Can UNLV finally topple Boise State? Dan Mullen trusts his ‘unique’ team
The last time UNLV defeated Boise State in a football game, Jimmy Carter had just defeated Gerald Ford in the presidential election.
You read that right — it was 1976, nearly half a century ago.
The Broncos have won 11 straight times, including every game since both teams became members of the Mountain West. The streak includes four wins in the past two years for the Broncos, including two straight conference championship games.
Now Boise State is looking to add to that and win yet another title on Friday evening at Albertsons Stadium, having defeated the Rebels 44-20 in 2023 in Las Vegas and then 21-7 a year ago in Boise.
First-year UNLV head coach Dan Mullen wasn’t around for any of those championship losses. He was on the sideline when the Broncos defeated Mullen’s team 56-31 on The Blue earlier this season, but he said Monday that he thinks this is the squad that can end the BSU dominance.
“We have such a unique group,” Mullen said during a press conference.
Why does he think that this game can be different? For one thing, about a quarter of the roster is made up of first-year transfers.
Some of UNLV’s main contributors who played elsewhere last year are starting quarterback Anthony Colandrea (Virginia), wide receiver DaeDae Reynolds (Pittsburgh), tight end Nick Elksnis (South Carolina), three of the starting five offensive linemen and all of the starters in the secondary.
Including freshmen, Mullen said, about 70 members of the team are in their first year at UNLV. That means they aren’t carrying scars from losing championship games to the Broncos.
“If this was my third year here and we had 18 returning starters, I’d have a very different thought of answering that question,” Mullen said. “But this is a whole new crew, and this is mostly year one for all of them.”
Of course, Mullen’s newly assembled crew does have the loss in the regular season under its belt. That game was played the afternoon of Oct. 18 at Albertsons Stadium, and the Rebels trailed by just four at halftime, 28-24. Then Boise State scored four unanswered touchdowns — three Maddux Madsen touchdown passes, and a pick-six from A’Marion McCoy — to start the second half and torch UNLV.
The loss was Mullen’s first time coaching on The Blue. For a man who’s coached at some of the biggest stadiums in the country during his time in the SEC with Mississippi State and Florida, he was impressed.
“It was a great environment, obviously a passionate fan base up there,” Mullen said. “I love when football is important to people.
“ ... The football is really important to the people of Boise, to the city, to their fans, to their alumni,” he continued. “You look at the tradition, the pride they have in that program, that’s what’s made them special throughout the years. And I love playing in those environments where football is important to people.”
Boise State vs. UNLV
- When: 6 p.m. Mountain time Friday
- Where: Albertsons Stadium (32,796, turf)
- TV: FOX (Jason Benetti, Robert Griffin III)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM / 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State 8-4, 6-2; UNLV 10-2, 6-2
- Series: Boise State leads the series 12-3
- Betting line: Boise State by 3.5
- Weather: 43 degrees, 76% chance of rain
