Las Vegas, NV-The Runnin Rebels are playing with a renew confidence and they have been dominating opponents the last few weeks.
Hajj-Malik Williams showcased his versatility on Saturday night, throwing a touchdown pass and rushing for two more as UNLV defeated San Diego State 41-20.
Williams completed 20 of 29 passes for 244 yards and added rushing touchdowns of 12 and 7 yards. He opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kaleo Ballungay with just 4:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Greg Burrell extended the lead with a 20-yard touchdown run, capping a nine-play, 70-yard drive. Jai’Den Thomas added a 4-yard rushing touchdown, pushing UNLV ahead 21-0 with 9:20 left in the first half.
“I feel like we can run the ball on a lot of teams. I believe that,” Jalen St. John said. “When we can do that and we get away from it, it’s kind of aggravating, because that’s who we are. We’re a running team and I know that. I know the type of guys we’ve got. I know that when we’re right, it’s hard to stop, so let’s run the ball.”
San Diego State’s Danny O’Neil connected with Louis Brown IV for a 29-yard touchdown pass, but the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Aztecs trailing 21-6 with 3:25 remaining in the second quarter. Although the Aztecs’ defense forced a punt, Jalen Catalon intercepted O’Neil’s pass, giving UNLV (7-2, 3-1) possession at their own 47-yard line. Williams capitalized on the opportunity, scrambling for a 12-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 28-6 by halftime.
San Diego State struggled on their first drive of the second half, going three-and-out. Williams then led an eight-play, 73-yard drive, finishing it off with a 7-yard touchdown run. The Aztecs responded quickly, with Ja’Shaun Poke, a West Virginia transfer, catching a 46-yard touchdown pass for his first score with San Diego State.
However, Caden Chittenden added a 46-yard field goal, bringing the score to 38-13 by the end of the third quarter.
San Diego State (3-7, 2-3) managed to score again when O’Neil executed a quarterback sneak for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, making it 38-20 with 13:46 remaining. The loss marked the Aztecs’ fourth consecutive defeat.
“Around this time last year we didn’t finish the way we wanted to,” Ricky White said. “We’re definitely going to finish the right way this year.”
