UNLV Dominates San Diego State 41-20 in Mountain West Matchup
UNLV defeated San Diego State 41-20 on Saturday in a lopsided Mountain West contest. The Rebels controlled the game from the start, jumping out to a 7-0 first-quarter lead and extending their advantage to 28-6 by halftime with a dominant second quarter that produced 21 points.
San Diego State mounted a second-half comeback attempt, scoring 14 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters to cut the deficit, but UNLV's early dominance proved insurmountable. The Aztecs scored touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters, including a 46-yard touchdown pass from Danny O'Neil to Ja'Shaun Poke in the third period.
UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams led the offensive effort with 244 passing yards. San Diego State's Marquez Cooper rushed for 97 yards, while Michael Harrison led all receivers with nine catches. The game exceeded the over-under of 55 points, with the final score of 61 total points. San Diego State covered the 21.5-point spread despite the decisive loss.
AI-generated recap · Sep 3, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 San Diego State | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
 UNLV | 7 | 21 | 10 | 3 | 41 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | San Diego State | UNLV |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 14-23 | 23-32 |
| Pass Yards | 163 | 262 |
| Rush Yards | 107 | 253 |
| Total Yards | 270 | 515 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 3-12 | 8-16 |
| Penalties | 9-91 | 4-32 |
| Possession | 23:58 | 36:02 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Casey Cain
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Kayden McGee for 1 yd to the UNLV 29
Hajj-Malik Williams run for 6 yds to the UNLV 35
Marshall Nichols punt for 50 yds
Marquez Cooper run for 5 yds to the SDSU 20
Danny O'Neil pass intercepted by Cameron Oliver at the SDSU 33, returned for 0 yards to the SDSU 33
Jett Elad run for a loss of 1 yard to the SDSU 34
Jai'Den Thomas run for 10 yds to the SDSU 24
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Ricky White III for 21 yds to the SDSU 3 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams run for a loss of 1 yard to the SDSU 4 Hajj-Malik Williams fumbled, recovered by SDSU Hajj-Malik Williams
Jai'Den Thomas run for 1 yd to the SDSU 3
Hajj-Malik Williams run for 2 yds to the SDSU 1
Jett Elad run for no gain to the SDSU 1
Marquez Cooper run for 3 yds to the SDSU 4
Marquez Cooper run for 4 yds to the SDSU 8
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Marquez Cooper for 10 yds to the SDSU 18 for a 1ST down UNLV Penalty, Defensive Offside (Yards) declined for a 1ST down
Danny O'Neil run for a loss of 7 yards to the SDSU 11 Danny O'Neil fumbled, recovered by SDSU Danny O'Neil
Marquez Cooper run for a loss of 3 yards to the SDSU 8
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Michael Harrison for 9 yds to the SDSU 17
Tyler Pastula punt for 38 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the 50 yard line , Jacob De Jesus returns for 5 yds to the 50 yard line
Jacob De Jesus run for 43 yds to the SDSU 7 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Christian Moore for 1 yd to the SDSU 6
Greg Burrell run for 4 yds to the SDSU 2
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Kaleo Ballungay for 2 yds for a TD (Caden Chittenden KICK)
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Jordan Napier for a loss of 1 yard to the SDSU 24
Marquez Cooper run for 3 yds to the SDSU 27
Danny O'Neil pass incomplete to Michael Harrison
PENALTY SDSU Delay Of Game (Pastula,Tyler) 5 yards from SDSU27 to SDSU22. NO PLAY.
Tyler Pastula punt for 53 yds , Jacob De Jesus returns for 5 yds to the UNLV 30
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Ricky White III
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Jacob De Jesus for 8 yds to the UNLV 38
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Jacob De Jesus for 3 yds to the UNLV 41 for a 1ST down
Greg Burrell run for 3 yds to the UNLV 44
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Ricky White III
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Casey Cain for 13 yds to the SDSU 43 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams sacked by Brady Nassar for a loss of 6 yards to the SDSU 49
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Kaleo Ballungay for 29 yds to the SDSU 20 for a 1ST down
Greg Burrell run for 20 yds for a TD (Caden Chittenden KICK)
Marquez Cooper run for no gain to the SDSU 20
Danny O'Neil run for 12 yds to the SDSU 32 for a 1ST down
Danny O'Neil run for 1 yd to the SDSU 33
Marquez Cooper run for 4 yds to the SDSU 37
Danny O'Neil run for no gain to the SDSU 37
Tyler Pastula pass complete to Deshawn McCuin for 1 yd to the SDSU 38
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Ricky White III
Jai'Den Thomas run for 12 yds to the SDSU 26 for a 1ST down San Diego State Penalty, (13 Yards) to the SDSU 13 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Kaleo Ballungay for 7 yds to the SDSU 6
Jacob De Jesus run for a loss of 1 yard to the SDSU 7
Hajj-Malik Williams run for 3 yds to the SDSU 4
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds for a TD (Caden Chittenden KICK)
Marquez Cooper run for 4 yds to the SDSU 29
Marquez Cooper run for 1 yd to the SDSU 30
Danny O'Neil sacked by Jalen Catalon for a loss of 8 yards to the SDSU 22
Tyler Pastula punt for 58 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the UNLV 25 , Jacob De Jesus returns for 5 yds to the UNLV 25
Devin Green run for 3 yds to the UNLV 28
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Jacob De Jesus for 6 yds to the UNLV 34
(06:28) No Huddle-Shotgun Green,Devin rush left for 14 yards gain to the UNLV48 (Henderson,Ryan) PENALTY UNLV Holding (Boyd,Austin) 10 yards from UNLV34 to UNLV24. NO PLAY.
