Idaho State Bengals vs UNLV Rebels Match Player Stats On Sep 26, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 27, 2015

LAS VEGAS -- Tony Sanchez's first win as UNLV coach was one for the record books.

The Rebels (1-3) shattered school marks for points in a quarter, half and game and also eclipsed the Mountain West Conference record for most points in a game in a 80-8 victory over Idaho State (1-3) on Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Senior quarterback Blake Decker threw for two touchdowns and ran for one and freshmen running backs Xzaviar Campbell and Lexington Thomas both broke the 100-yard rushing barrier for UNLV, which had just one touchdown in losing its two previous games to No. 9 UCLA (37-3) and at Michigan (28-7).

The Rebels, who led 35-0 after the first quarter and 52-8 at halftime, forced six turnovers, including four interceptions, and also blocked a field goal attempt and a punt while finishing with 626 total yards, including 517 rushing.

The 80 points, the most scored by an NCAA FBS team this season, also broke UNLV’s school record of 72 set in 1980 in a 72-7 victory at New Mexico and eclipsed the Mountain West record for points in a game (72) set by Air Force against Nicholls State in 2009.

The Rebels breezed by that mark with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter when junior defensive back Troy Hawthorne intercepted a pass by Idaho State freshman backup quarterback Michael Sanders and zig-zagged 47 yards for a touchdown to make it 73-8.

UNLV reached 80 points on senior fullback George Naufahu's 2-yard run with 2:51 remaining. That enabled to the Rebels to also break the school record for biggest victory margin of 69 points set in a 69-0 win over Cal Tech in 1968.

The win snapped an overall nine-game losing streak for the Rebels dating to a 30-27 overtime win over Fresno State on Oct. 10, 2014. It was also the first at the school for Sanchez, who replaced Bobby Hauck last December after coaching Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School to a 15-0 record and a mythical national championship.

Sanders completed 14-of-33 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted three times for Idaho State, which was blanked 52-0 loss by Boise State in its previous game.

UNLV, taking advantage of two Idaho State turnovers and a blocked punt, bolted to a 35-0 lead in the first quarter, breaking the school record for most points in a quarter. The previous mark of 33 came in the school's first season in 1968 against Cal Tech.

Running back Keith Whitely got the scoring going when he caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Decker just two plays after senior wide receiver Aaron Criswell returned the opening kickoff 58 yards to the Idaho State 28-yard line.

The Rebels later scored four touchdowns in a 4:10 span. Decker scored on a 5-yard run four plays after freshman cornerback Tim Hough returned a blocked field goal attempt to the Idaho State 23 to make it 14-0.

Two plays later, junior cornerback Jay'Onn Myles picked off Sanders to set up a 40-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Lexington Thomas to up the lead to 21-0.

A 45-yard run by Campbell highlighted a 70-yard drive by the Rebels that was capped by a 2-yard run by Whitely to make it 28-0.

Freshman defensive back J.T. Nettleton then blocked a punt by sophomore Zak Johnson on the ensuing Idaho State possession and Campbell scored on a 21-yard run two plays later to increase UNLV's lead to 35-0.

Idaho State got on the board on a 26-yard pass from Sanders to senior wide receiver CJ Hatchett early in the second quarter and added a two-point conversion to close to within 35-8, but UNLV answered with 17 points thanks to touchdown passes of 4 yards by sophomore backup quarterback Kurt Palandech to Devonte Boyd and 36 yards from Decker to Criswell.

Nicolai Bornand's 30-yard field goal on the final play of the half made it 52-8.

The 52 first-half points broke the UNLV school record for points in a half, shattering the previous mark of 38 reached twice -- in the second half in 1980 at New Mexico and in the first half in 1977 against Western Illinois.

NOTES: UNLV avoided its first 0-4 start to a season since 2004. ... Idaho State extended its losing streak against FBS schools to 24 games dating to a 27-24 victory at Utah State on Nov. 18, 2000. ... The temperature at kickoff was 99 degrees.