Gameday: UNLV survives at Oregon State and earns its sixth win

Corvallis, Ore. –

Corvallis, Ore. – UNLV survived a late comeback attempt by Oregon State to earn a hard-fought victory, 33-25.

UNLV led by 16 points late in the fourth quarter, but OSU scored and added a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to eight. After UNLV went three-and-out, the Beavers drove inside the 10-yard line and had one final play with three seconds on the clock. Gevani McCoy threw to Jermaine Terry in the end zone, but the pass was broken up and the UNLV sideline streamed onto the field to celebrate.

The win improves UNLV to 6-1, meaning the team is bowl eligible for the second straight year – the first time in school history that the Scarlet and Gray have qualified for the postseason in consecutive years.

Senior Ricky White delivered another heroic effort, catching nine passes for 88 yards and a touchdown and delivering another blocked punt, giving him three points on the year.

The defense was led by defensive end Antonio Doyle, who recorded three sacks, and safety Jalen Catalon, who had a sack and a key forced fumble that helped turn the tide in UNLV’s favor in the third quarter.

UNLV will make a quick turnaround before hosting No. 15 Boise State at Allegiant Stadium on Friday. The winner of this matchup will sit atop the Mountain West standings and likely be the leading candidate for the Group of 5 playoff spot.

UNLV football beats Oregon State 26-17

UNLV has the ball and a chance to put this game away, defending a 26-17 lead with 9:51 left in the fourth quarter.

Caden Chittenden’s fourth field goal of the night made it a two-possession game with 12 minutes to play, and the UNLV defense pulled off a huge stop just as Jalen Catalon’s third-down sack forced Oregon State to punt.

After allowing Oregon State to score on its first three possessions of the game, UNLV did not allow a point in the second half.

A UNLV touchdown drive would put this game away and set up a gigantic showdown with Boise State next week at Allegiant Stadium. Let’s see if the Go-Go offense can finish this thing off.

UNLV football takes the lead over Oregon State 23-17

The UNLV defense may have just pulled off a game-changing play, and with 4:21 left in the third quarter, UNLV finally has its first lead of the night, 23-17.

UNLV’s first two offensive attempts of the half came up empty, but safety Jalen Catalon was able to fend off the ball from Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson. Cameron Oliver recovered in OSU territory and two plays later Hajj-Malik Williams ran for a 9-yard touchdown to give the Scarlet and Gray the lead.

Williams now has 54 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns.

Catalon has seven tackles to go in addition to the massive forced fumble. Defensive end Antonio Doyle has seven tackles and one sack.

White blocks another punt, UNLV trails 17-16 at halftime

UNLV closed the first half with a 10-0 run, and Oregon State’s lead was cut to 17-16 at halftime.

The Beavers took a 17-6 lead on a 71-yard touchdown run by Gevani McCoy with 2:36 left in the second quarter, and at that point the UNLV defense had given up points on all three of Oregon State’s possessions.

The dynamic changed quickly. UNLV responded with a touchdown drive that traveled 75 yards in just five plays; Hajj-Malik Williams strolled into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown to make it 17-3. On Oregon State’s ensuing drive, the defense got its first stop and Ricky White blocked the punt to help UNLV gain possession of OSU territory with 16 seconds left. After two short completions, freshman Caden Chittenden kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired – his third of the game.

White has now blocked three punts this season. The senior receiver also has four catches for 39 yards tonight.

UNLV receives kickoff to start third quarter; A goal would give the Scarlet and Gray their first lead of the night.

Oregon State leads UNLV football at 10-6

Caden Chittenden hit just his second field goal of the game, bringing UNLV within 10-6 with 4:12 left in the second quarter.

Oregon State’s second attack appeared to be the first as a long march to the goal line appeared to begin. This time, however, the Beavers kept the offense on the field with a 4th-and-goal from 1, and Gevani McCoy pushed forward on a quarterback sneak to give the home team a 10-3 lead.

Hajj-Malik Williams continues to struggle with accuracy as he completed just 4 of 10 passes for 55 yards. UNLV had a chance to tie the score on a 3rd-and-8 from the 16-yard line, but Williams threw a pass up the middle to Jacob De Jesus that should have been a touchdown.

