UNLV vs. UCLA 2025: Keys to the game and predictions

It’s a UNLV vs. UCLA 2025 showdown as the Rebels head back to Las Vegas after a road win against the Sam Houston Bearkats. They face the Bruins, who are looking for their first win of the season.

The UNLV Rebels took care of business in a 38-21 victory, whereas the Bruins, in the highly anticipated debut of new quarterback Nico Iamaleva, got hammered by the Utah Utes, 43-10.

It is a primetime kick inside Allegiant Stadium. The Rebels open as a slight home underdog. And although early in the season, preseason Mountain West favorites San Jose State and Boise State suffered Week 1 losses. With the door open for UNLV, can the Rebels go 3-0, or will Nico Iamaleava cash out a winner in Las Vegas?

UNLV Rebels vs UCLA Bruins: Matchup History

With UCLA and UNLV separated by less than 300 miles, you would imagine that these two programs would meet a lot more on the gridiron. However, this will mark only the third meeting.

UCLA enters a stretch of back-to-back games against Mountain West opponents, starting with UNLV and then followed by New Mexico. UCLA leads the all-time series 2-0 vs. UNLV entering this 2025 matchup, with their last win being a 42-21 blowout in 2016.

With realignment, UCLA now finds itself in the Big Ten. UNLV holds a record of 2-16 all-time versus Big Ten schools, with the last appearance coming back in 2023 when the Rebels traveled to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan.

The Bruins have dominated Mountain West matchups across the board. They hold a 20-0-1 record against San Diego State, including a 35-10 win in 2023, and are 2-0 versus Boise State after a 35-22 victory in the 2023 LA Bowl. Against Fresno State, UCLA came out on top in their most recent clash, 20-13 at the Rose Bowl in 2024.

UNLV vs UCLA 2025: Keys to the Game and Predictions

Key Players For UNLV

It might be turning into a trend that Jai’Den Thomas is the guy for UNLV every week. After a game where the Rebels’ best player touched the ball just nine times for 65 yards and a score, Dan Mullen has to find a way to get the ball in the hands of the “Jet” a lot more.

UCLA had to deal with the dual-threat ability of Devon Dampier last Saturday in the loss to Utah. This week, the challenge shifts to Anthony Colandrea. While he may not get as many designed runs as Dampier, Colandrea has proven to be just as elusive, even breaking free for a rushing score in Friday’s win over Sam Houston.

Imagine Thomas getting 15 or more carries while Colandrea uses his escape ability; that has to be the formula for UNLV’s offense in this one. Get those two rolling in the read-option, then open up play action to have Colandrea find his go-to outside target, Jaden Bradley.

Aamis Brown on the defensive side of the ball, shared some thoughts on UCLA quarterback, Nico Iamaleava, saying, “I have played competition higher than them, including Alabama and all that. Going against a guy like Nico, there’s no surprise, no excitement or nothing like that.”

Brown will be looking for his third interception of the season, after securing two in back-to-back games. He was also have to help keep tying together a UNLV secondary that is still working on tightening up their coverages early in the season.

Key Players for UCLA

No surprise, Nico Iamaleava won’t just be a key player, he’ll be a crucial one. The new Bruins quarterback went 11-of-22 for 136 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in his debut.

Iamaleava struggled in his debut, overthrowing receivers, taking four sacks, and never really finding a spark to pull the Bruins out of an early hole. It’s not all on him, but as arguably the biggest portal transfer of the offseason, he’ll need to play much better in this matchup.

UCLA’s offense didn’t get many chances either, holding the ball for just 22 minutes. Outside of a second-quarter touchdown to Anthony Woods, there wasn’t much flash.

One potential difference-maker to watch is wideout Mikey Matthews. The former Utah Ute brings real speed out of the slot, and he could find plenty of openings against a UNLV secondary that’s still ironing out its coverage.

Keys for UNLV to Win in Week 2

UNLV hasn’t put together a full four-quarter performance yet, something Dan Mullen surely knows. Yes, the Rebels are 2-0, but the win over Sam Houston came with lapses, an offense that stalled late, a defense hit with penalties, and even a special-teams miscue on an onside kick that nearly cracked the door for a comeback.

Against UCLA, there’s no room for that. The Bruins bring size and talent, and while UNLV’s defense has forced turnovers, many have come off opponent quarterbacks making some very bad reads. UCLA and Nico Iamaleava still have plenty to prove themselves after a flat showing last week, but this matchup will push the Rebels’ defense to its limit.

For UNLV to take the next step and maybe even grab more attention from the top-25 voters, this defense will have to look to bring a ton of pressure on Iamaleava and force him into making more tight throws. Along with Anthony Colandrea and Jai’Den Thomas will having to set the tone on offense, if Thomas sees more touches and Colandrea finds rhythm in the play action game, the Rebels have a chance to make a statement and notch one of the biggest wins in recent program history.