NIU Falls 31-24 at UNLV After Second-Half Defensive Stand

LAS VEGAS: Northern Illinois University's comeback attempt ended on a missed field goal Saturday as UNLV held on for a 31-24 win in a Mountain West game. NIU reached the UNLV 26-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but a holding penalty pushed the Huskies back. JJ Schlenhardt then tried a 54-yard kick with 2:06 left, and the ball sailed wide right. UNLV ran out the remaining time.

The Huskies dropped to 0-8 overall and 0-4 in conference play. UNLV improved to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the Mountain West. UNLV scored on the first play from scrimmage, an 11-second touchdown pass from Jackson Arnold to Kayden McGee that made it 7-0. NIU answered with touchdowns on its first two possessions. Tyger Dickens hit DeAree Rogers from 12 yards out with 53 seconds left in the first quarter to put the Huskies up 14-10.

NIU entered the game averaging 100.1 rushing yards per game. The Huskies ran for 240 yards against UNLV. Elijah Porter carried 21 times for a season-high 113 yards. Telly Johnson Jr. added 113 yards on eight carries and scored one touchdown. The team finished with 493 yards of total offense, its best mark of the season.

Dimopoulos caught seven passes for 127 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown from Dickens with 9:31 left in the third quarter. That score cut the UNLV lead to 31-24. Rogers also caught seven passes for 96 yards. Brady Kerperin intercepted Arnold and returned it 21 yards, which led to a Schlenhardt field goal that bounced off the upright and through.

Neither team punted in the first half. UNLV drove 71 yards in 11 plays to lead 24-17 with 20 seconds left before halftime. Jai'Den Thomas then broke a 60-yard run in the third quarter to make it 31-17 for the Rebels. Champ Smith intercepted Arnold with 2:53 left in the third, and NIU moved to the UNLV 13 before Mumu Bin-Wahad picked off Dickens.

UNLV totaled 468 yards but managed only 168 in the second half. NIU gained 264 after halftime. The Huskies had not led in a Mountain West game before Saturday. Their last lead came Sept. 9 at Arizona, where they went up 10-0 before losing 42-17.