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Jacob De Jesus for 5 yds to the UNLV 29
Marshall Nichols punt blocked by Chris Johnson, punt out-of-bounds at the UNLV 30 blocked by Chris Johnson San Diego State Penalty, (10 Yards) to the UNLV 40
No Huddle-Shotgun Cooper,Marquez rush left for 11 yards gain to the UNLV29 (McDuffie,Marsel; Elad,Jett) PENALTY SDSU Holding (Wolfe,Jude) 10 yards from UNLV40 to UNLV50. NO PLAY.
Danny O'Neil pass incomplete to Ja'Shaun Poke
Marquez Cooper run for 4 yds to the UNLV 46
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Ja'Shaun Poke for 17 yds to the UNLV 29 for a 1ST down
No Huddle-Shotgun Davis,Cam rush left for 10 yards loss to the UNLV39 (Woodard,Jackson; Conti,Lucas) PENALTY SDSU Holding (Jones,Christian) 10 yards from UNLV29 to UNLV39. NO PLAY.
Marquez Cooper run for 10 yds to the UNLV 29
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Louis Brown IV for 29 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Jacob De Jesus for 13 yds to the UNLV 38 for a 1ST down
Greg Burrell run for a loss of 1 yard to the UNLV 37
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Casey Cain
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Ricky White III for 15 yds to the SDSU 48 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Jacob De Jesus
Jai'Den Thomas run for 6 yds to the SDSU 42
Greg Burrell run for 1 yd to the SDSU 41
punt for 32 yds
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Jordan Napier for 11 yds to the SDSU 20 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Jacob De Jesus for 15 yds to the SDSU 32 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds to the SDSU 28
No Huddle-Shotgun Williams,Hajj-Malik pass incomplete short left to White III,Ricky thrown to SDSU20, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY SDSU Pass Interference (Johnson,Chris) 13 yards from SDSU28 to SDSU15, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Jai'Den Thomas run for 3 yds to the SDSU 12
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Ricky White III
Hajj-Malik Williams run for 12 yds for a TD (Caden Chittenden KICK)
Marquez Cooper run for 10 yds to the SDSU 35 for a 1ST down
Marquez Cooper run for 6 yds to the SDSU 41
Marquez Cooper run for 8 yds to the SDSU 49 for a 1ST down
End of 2nd Quarter
Marquez Cooper run for 4 yds to the SDSU 38
Marquez Cooper run for a loss of 2 yards to the SDSU 36
Danny O'Neil pass incomplete to Louis Brown IV
Tyler Pastula punt for 43 yds , Jacob De Jesus returns for 6 yds to the UNLV 27
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Ricky White III for 22 yds to the UNLV 49 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 5 yds to the SDSU 46
Hajj-Malik Williams run for 4 yds to the SDSU 42
Jai'Den Thomas run for 2 yds to the SDSU 40 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Jacob De Jesus for 25 yds to the SDSU 15 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 6 yds to the SDSU 9
Jai'Den Thomas run for 2 yds to the SDSU 7
Hajj-Malik Williams run for 7 yds for a TD (Caden Chittenden KICK)
Marquez Cooper run for 4 yds to the SDSU 29
Marquez Cooper run for 9 yds to the SDSU 38 for a 1ST down
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Ja'Shaun Poke for 16 yds to the UNLV 46 for a 1ST down
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Ja'Shaun Poke for 46 yds for a TD (Gabriel Plascencia KICK)
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Kayden McGee for 47 yds to the SDSU 28 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Casey Cain
Hajj-Malik Williams run for no gain to the SDSU 28
Hajj-Malik Williams pass incomplete to Casey Cain
Caden Chittenden 46 yd FG GOOD
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Nate Bennett for 4 yds to the SDSU 29
