterback Jack Plummer moved the Golden Bears into UNLV territory, and on a 4th-and-2 from the 12-yard line, Cal decided to go for it. Plummer rolled to his left and hit running back Jaydn Ott out of the backfield; UNLV cornerback Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen had a chance to make the stop behind the marker, but his dive at Ott's feet came up empty. Ott eluded the tackle and went the rest of the way for the touchdown.

So UNLV now finds itself in a pretty deep hole. Cal has outgained the visitors 135 yards to 22, and UNLV has just one first down to its name. 

UNLV falls behind at Cal, 7-0

The first four minutes of this game could not have gone worse for UNLV, as Cal has taken a very quick 7-0 lead.

Cal won the toss and deferred, and that turned out to be the right decision, as UNLV's offense went nowhere on the first drive. Aidan Robbins took a handoff on the first play and was stuffed for a 2-yard gain, and Doug Brumfield fired high twice on consecutive passes to Kyle Williams, bringing on the punt team.

Cal took over and marched the length of the field, powered by a 37-yard bomb down the right sideline from Jack Plummer to Jeremiah Hunter that put the ball on the 2-yard line. Jaydn Ott muscled in on the next play to give Cal the very early advantage.

UNLV has taken a punch. Now let's see if they've been staggered, or if they can regroup and put together a productive drive. 

UNLV run stuffer Naki Fahina out vs. Cal

In an unfortunate but not unexpected development for UNLV, senior nose tackle Naki Fahina will not be available to play today.

Fahina, who recorded a sack in the season opener, is battling a foot injury and is not suited up for today's game at Cal. Fahina is on the field observing pregame warmups, but is using a scooter to get around.

Head coach Marcus Arroyo categorized Fahina as "day to day" on Monday, and apparently he has not progressed enough to give it a go. Look for seniors Tavis Malakius and Darius Johnson to see increased snaps in the middle of the defensive line.

UNLV football aiming for upset at Cal

There’s a lot at stake for the Scarlet and Gray today when they take the field against Cal,  (1 p.m., Pac-12 Now, FuboTV).

With a win, UNLV would improve to 2-0 on the young season and — as premature and unbelievable as it may sound — turn a bowl berth into a statistical near-certainty.

When was the last time UNLV played such a pivotal game this early in the year? And can they pull off the upset? With Doug Brumfield playing quarterback at a high level, UNLV is going in as a confident underdog.

Some keys to watch:

How to watch

If you want to catch the game live, you’re going to have to put in a bit of effort.

For UNLV fans in the Bay Area, the options are simple. You can either buy a ticket to the game, or watch via Pac-12 Now, the conference’s streaming app. For those outside the home market, there’s an extra step involved.

First, you’ll have to download the Fubo TV app. Then, if you don’t want to subscribe, you’ll have to sign up for the free 7-day trial — but set a reminder to reassess your subscription status before the trial period runs out. Fubo TV is available on Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast and Amazon.

It’s a bit more complicated than finding the broadcasts of other UNLV games this season, but considering the stakes, it should be worth it.

Run it back

If there was one underwhelming aspect of UNLV’s win over Idaho State two weeks ago, it was the running game. The Scarlet and Gray should have had no problem bulldozing an FCS opponent, but that wasn’t the case.

Junior Aidan Robbins got all the carries in the first half, and though he did pound his way into the end zone for two short touchdowns, he averaged just 3.5 yards per attempt and finished with 35 yards.

Now, if Arroyo is planning a pass-first attack that only relies on the run in short-yardage situations, that’s fine. But if UNLV intends to use a more balanced playbook against Cal, Robbins and the offensive line will have to do a better job of producing on the ground.

Arroyo wants to see the offensive line play as a more cohesive unit.

“You’re starting to see those guys who have been around each other, really feed off each other,” Arroyo said. “That’s got to continue, because I think when you get good in the trenches, you’ve got a good thing going.”

Stuff the run

Senior linebacker Austin Ajiake was UNLV’s headline performer on the defensive side against Idaho State, racking up eight tackles, a sack and an interception, which he returned 47 yards. But Ajiake admitted he wouldn’t have had an opportunity to make so many plays if the defensive line hadn’t played so well in front of him.

Leading that group was senior defensive tackle Eliel Ehimare, who only had one solo tackle but earned national recognition from Pro Football Focus for his ability to win his matchups and tie up blockers. Senior nose tackle Naki Fahina also turned in a strong performance, finishing with a tackle and a sack.

As a team, UNLV held Idaho State’s running backs to 46 yards rushing on a miniscule 1.9 yards per carry. The Scarlet and Gray surely won’t be that dominant in the trenches against Cal, as Golden Bears RB Jaydn Ott ran for 104 yards last week, but it will be up to Ehimare and Fahina to set the tone.

Fahina’s status is up in the air, as Arroyo said he’s day to day with an ankle injury, so his situation will be one to monitor closely during pregame warmups.

Who: UNLV (1-0) at Cal (1-0)

When: Saturday, 1 p.m., California Memorial Stadium (Berkeley, Calif.)

TV: Pac-12 Now, FuboTV

Line: Cal -12.5

UNLV leaders

Passing: Doug Brumfield — 84.0%, 356 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs

Rushing: Courtney Reese — 71 yards, 11.8 per carry, 0 TDs

Receiving: Ricky White — 8 receptions, 182 yards, 2 TDs

Defense: Austin Ajiake — 8 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, 1 INT

Cal leaders

Passing: Jack Plummer — 65.7%, 268 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Rushing: Jaydn Ott — 104 yards, 6.1 per carry, 0 TDs

Receiving: Jeremiah Hunter — 6 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD

Defense: Xavier Carlton — 3 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.