No. 23/23 UNLV (9-2/5-1) football turned in its first 6-0 road record in program history and won at San Jose State (6-5/3-4) for the first time since 1993, 27-16, despite an unrelenting rain storm Friday night before a completely soaked crowd of 13,671 fans at CEFCU Stadium.
Playing as a ranked team for the first time ever, the Rebels won their school-record eighth consecutive away game overall dating back to last season by gutting a rain rally behind the feet of their running backs, and especially Jai'Den Thomas, who finished with 135 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. The sophomore posted the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter and UNLV finished with 207 net yards rushing compared to just 31 by the home team.
The Spartans managed just 112 offensive yards on the night, the second-fewest total ever allowed by UNLV in a game, behind just the 80 posted by San Francisco in the program's inaugural season of 1968. The Rebel defense allowed just one touchdown on the nasty weather night and the visitors overcame allowing a pick-six and a safety in the first half as SJSU led 16-10 at halftime.
All-American WR Ricky White III finished with 98 yards on seven receptions, including multiple key grabs for first downs. Defensively, LB Jackson Woodard posted nine tackles, including 1.5 TFL, while five different players combined for seven pass breakups.
STAT OF THE GAME:
UNLV scored in three of its four red-zone trips while SJSU did not reach the red zone once.
REBEL OF THE GAME:
RB Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas posted his third 100-yard rushing game of the season and his 25-yard sprint to the end zone gave his team a lead it would not relinquish. It marked his 20th overall score as a Rebel in less than two full seasons.
QUOTABLE:
"I'd like to give a lot of credit to our team for staying in the game through ugly and terrible conditions. We showed really good resolve and toughness, and they stood together. We overcame some things that didn't go our way, and to find a way to go win against what I think is very good team in San Jose, shows a lot about who we are -- what our character is -- within the team. There were a lot of guys who stepped up and made huge plays in the second half when we needed it.
"To find a way to go 6-0 on the road this year -- it's a big thing for us. It's our first win here since 1993. Those are all things that just keep breaking down walls and things that good programs do.
"I also want to say thank you to the (UNLV marching) band that made the trip. We heard them louder than we heard the home crowd and that's something that I certainly appreciate. I know our players did, and that was big time for them to sit out in what was not ideal weather. But we made this exactly what we needed it to be in a game that, in late November, is very meaningful."
-UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom
NOTABLE:
-UNLV played in the rain for the second straight road outing, also winning 29-27 at Hawai'i on November 9
-The Rebels snapped a seven-game losing streak in San Jose and earned just their third all-time win there (1981, 1993)
-SJSU's interception returned for a touchdown in the second quarter marked UNLV's first pick-six thrown since Game Three of 2023 vs. Vanderbilt
-On an errant snap on a punt attempt, UNLV allowed its first safety since 2022 when Utah State blocked a Rebel punt
-Las Veqas product Caden Chittenden kicked a first-half field goal, his 23rd of the season, to set the Mountain West single-season record by a freshman. He then added to his record with a 52-yard make in the third quarter that was the rookie's career-long
-SJSU was at minus-two in total offense when it started its lone touchdown drive in the second quarter
-Marshall Nichols averaged 50.7 yards per punt on three attempts
-TE Kaleo Ballungay hauled in his fifth TD of the season
-RB Kylin James closed the scoring with seven-yard TD
-SJSU first-year head coach Ken Niumatalolo coached tight ends at UNLV under John Robinson from 1999-2001
UP NEXT: The Rebels will close out their regular-season schedule with a Senior Day home game vs. UNR on Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. and tickets are available by visiting UNLVTickets.com. The game will be televised nationally CBS Sports Network.