Story by Alan Snel Photos by Hugh Byrne
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — From Elvis to Urban Meyer, they came out to see UNLV football Saturday night.
UNLV Rebels football is a thing now after 30 wins in three seasons, with three trips to the Mountain West Conference championship. True, UNLV lost to football power Boise State every time in the conference final but this week in the dog days of sweltering August in Las Vegas there was a palpable buzz of anticipation leading up to UNLV’s 2026 Week 0 season-opener against a tough Memphis squad.
There’s already talk of UNLV’s known-brand head coach, Dan Mullen of a Florida and Mississippi State HC pedigree, leading the Rebels to a spot in the 12-team college football championship tournament that culminates in a title game showdown here at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in January.
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After a scoreless first quarter when both teams were trying to get their offenses to click, the juices began to flow in the second quarter as UNLV, led, 14-7.
And by midway through the third quarter, the UNLV game moved into shootout mode as Memphis struck for two long touchdown strikes via the pass and then the run and the Rebels had a 21-21 tie on their hands midway through the third period. UNLV did lead, 21-14, after a 22-yard touchdown pass.
It turned out to be UNLV’s final score of the evening.
The Rebels have a new quarterback, a 220-pounder who played at Oklahoma and Auburn. Jackson Arnold completed 20 of 28 passes for two TDs and 254 yards by the latter stages of the third quarter. He finished 25 of 37 for 291 yards.
Memphis tacked on a field goal before the end of the third quarter and led, 24-21, with a final quarter to go.
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Allegiant Stadium’s lower bowl was mostly filled with red-clad UNLV fans.
UNLV tickets are must cheaper than Raiders and Golden Knights tickets, with the university marketing staff focusing on affordable starting prices in the $30-$40 range. Attendance was reported at 31,384.
UNLV sports marketing head Dan Dolby
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After Memphis added another field goal for a 27-21 lead, UNLV was down to the Tigers 21 yard line in the fourth quarter but failed to score after Arnold was sacked on a fourth down play.
Arnold ws sacked six times. UNLV had more total yards than Memphis, 460-419, and also controlled the ball with time of possession in its favor, 35:09 to 24:51.
But UNLV’s failure to not score at the end of the first half when the Rebs reached the five yard line hurt UNLV. UNLV missed a field goal right before halftime.
UNLV’s bid for a win ended with a thud as the Rebels could not mount a comeback and dropped a 27-21 decision to Memphis.
UNLV hits the road for games at Hawaii (Sept. 5), North Texas (Sept. 12) and Akron (Sept. 26) before playing its next home game against Cal on Oct. 3.
PSA
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