October 12, 2026 - 6:26 pm

UNLV football coaches gathered at halftime of the team’s 13-7 victory against North Dakota State on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium and decided this: It was time to run the ball.

Like, a lot.

UNLV attempted two passes over the final 30 minutes. A third was nullified by penalty.

The Bison were playing a soft zone and trying to take away any explosive pass plays by the Rebels, meaning North Dakota State certainly watched film of UNLV’s win against Cal the previous week.

“We wanted to commit to the run,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “We were having a lot of success with it. Their average starting field position in the fourth quarter was the minus-15 yard line. We were able to control the clock and rarely does North Dakota State get blown away in time of possession. We were able to control tempo in the second half, control field position by running the football. So we just kept doing it.”

They did it mostly by handing the ball to standout running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas, who would rush 22 times for 112 yards.

“I’m comfortable with 20-plus carries with how I prepare and take care of my body,” Thomas said. “Whatever the team needs is OK with me.”

The Rebels (4-2, 2-0 Mountain West) next play at Air Force (4-1, 2-1) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT.

You might remember last year, when the Rebels survived the Falcons 51-48 at Allegiant Stadium.

UNLV always feels pretty good about itself away from Las Vegas. It leads the FBS in road wins (13) since 2024.

“I remember (Air Force) is physical and plays hard and fast,” Thomas said. “We just need to play our game like we did against North Dakota State.”

One player the Rebels won’t have to worry about this season: Electric quarterback Liam Szarka was lost for the year with a lower leg injury received in a 14-9 victory against Navy.

It was Szarka who last season ran for 136 yards and two scores while throwing for 175 and another touchdown against UNLV.

Over the past two weeks, the Rebels have accounted for five defensive stops on fourth down.

“It comes from the comfort of understanding our defense,” Mullen said. “Obviously, (defensive coordinator Paul Guenther) making great calls and getting everyone in position to make a play is big. It’s important to understand the game situation and what’s going on.

“That’s a critical part of it. Understanding where we are in the game and how to use that call to go make a play. We’ve been able to do that. Obviously, stops on fourth down are huge momentum swings.”

Said linebacker Kamuela Ka’aihue: “We see fourth down as a challenge, regardless if it’s on the goal line or back at the 20. We always tell ourselves to defend every inch of the grass. Just put the ball out there, and we’ll go play.”

It also helps to play good defense in the red zone.

UNLV was a minus-8 on potential red-zone scoring while North Dakota State was a minus-14.

“If my math is correct, that’s a plus-6 for us,” Mullen said. “How much did we win by?”

Yeah. Six.

Center Austin Boyd (ankle) remains out after being injured in the season opener against Memphis. It was first feared the starter would miss the entire season, but Mullen said last week there is hope he might return after the upcoming bye week against Northern Illinois on Halloween.

“Hopefully, we’ll get him back soon,” Mullen said. “They keep telling me he’s ahead of schedule, which is a really good thing. It’s certainly not something where I’m going to push him back out there until I know he’s (healthy). Sooner rather than later would be fantastic, to get that leadership back on the offensive line.”

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.