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Jordan Napier for 5 yds to the SDSU 34
Marquez Cooper run for 6 yds to the SDSU 40 for a 1ST down
Danny O'Neil sacked by Fisher Camac for a loss of 7 yards to the SDSU 33
Marquez Cooper run for 8 yds to the SDSU 41
Danny O'Neil run for 2 yds to the SDSU 43
Tyler Pastula punt for 53 yds, fair catch by Jacob De Jesus at the UNLV 4
Kylin James run for 1 yd to the UNLV 5
Hajj-Malik Williams run for 2 yds to the UNLV 7
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Kylin James for 1 yd to the UNLV 8
Marshall Nichols punt for 47 yds , Mekhi Shaw returns for 20 yds to the UNLV 35
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Jordan Napier for 13 yds to the UNLV 22 for a 1ST down
UNLV Penalty, Face Mask (9 yards) (9 Yards) to the UNLV 9 for a 1ST down
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Marquez Cooper for 4 yds to the UNLV 5
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Jordan Napier for a loss of 1 yard to the UNLV 6 for a 1ST down UNLV Penalty, unnecessary roughness (3 Yards) to the UNLV 3 for a 1ST down
Marquez Cooper run for no gain to the UNLV 3
Marquez Cooper run for 1 yd to the UNLV 2
Marquez Cooper run for 1 yd to the UNLV 1
Danny O'Neil run for 1 yd for a TD (Gabriel Plascencia KICK)
Kylin James run for 9 yds to the UNLV 34
Kylin James run for 22 yds for a 1ST down UNLV Penalty, Offensive Holding (Ricky White III) to the UNLV 46 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Ricky White III for 7 yds to the SDSU 47
Greg Burrell run for 4 yds to the SDSU 43 for a 1ST down
Greg Burrell run for 8 yds to the SDSU 35
Caden Chittenden 21 yd FG GOOD
(09:34) No Huddle-Shotgun Burrell,Greg rush left for 25 yards gain to the SDSU10 (Dalton,Darrion) PENALTY SDSU UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct offsetting UNLV UNR: Unnecessary Roughness offsetting. NO PLAY.
Greg Burrell run for 15 yds to the SDSU 20 for a 1ST down San Diego State Penalty, (10 Yards) to the SDSU 10 for a 1ST down
Hajj-Malik Williams pass complete to Ricky White III for 3 yds to the SDSU 7
Greg Burrell run for 3 yds to the SDSU 4
Greg Burrell run for 1 yd to the SDSU 3
Danny O'Neil pass incomplete to Ja'Shaun Poke
Danny O'Neil pass incomplete to Louis Brown IV
Shotgun O'Neil,Danny rush right for 10 yards loss to the SDSU15 (Baldwin,Johnathan) PENALTY SDSU Holding (Fuimaono,Saipale) 10 yards from SDSU25 to SDSU15. NO PLAY.
Danny O'Neil pass incomplete to Ja'Shaun Poke
Tyler Pastula punt for 44 yds , Jacob De Jesus returns for 14 yds to the SDSU 45
Devin Green run for 4 yds to the SDSU 41
Cameron Friel pass complete to Corey Thompson Jr. for 9 yds to the SDSU 32 for a 1ST down
Devin Green run for 4 yds to the SDSU 28
Cameron Friel pass complete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. for 7 yds to the SDSU 21 for a 1ST down
Devin Green run for 2 yds to the SDSU 19
Devin Green run for 2 yds to the SDSU 17
Cameron Friel run for 14 yds to the SDSU 3 for a 1ST down
Cameron Friel pass complete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. for 2 yds to the SDSU 1
Cameron Friel run for 1 yd to the UNLV 28 Cameron Friel fumbled, recovered by SDSU Dalesean Staley
Cameron Friel run for 1 yd to the UNLV 28 Cameron Friel fumbled, recovered by SDSU Dalesean Staley
Marquez Cooper run for 2 yds to the UNLV 26
(02:25) Shotgun O'Neil,Danny rush left for 1 yard gain to the UNLV25 (Woodard,Jackson) PENALTY SDSU Holding (Bryant,Brayden) 10 yards from UNLV26 to UNLV36. NO PLAY.
Danny O'Neil run for 16 yds to the UNLV 20
Marquez Cooper run for 1 yd to the UNLV 19
Danny O'Neil pass incomplete to Jordan Napier
DeAngelo Irvin Jr. run for 2 yds to the UNLV 21
Kylin James run for 6 yds to the UNLV 27