October 9, 2026 - 4:19 pm

The nonconference slate is over for the Rebels, who return to Mountain West play against powerful North Dakota State.

UNLV is coming off a 39-31 home win against Cal, which saw Rebels quarterback Jackson Arnold account for five touchdowns.

North Dakota State is undefeated and has made itself right at home in its ascension to the FBS level and the Mountain West. The Bison are coming off a 28-0 waxing of Wyoming.

UNLV vs. North Dakota State

Records: UNLV 3-2, 1-0 (MW); NDSU 5-0, 2-0

When: Saturday

Time: 4 p.m.

Where: Allegiant Stadium

TV: The CW

Radio: ESPN 1100 AM and 100.9 FM

Tickets: Available at UNLVtickets.com

Conference standings

The Bison can go 3-0 in league with a victory and, with the way they have played thus far, take a big step towards moving forward for a place in the league championship game. UNLV needs to keep pace in the conference and again prove it’s one of the top teams. Sure, it’s still early in league play, but any loss plays like a two-game swing.

Scoring on the Bison

It sure has been tough on opponents. NDSU is allowing on average 9.8 points per game and 236.2 yards. But the Rebels average 25 points and lead the Mountain West in yards per game at 392.6. Something has to give here. Arnold appears more and more comfortable with running UNLV coach Dan Mullen’s offense and needs to stay away from turning the ball over, which could be fatal in this one. NDSU allows just over 100 yards rushing, so things could be tough sledding for UNLV star back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas.

Balanced attack

NDSU features two of the league’s top 11 rushers in DJ Scott and Myles Mitchell and a quarterback in Nathan Hayes who ranks fifth in passing. Jackson Williams is the league’s top receiver with a 71.6 average. In other words, the Bison can beat you in different ways, which puts an onus on UNLV’s defense to have one of their better days. More importantly, UNLV needs to match NDSU physically up front. The Bison have built a program based on their toughness and ability to punish opponents. The Rebels need to stand up and deny such things.

Ed Graney Las Vegas Review-Journal