The UNLV Rebels took on the New Mexico Lobos in a contest in Albuquerque, where Marcus Arroyo helped to lead the team to a 31-17 victory for the first time since 2019.
The Lobos took the opening kick, finding the endzone first for a 7-0 lead. Trace Bruckler completed a 1-yard pass from Isaiah Chavez to be first up on the scoreboard, followed by Andrew Shelly with a good kick.
The Rebel defense held on fourth-and-one near the midfield for a UNLV take over with 3:53 remaining in the first quarter.
With 32 seconds on the clock, Charles Williams ran a 4-yard touchdown, followed by Daniel Gutierrez making a kick to end the quarter tied at 7.
UNLV was quick to start off the second period, with Marcus Phillips Jr. catching his first career touchdown to put the Rebels up 14-7. Quarterback (QB) Cameron Friel threw a 15-yard pass to earn the lead for the first time during the game.
New Mexico was even quicker to respond, as Bobby Cole ran a 75-yard touchdown within the minute to once again tie the game.
The Rebels demonstrated their determination for their first victory as Friel found Kyle Williams for a 75-yard pass and another touchdown on the scoresheet. UNLV took the lead for the final time of the game, 21-14.
Kyle Williams turned in his second 100-yard receiving game in the last three outings, finishing with seven catches for 137 yards, including the long score.
Friel managed not to get sacked during the game and completed 20 of 33 attempts as UNLV won the passing-yard battle 227-36.
The Lobos scored a field goal with 6:04 remaining on the clock in hopes of tightening the gap between scores, but that is the final time they would be able to get any points in, entering the half behind 21-17.
Kyle Beaudry started in his first game as a Rebel forcing two key first-half fumbles, recovering one, posting 10 total tackles, and creating 1.5 quarterback sacks. Beaudry earned himself Rebel of the Game with his impressive performance of the night.
Both defenses proved to be working harder in the third period, as a 27-yard field goal by Guiterrez halfway through was the only scoring seen in the quarter, putting the Rebels up by another three points.
Charles Williams carried the ball into the endzone from the 2-yard line to put the Rebels up two scores with 11:34 to play. Charles Williams now has scored 10 touchdowns this season and 29 career total touchdowns to give the Rebels a 31-17 lead.
Charles Williams became his school's all-time rushing leader during the third quarter with an 11-yard gain. He passed Tim Cornett, who rushed for 3,733 yards from 2010-13 and finished the night for 3,763 in his run as a Rebel.
The Rebels went 4-4 in the red zone to improve to 26-28 on the season inside their opponents' 20-yard line.
"I'm just proud of my team- proud of these guys and the coaches and the staff to hang in there,” Arroyo said. “I think I've said it from the beginning, hanging in there when things aren't going your way, it says a lot about your character as a team, as a program.”
"It's so easy nowadays with the influences and outside pressures and the talk to quit. It's so easy for someone to say something and the guys to believe it, so it's a lot tougher to go back to work when things aren't going your way. It just says a lot about our group and where we are headed. We've got more."
UNLV returns home for two straight home dates at Allegiant Stadium. First up, the Rebels host Hawaii on Saturday, Nov. 13 starting at 1 p.m. and the game will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
Rebel students get free tickets at unlvtickets.evenue.net
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