Deadspin | No. 22 UNLV controls its destiny when rival Nevada visits

No. 22 UNLV can clinch its first 10-win season since 1984 when it faces Nevada in the Battle of the Fremont Cannon on Saturday in Las Vegas.

A win will also put the Rebels back in the Mountain West title game for the second straight season, giving them the opportunity for a rematch with Boise State.

UNLV (9-2, 5-1) enters with its highest AP and CFP poll ranking in program history following a 27-16 victory at San Jose State last week. They regained control of their own destiny with Fresno State’s 28-22 win over Colorado State on Saturday.

Colorado State had been unbeaten in conference play to that point and was in position to join Boise State in the Mountain West title game before last week’s loss.

“None of it matters if we don’t take care of business this week,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said. “That’s where our focus is and (we know) how important it is to win this rivalry game.

“It means a lot to me. It means a lot to our players. It means a lot to our organization, our fans, our donors, you know, the alumni and everything that goes into it. We know what this game means and we’re certainly excited to have the game at home.”

UNLV has lost to Syracuse and Boise State this season by a combined eight points. They’ve strung together an impressive resume, starting 4-0 with wins over Big 12 foes Houston and Kansas. The Rebels had to make a change at quarterback after the Kansas game owing to a highly publicized NIL dispute with then-starter Matthew Sluka.

Hajj-Malik Williams has emerged as one of the nation’s premier quarterbacks in the wake of Sluka’s departure. Williams has thrown for 1,567 yards and 15 touchdowns and is second on the team in rushing with 664 yards in eight starts this season.

Nevada coach Jeff Choate is one of many who believe UNLV improved at the position with Sluka’s departure.

“They present a lot of problems and it starts with (Williams),” Choate said. “I mean, it might have been addition by subtraction when the quarterback situation happened earlier in the year down there. (Williams) is a dynamic player. Really good off-schedule, runs the offense efficiently. The RPO style of offense was a really good fit for him.”

Ricky White will likely eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season on Saturday, needing 35 more yards to get there. White has 70 receptions and 10 touchdowns on the season. Jai’Den Thomas leads UNLV with 697 yards rushing after a 135-yard performance last week.

Nevada (3-9, 0-6) is seeking its first conference win, entering on a five-game losing streak. The Wolf Pack have come within three points in losses to Fresno State and Air Force, in addition to playing an impressive game against Boise in which they lost by seven as 24-point underdogs.

Their best win was a 42-37 upset of Oregon State on Oct. 12.

Choate is in his first season at the helm in Reno after a successful stint as Montana State’s head coach 2016-20. His first season at Nevada hasn’t been as positive but they’ve improved upon last season’s 2-10 finish.

It looks unbalanced on paper, but even newcomer Choate knows anything can happen in this rivalry series.

“Sometimes one team has an advantage for a while, but usually that pendulum shifts back and forth pretty consistently in this rivalry,” Choate said. “It’s a perfect rivalry from the standpoint of how different economically, geographically, all those things Northern and Southern Nevada are.”

–Field Level Media