UNLV football wilts in Texas heat in blowout loss to Mean Green

DENTON, Texas – UNLV’s football team came to the north-central part of Texas on Saturday and wilted under the heat.

And the play of North Texas.

This wasn’t close. This was a mismatch in a game UNLV was, as we look back now, inexplicably favored.

But it was the Mean Green posting a final of 44-6 at DATCU Stadium, dropping the Rebels to 1-2 as they enter their first bye week of the season.

The game was (unofficially) over when North Texas took the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards in six plays for a score that would make it 27-3.

All of a sudden, a UNLV defense that did its best to hold up in the first half was missing tackles and not able to contain much of anything. It only got worse.

The Rebels had scored at least 20 points in their past 36 games.

UNLV couldn’t have played a worse first half offensively with the mistakes it made for a 20-3 deficit.

You can begin with two fumbles that North Texas turned into 10 points. Then there was the walk-in touchdown pass dropped.

Then there was the holding call that brought back a Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas run to the Mean Green’s 3-yard line. The Rebels had to settle for a field goal.

Then there was the end of the half, the third straight game where things went poorly for the Rebels as intermission loomed.

The Rebels drove to the North Texas 7, spiked the ball on first down, saw Jackson Arnold rush for 3 yards, had a completed pass to Keyan Burnett come up a yard short of the end zone and watched as Jaylon Glover was stuffed for no gain while the clock expired.

North Texas, meanwhile, had quarterback Tayven Jackson throw for one score and run for another over those opening 30 minutes. He finished 15 of 26 passing for 233 yards and two scores.