UNLV football makes statement with blowout win at Houston

HOUSTON — The UNLV defense began the season with an unforced error, then spent the next 60 minutes more than making up for it in a dominant 27-7 victory at Houston on Saturday.

After the Scarlet and Gray punted on their first drive, the defense took the field and things sort of went a little haywire. Senior linebackers Jackson Woodard and Marsel McDuffie both lined up for the first defensive snap wearing helmets outfitted with a green dot — and were immediately called for a penalty.

“I didn’t exactly know what was happening, I just knew there was a flag on the play,” Woodard said.

Starting this season, the NCAA allows one player to wear a helmet outfitted with a green-dot sticker, signifying that they’re receiving radio communications from the sideline. But due to what head coach Barry Odom called an equipment-management snafu, Woodard and McDuffie both put on their radio helmets before running onto the field.

“That’s completely on me,” Odom said. “We shouldn’t have had them anywhere they could have grabbed the helmet.”

An honest mistake. And the only one the UNLV defense made all night, as they battered Houston from beginning to end, clearing the way for a remarkable blowout win over a Big 12 opponent.

Woodard and McDuffie certainly recovered from the early confusion, combining for 17 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.

“When you know your assignments and you can play fast, that shows up,” Odom said. “I think that was the case for both of them tonight. They’re very active. They’re big, they’re strong, they can run, they’ve got understanding on how the blitz tracks go, and coach [Mike] Scherer put together a really good blitz package.”

When the demolition was over, UNLV was 1-0 and looking like a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.

And as for that early flag?

Woodard, the Mountain West Preseason co-Defensive Player of the Year, broke into a smile as UNLV’s locker-room celebration bled through the walls of the media room. “We made up for it, for sure,” he said.

The offseason may have been spent obsessing over the UNLV offense — the quarterback competition, the returning playmakers, the impact additions, Year 2 of the go-go — but all of that took a backseat on Saturday night.

How dominant was Odom’s defense in the opener? Houston managed just 247 total yards (90 of which came on a 12-play garbage-time drive in the final minute) and averaged 3.9 yards per play. And it was the defense that delivered the knockout blow.

Protecting a 17-0 lead midway through the third quarter, safety Jalen Catalon jumped a screen pass, tipped the ball to himself, intercepted it and ran it back 36 yards for a touchdown.

Catalon’s highlight play served as an eye-opener for anyone who may have been skeptical of UNLV as it attempts to follow up its breakout 2023 campaign: The Scarlet and Gray are for real.

“Catalon was making so many plays out there,” Woodard said. “Jonno Baldwin was all over the place, Malik Chavis was all over the place. Tony Grimes, Cam Oliver. Every single D-lineman was in the backfield on every play. It was a full group effort.”

Catalon, a senior transfer from Texas, added a second interception in the fourth quarter.

Offensively, UNLV did what needed to be done to secure an important win.

After months of speculation, it was senior transfer Matthew Sluka who got the starting nod at quarterback. The Holy Cross transfer finished with just 71 passing, but delivered big plays when it mattered, including a pair of first-half touchdown passes to Jacob De Jesus that staked UNLV to an early lead.

Sluka was as elusive as advertised, making defenders miss consistently as he rushed for 59 yards on 11 carries. He took every snap except one; his helmet popped off during a third-quarter play, and by rule he had to come off the field for the ensuing snap. Senior Hajj-Malik Williams entered, executed a handoff, then gave way to Sluka.

UNLV did not make Sluka available to the media.

Comment from the quarterback can wait, however. For at least one week, the defense delivered the first statement of the 2024 season.

“We’re a really confident group,” Woodard said. “We’ve got so many guys. I’m so proud of the group.”

UNLV will devour Utah Tech next week in the home opener at Allegiant Stadium, then the race will be on to secure the Group of 5 bid for the playoffs.

Odom implored the fan base to jump on board the UNLV hype train.

“I would love for us to have to open up the upper level of Allegiant on Saturday,” Odom said. “That would be a lot of fun.”

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