October 5, 2026 - 5:54 pm

Dan Mullen didn’t pull any punches following his UNLV football team’s 39-31 victory against Cal on Saturday.

He suggested fans double down on attending this week’s home game against undefeated North Dakota State.

Even threw out the number 60,000.

The attendance likely won’t be in that vicinity at Allegiant Stadium for UNLV’s homecoming game Saturday at 4 p.m., but the Bison are said to be bringing 10,000 of their own faithful.

You’re likely talking about a crowd of 40,000-plus.

“Listen, I’d rather have 65,000 of our own fans,” Mullen said. “The LVCVA should take a look at this game and the economic impact it has. I’d love some support from them. The more the merrier. People come to Las Vegas.

“When anyone has us as a road game, that’s a circle for their fan base. I’m not crushing any (other city). But when the schedule comes out, there’s nothing like Las Vegas. I think that has always been the deal.”

Said safety Jake Pope: “It’s pretty cool. Obviously, the more fans there are the more packed out it is and it creates a great environment for everybody. We need to double out our fans.

“I encourage all of them to get out there, people who haven’t been to watch us. North Dakota State travels very well and that goes along with their tradition. They have a great fan base but so do we. I’m just excited to be in it.”

The Bison are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in Mountain West play after coming up from the FCS level as a national power.

Mullen was asked about the weaknesses North Dakota State might own.

“None,” he said. “They’re the top offensive and defensive team in our conference. A great team that’s very efficient and well-coached. I don’t know how they’re not ranked. It’s probably a Top 25 team. It’s a great team coming here to town.”

North Dakota State has also opened as a 3 ½-point road favorite.

“We love being the underdog,” Pope said. “It gives us motivation throughout the week. It really fuels the fire. With it being at home and having all our fans there, we’re feeling pretty good about that for sure. All the motivation, all the confidence, starts at practice. Need to get after it. We’re going to take advantage of being (the underdog).”

Despite the 31 points Cal put on the board, Mullen was more than happy with how his team’s defense performed.

“I thought our defense played way better than our offense,” he said. “The defense played fantastic. Look where some of their points came from in the second half. They get two extra possessions inside our 35-yard line because of special teams errors. When you think of how well our defense played despite all that, it’s pretty incredible.”

UNLV (3-2, 1-0) has forced four turnovers in its last two games, both victories.

“I think it’s an effort deal,” Mullen said. “The ball always seems to bounce into the hands of the guy who goes really hard. I would still love for us (creating turnovers) to go up. I do think we can be more aggressive and create more defensively.”

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