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Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
Erick Harper had quite a week.
But by Saturday at 12 noon, the UNLV athletic director had a deal for UNLV to stay in the Mountain West Conference with his athletics department on solid financial ground plus a new starting quarterback on the Rebels football team after the previous starting QB said he was stiffed by UNLV on a $100,000 payment.
“It was a fun week,” Harper quipped while standing on the UNLV sidelines before Saturday’s Rebels vs Fresno State game.
Harper wants UNLV to draw national attention.
But not for a former quarterback who claimed UNLV owed him $100,000 for transfering from Holy Cross to the Rebels for the 2024 season.
Sluka left the UNLV football team this week, hoping to cash in on an NIL deal at another school.
Harper declined to discuss the Sluka case. But he said the UNLV quarterback today — Campbell transfer Hajj-Malik Williams — is capable.
“They (Sluka and Williams) battled to the end,” Harper told LVSportsBiz.com.
With players drawing cash from collectives financed by college boosters, it seemed odd the issue of non-payment would surface at UNLV where Sluka claimed an assistant coach reneged on a $100,000 payment.
Harper agreed with LVSportsBiz.com that the national football audience did not have the Sluka caper on its bingo card.
Williams is doing just fine against the Bulldogs. He scored on a scamper to give UNLV a 7-0 lead in the first quarter before UNLV blocked a Fresno State punt and Rebels star receiver Ricky White III ran the ball into the end zone for a UNLV 14-0 lead in the first half.
UPDATE: After UNLV blew out Fresno State, 59-14, to go 4-0 on the season, Rebels head coach Barry Odom credited the team’s leadershop for focusing on today’s game and not letting the week’s off-the-field distractions of Sluka leaving and making his charges distract the team.
“They got it done,” Odom said.
Odom also read a statement about Sluka’s departure and allegations and even the national media’s reaction.
Odom said UNLV complied with all “applicable rules” and said many expressed strong opinions without full knowledge of Sluka’s departure.
Odom also did not mention Sluka by name in his statement.
The UNLV postgame presser ended with star receiver White quipping that Circa hotel-casino and UNLV supporter Derek Stevens, who offered to give UNLV $100,000 to keep Sluka in las Vegas, should instead give the $100,000 to the UNLV offensive line.
LVSportsBiz.com watched Odom’s body language as White referred to the $100,000 and the head coach held his breath to see what his star player was about to say about the $100,000.
Back to the blowout game: Williams then hit White on a 12-yard slant for a third TD and the Rebels were cruising, 21-0, with 1:57 left in the first half.
In the second half, the Rebels cruised to a rout.
Only a few years ago it was UNLV getting manhandled by teams.
Now, the Rebels are doling out the big wins.
UNLV led, 45-7, in the fourth quarter with the team showing a nice balance of running and passing.
UNLV announced attendance at 24,638.
Williams played error-free ball, completing 13 of 16 passes for three touchdowns, while running 12 times for 119 yards. UNLV star receiver White grabbed nine passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
The final score was UNLV 59 Fresno State 14 as Rebels runner Jai’den “Jet” Thomas returned a Fresno kickoff for a 90-yard touchdown score.
The 23-ranked UNLV (23rd in the coaches poll) plays Syracuse Friday in a nationally-televised game as the Rebels won their first Mountain West Conference game this season today.
Allegiant Stadium workers wasted no time converting the UNLV artificial turf surface for the Raiders turf field for Sunday’s Raiders versus Cleveland Browns game.