UNLV’s defense will now look to document both teams’ first stop of the night.

UNLV and Oregon State tied early

UNLV and Oregon State have combined to take up most of the first quarter, and after back-and-forth field goals, this game is tied 3-3 with 0:34 remaining in the quarter.

UNLV played classic bend-don’t-break defense on the game’s first possession, holding Oregon State to a short field goal after a Flea Flicker gave it a 44-yard gain and setting up the Beavers with a 1st-and-1 4th-minute goal from linebacker Mani Powell and lineman Tatuo Martinson made key stops to keep Oregon State out of the end zone.

The Scarlet and Gray responded with a 15-play, 82-yard drive that also ended just shy of the end zone. The decisive play was a 4th-and-1 conversion at midfield that gave Hajj-Malik Williams the first down against a quarterback keeper. Williams fumbled after crossing the line to recover the ball, but receiver Ricky White was in the right place at the right time and recovered the ball. Five plays later, UNLV had a golden opportunity to score, but Williams missed White deep in the end zone; Instead of a 6-yard touchdown pass, UNLV had to settle for a Caden Chittenden field goal.

Williams was shaky throwing the ball and missed his first three passes – it missed two very open receivers – but he carried it four times for 33 yards.

UNLV football travels north for a showdown at Oregon State

The UNLV football team begins the second half of the season on Saturday, looking to bolster its playoff results with an important road win at Oregon State (7 p.m., CW Network).

Three keys to observe:

Fireworks?

Oregon State is 4-2 and has averaged 33.0 points in three contests against Mountain West opponents, so this game could become a shootout. Like UNLV, the Beavers do it with an overwhelming rushing attack that racks up 256 yards per game. Junior running back Anthony Hankerson has rushed for 639 yards and a dozen touchdowns, ranking fourth nationally.

The UNLV defense will be responsible for keeping Hankerson in check, but senior linebacker Jackson Woodard warned that the Beavers are more than a one-man show.

“You have athletes everywhere,” Woodard said. “The quarterback is really good, O-line is solid.”

Third downs will be a key. In last week’s win against Utah State, UNLV struggled to force punts, allowing the Aggies to convert 8 of 17 on third down, but Woodard said that was a focus in practice before the game against Oregon State be.

“After third place we have to leave the field,” Woodard said. “We still have to get better. I thought [Monday] We had a really good training. The defense was flying around. But that will certainly still be a focus for us.”

Run wild

Any concerns about the go-go offense have been addressed since Hajj-Malik Williams took over at quarterback. Not only did he breathe life into the passing game, but he also reignited the rushing attack.

UNLV has averaged 230.7 rushing yards per game with Williams at the helm, including 313 last week at Utah State. They should celebrate again at Oregon State, as the Beavers have one of the worst run defenses in the country (220.8 yards allowed, 123rd).^approx of 134 Division I teams).

High stakes

UNLV may have fallen out of the Top 25 and relinquished its College Football Playoff front-runner status after losing to Syracuse two weeks ago, but the Scarlet and Gray are still controlling their own destiny.

A win at Oregon State would improve them to 6-1 and qualify them for a bowl game, and more importantly, set up a showdown next week at Allegiant Stadium with one-loss Boise State. Another win there would move UNLV back to the top of the Group of 5 heading into the final third of the schedule.

Taking that into account, UNLV hasn’t played many bigger games than this. And as long as Barry Odom’s team keeps winning, the games will keep getting bigger.

Team leader

UNLV

Passing by

Hajj-Malik Williams: 77.0%, 642 yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT

Rush

Jai’Den Thomas: 298 yards, 6.2 yards per carry, 3 touchdowns

Reception

Ricky White: 37 receptions, 526 yards, 8 touchdowns

defense

Jackson Woodard: 57 tackles, 8.0 TFLs, 4 INTs

Oregon State

Passing by

Gevani McCoy: 63.3%, 1,066 yards, 3 TDs, 5 INTs

Rush

Anthony Hankerson: 639 yards, 5.0 yards per carry, 12 touchdowns

Reception

Trent Walker: 37 receptions, 380 yards, 1 touchdown

defense

Skyler Thomas: 40 attacks, 1 INT, 4 pass breakups

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.