Photo byUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The wait for college football season is finally over!

The Rebels began the season looking to improve on their 9–5 record from a year ago.

After one game, it seems like Barry Odom's team is well on their way to that.

How The Game Went

The outcome of the game was never in doubt. UNLV controlled the game from start to finish.

UNLV went into halftime with a 14–0 lead. They were also winning 27–0 before Houston scored a meaningless TD with around a minute left.

Offense

New QB Matthew Sluka seems up to the task of leading the team.

His stats vs Houston weren't overly impressive.

• 6/13 Passing
• 71 Passing Yards
• 59 Rushing Yards
• 2 TD
• 1 INT

But UNLV didn't ask him to do too much since they controlled the game.

One positive sign is that 195 of the Rebel's 308 total yards were rushing. A balanced offense is harder to defend.

It will be interesting to see what the offense looks like against stiffer competition, but they are off to a good start.

Defense

The defense was nothing short of dominant.

They didn't give up any points until there was one 1:05 left in the game.

Senior Jackson Woodard picked up right where he left off last year.

• 11 Total Tackles
• 4 TFLs
• 3 Sacks
• 1 Pass Breakup

Overall

The dominant victory was almost even bigger. A failed 4th down attempt and a block field goal in the first half kept the final score closer than it should have been.

With a 4–8 2023 record, Houston wasn't the most formidable opponent in the world. But regardless, beating a Big 12 team comfortably is a good sign for UNLV.

UNLV's next opponent is Utah Tech, an FCS opponent that dropped their first game 31–7. There won't be a lot to learn from a game with that caliber of opponent.

We will have to wait until a September 14th game against a ranked Kansas team to see the Rebels face their first real test.

It's important not to overreact to one game, but the early signs look good.