Graney: Rebels can’t beat Boise State, but they should keep trying
BOISE, Idaho — A suggestion to those who craft UNLV’s football schedule: For future reference when deciding on nonconference games, don’t avoid these Boise State matchups.
No, really. Don’t run from this.
Let the Broncos depart for another home, but keep their phone number handy.
Dan Mullen says he wants to play the best programs.
Well, the Broncos have one. So do it.
One major flaw: The Rebels can’t beat these guys.
The championship that Mullen talked about since being named UNLV’s coach must wait for another year. The repeat was a rerun yet again. It’s seemingly always this way when these two tangle.
Boise State is your Mountain West champion for the third straight season after defeating the Rebels 38-21 on a rainy Friday night at Albertsons Stadium.
Some history
It’s the first time a Mountain West school has won the title three consecutive seasons and, boy, did Boise State deserve it.
For the third straight year, the Broncos proved to be the much better team when compared with the Rebels.
They again outclassed UNLV in most all ways.
That’s 11 straight wins for Boise State in the series. Total domination.
“I’d love to say it’s a budding rivalry — (UNLV) has played them five times in three years,” Mullen said. “That’s a lot. We have to win one to make it a rivalry. The fans are passionate about playing each other. The kids like playing each other. I think it would be great.”
It won’t be like this next season because Boise State and four others from the Mountain West are departing for the Pac-12. Should the Rebels advance to a fourth straight conference title game, someone other than the Broncos will be standing in their way from hoisting a trophy.
“It sucks,” junior quarterback Anthony Colandrea said. “We worked so hard. We wanted this moment right here. This game. Boise State outplayed us.”
It wasn’t like October, when Boise State ran UNLV out of this stadium by a 56-31 final.
This was closer in the end but never in doubt. It was just more of a game as the Rebels cut deficits of 21-0 and 28-7 to 28-21. They didn’t go away until Boise State made them.
Too many chunk plays for the Broncos. Too many blown coverages for the Rebels. Too much good from Boise State on both sides of the ball. Too much bad for UNLV.
UNLV can take solace in that its program is obviously in good hands with Mullen at the helm. Barry Odom was responsible for awakening an entire city to the idea that the Rebels could be good at football. Mullen has carried on that torch.
He built this 10-win team with 70 new players that will learn its bowl destination Sunday. He dipped deep into the transfer portal and constructed a winner.
UNLV also signed one of the best recruiting classes in school history this week. The future remains bright.
“Extremely proud,” senior linebacker Marsel McDuffie said. “When we all came together in January — all-new roster, all-new coaching staff, only a couple of returning (starters) — we bought in and worked hard and came together. We went out and gave it our all. Sometimes, it just doesn’t go the way you want.”
Fortunate with Mullen
It’s unknown how long Mullen will remain at UNLV. He has more than once stated his intentions to return next year and gone out of his way to tell whoever is asking how happy he and his family are in Southern Nevada.
UNLV should consider itself fortunate for however long he sticks around and doesn’t jump back into the Power Four coaching pool.
“Tough loss,” Mullen said. “Give Boise a lot of credit. They’re a great football team. Very well-coached. Disciplined.”
And when it was over, the better team had yet again won, and a goal post came down and a crowd of orange and blue rushed onto the turf.
Boise State has been and is just better than UNLV.
But that doesn’t mean the two should never meet again.
Want to compete against the best? Play them.
Just figure out a way to win one every now and then.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
