UNLV Football: Rebels Remain Undefeated with 30-23 Win Over UCLA

It was UNLV vs. UCLA in a 2025 Week 2 college football matchup on Saturday night inside Allegiant Stadium that was a tale of two halves. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea turned in his best performance as a Rebel, throwing for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-21 passing while adding 59 yards on the ground.

The Rebels defense backed up its pregame talk about UCLA’s high-profile transfer, Nico Iamaleava. UNLV’s front brought relentless pressure, keeping the star quarterback from finding a rhythm and ultimately denying him the chance to mount a potential game-tying drive.

UNLV is now 3-0, and here’s how the Rebels got it done.

UNLV vs. UCLA 2025: Week 2 Football Recap

Flags, Flags, and more Flags!

UNLV’s opening series nearly ended in a quick three-and-out, but a pass interference call extended the drive. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea showed his escapability early, slipping out of pressure before heaving a deep ball down the sideline that Troy Omeire somehow hauled in to move the chains.

However, three consecutive penalties against the Rebels stalled the possession. Kicker Ramon Villela salvaged the drive with a 50-yard field goal to give UNLV an early 3-0 lead.

Penalties would be the forefront of the first half. Nine would be thrown in the first quarter alone. 

UCLA’s first possession opened with back-to-back penalties. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was taken down for a heavy sack by Lucas Conti, then dropped again by Landon Thomas, effectively killing the drive and forcing UCLA to punt.

On the next UNLV drive, Colandrea tested the secondary with a deep shot to tight end Nick Elksnis, drawing a pass interference call in the end zone. Wasting no time, Colandrea returned to him on the next play, threading an RPO strike that left Elksnis wide open down the seam for a 21-yard touchdown.

Leading 10-0 early, UNLV kept the Bruins’ offense on its back foot. Facing a fourth-and-one early, UCLA kept the offense on the field and converted as Iamaleava picked up the yardage on an option keeper. The momentum didn’t last long, though. 

The Rebels’ front turned up the pressure, disrupting the reads in the backfield and leaving Iamaleava with nowhere to go. The drive stalled, and the Bruins were forced to punt.

Hello, Colandrea

The ensuing drive was when the Rebels really started to separate themselves, and it was all about Colandrea. On a drive where he put up two of his best throws of the season, Colandrea dropped a ball in the bucket to Dadae Thomas for a 32-yard gain, placing the ball right over the defensive back’s ear. 

Colandrea would outdo himself a few plays later. He would throw a beautiful 50-50 ball to Omeire for a 21-yard touchdown. The Rebels had clicked for points on all three of their opening drives, leading 17-0. 

The UNLV defense was feeding off of Colandrea’s and the offense’s success. The Rebels made the first half for UCLA, reminiscent of their showing against Utah.

With constant pressure in his face, Iamaleava rarely had opportunities downfield, relying instead on read-option plays that UNLV consistently bottled up. The struggles came to a head on a fourth-and-one attempt, where Iamaleava was stopped in the backfield, turning the ball over on downs.

Taking over after the turnover on downs, UNLV quickly found itself in a fourth-and-four situation. Head coach Dan Mullen kept the offense on the field, and Colandrea delivered, firing a strike to Var’Keyes Gumms to move the chains. 

The conversion took the air out of an already exhausted Bruins defense, and on the very following sequence, Keyvone Lee powered through for a 19-yard touchdown run, stretching the Rebel lead to 23-0. UCLA would move quickly to put something on the board in the first half, getting inside the Rebels’ 20-yard line and connecting on a field goal attempt to make it 23-3. 

Heading into halftime with a 23-3 advantage, Allegiant Stadium was rocking. The Rebels delivered their most complete half of football this season, dominating possession for 18 minutes, piling up 14 first downs, and pairing it with a defense that turned in its sharpest performance.

Iamaleava Responds

The Bruins opened the second half with a grinding, penalty-filled possession. Five flags slowed the drive to a crawl, but UCLA persevered. 

After chewing more than seven minutes of the clock, Iamaleava finally capped it off by finding tight end Noah Fox-Flores in the flat for a touchdown. This would trim the Rebel lead to 23-10.

UNLV’s response was brief, going three-and-out on its first-half possession. Much like their second-half showing against Sam Houston, the Rebels lost some of their early rhythm and began to sputter offensively.

UCLA pieced together another time-consuming march, driving to the UNLV one-yard line. Iamaleava appeared to have capped it with a quick slant to Mikey Matthews for a touchdown, but an illegal pick call against the Bruins wiped away the score.

UCLA would settle for three and cut the lead to 10, 23-10. The Bruins squeezed the life out of the ball, leaving the Rebels only 58 seconds of possession in the third quarter. 

Anthony Colandrea’s mobility once again energized the Rebels in the fourth quarter. A massive scramble broke the pocket and carried UNLV deep into UCLA territory, setting up another scoring opportunity inside the red zone. Colandrea capitalized, firing a strike to Var’Keyes Gumms for a touchdown that extended the Rebel lead to 30-13.

Iamaleava responded with his legs, leaning on the option throughout the drive before breaking free for a 30-yard rushing touchdown. The score cut the Rebels’ lead to 10, narrowing it to 30-20.

Just Hold On

Clinging to a 30-20 lead, UNLV’s next series sputtered into a short drive that ended in a punt, though it nearly turned disastrous. As Colandrea was being dragged down for a sack, he attempted to get rid of the ball, and it was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. 

A review, however, showed his knee was down before the throw, wiping the score off the board and keeping the Rebels up by 10. 

The reprieve was short-lived. A defensive pass interference penalty moved UCLA inside the UNLV 15-yard line, but the Rebels’ defense held firm. The Bruins were forced to settle for a field goal, cutting the lead to 30-23.

UNLV’s offense stalled again, as relentless pressure from the Bruins’ front forced another punt.

UCLA appeared to have a screen play break for a significant gain, but an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty wiped it off the board, backing the Bruins up to their own 13-yard line with a first-and-16. Iamaleava regrouped and pushed the offense downfield, which was highlighted by two impressive grabs from Mikey Matthews.

But the drive came to a sudden halt when Aamis Brown. Who had called his shot earlier in the week by labeling Iamaleava “nothing special” hauled in his third interception of the season off a tipped ball.

UNLV held on for a 30-23 victory, securing one of the most significant wins in recent program history.

What’s Next for UNLV?

UNLV found itself in a second-half dogfight. After building a commanding lead before the break, the Rebels were pushed to the brink by a Big Ten opponent that came out of the locker room with renewed energy and urgency.

Unlike their sloppy second-half showing against Sam Houston State, the Rebels stayed composed. UCLA’s rally was more about the Bruins’ valiant effort to claw back than UNLV letting go of the rope. Behind Dan Mullen’s steady hand and the spark of Anthony Colandrea, the Rebels held firm and closed out the win.

With the win, UNLV moves to 3-0 heading into an early bye week. When they return, the Rebels will face Miami University and the RedHawks on the road.