UNLV Holds Off Late UCLA Rally to Win 30-23
UNLV defeated UCLA 30-23 in Week 2 play, with the Rebels' defense proving decisive down the stretch. UNLV jumped out to an early 10-0 first-quarter lead and extended their advantage to 23-13 by halftime behind strong offensive performances, including a 21-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Colandrea to Troy Omeire in the second quarter.
UCLA mounted a second-half comeback, scoring 10 points in the third quarter and another 10 in the fourth to close within a touchdown. The Bruins' Nico Iamaleava led the comeback effort, throwing for 255 yards and rushing for a 30-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Kwazi Gilmer led UCLA's receiving corps with 87 yards.
However, UCLA's final drive stalled when Iamaleava was intercepted late in the fourth quarter, effectively sealing the victory for UNLV. UNLV's Jai'Den Thomas led all rushers with 61 yards on the ground.
The result covered the 2.5-point spread favoring UNLV and finished under the 54.5-point over-under line.
AI-generated recap · Aug 18, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UCLA | 0 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 23 |
 UNLV | 10 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 30 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | UCLA | UNLV |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 29-41 | 15-21 |
| Pass Yards | 255 | 203 |
| Rush Yards | 173 | 151 |
| Total Yards | 428 | 354 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| 3rd Down | 3-13 | 5-10 |
| Penalties | 14-129 | 13-130 |
| Possession | 31:26 | 28:34 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Anthony Colandrea run for 1 yd to the UNLV 26
Jai'Den Thomas run for 2 yds to the UNLV 28
(13:40) Shotgun Colandrea,Anthony pass incomplete short right to Bradley,Jaden thrown to UNLV35, 1ST DOWN, PENALTY UCLA Pass Interference (Stafford III,Robert) 10 yards from UNLV28 to UNLV38, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Anthony Colandrea run for 5 yds to the UNLV 43
Jai'Den Thomas run for 3 yds to the UNLV 46
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Troy Omeire for 12 yds to the UCLA 42 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Nick Elksnis for 11 yds to the UCLA 31 for a 1ST down
(11:19) No Huddle-Shotgun Colandrea,Anthony rush right for 2 yards loss to the UCLA33 (Martin,Cole) PENALTY UNLV Personal Foul (McGowan,Malik) 15 yards from UCLA31 to UCLA46. NO PLAY.
UNLV Penalty, Offensive Holding (-10 Yards) to the UCLA 38
(10:29) No Huddle-Shotgun Colandrea,Anthony pass complete short left to Elksnis,Nick caught at UCLA44, for 10 yards to the UCLA28 (Martin,Cole) PENALTY UNLV Illegal Shift 5 yards from UCLA38 to UCLA43. NO PLAY.
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. for 8 yds to the UCLA 35
Anthony Colandrea run for a loss of 3 yards to the UCLA 38
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. for 6 yds to the UCLA 32
Ramon Villela 50 yd FG GOOD
Caden Costa kickoff for 64 yds , Anthony Woods return for 17 yds to the UCLA 48 UNLV Penalty, Defensive Offside (Isaiah Patterson) to the UCLA 23
(07:53) Shotgun Iamaleava,Nico pass complete short left to Berger,Jalen caught at UCLA19, for 9 yards to the UCLA32 (McDuffie,Marsel) PENALTY UCLA Holding (Gilmer,Kwazi) 3 yards from UCLA23 to UCLA20. NO PLAY.
Jaivian Thomas run for 32 yds to the UNLV 48 for a 1ST down
Jalen Berger run for 3 yds to the UNLV 45
Nico Iamaleava sacked for a loss of 4 yards to the UNLV 49
Nico Iamaleava sacked by Landen Thomas for a loss of 6 yards to the UCLA 45
Will Karoll punt for 36 yds, fair catch by DeAngelo Irvin Jr. at the UNLV 19
(04:39) Shotgun Thomas,Jai'Den rush left for 8 yards gain to the UNLV27 (Bennett,Kechaun) PENALTY UCLA Offside (Bennett,Kechaun) 5 yards from UNLV19 to UNLV24. NO PLAY.
Jai'Den Thomas run for 6 yds to the UNLV 30 for a 1ST down
Alex Orji run for 1 yd to the UNLV 31
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds to the UNLV 35
Anthony Colandrea run for 6 yds to the UNLV 41 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 8 yds to the UNLV 49
(00:47) Shotgun Colandrea,Anthony rush middle for 9 yards loss to the UNLV40 (Jackson,Scooter) PENALTY UCLA Face Mask (Jackson,Scooter) 15 yards from UNLV49 to UCLA36, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
(00:21) Colandrea,Anthony pass incomplete deep right to Elksnis,Nick thrown to UCLA00 PENALTY UCLA Pass Interference (Martin,Cole) 15 yards from UCLA36 to UCLA21, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Nick Elksnis for 21 yds for a TD (Ramon Villela KICK)
Caden Costa kickoff for 64 yds , Anthony Woods return for 19 yds to the UCLA 20
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Jalen Berger for 15 yds to the UCLA 35 for a 1ST down
Jaivian Thomas run for 2 yds to the UCLA 37
Anthony Woods run for 6 yds to the UCLA 43
Anthony Woods run for 1 yd to the UCLA 44
Nico Iamaleava run for 2 yds to the UCLA 46 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala
Nico Iamaleava run for a loss of 3 yards to the UCLA 43
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Mikey Matthews for 2 yds to the UCLA 45
Will Karoll punt for 42 yds , DeAngelo Irvin Jr. returns for no gain to the UNLV 13
UNLV Penalty, Offensive Holding (-10 Yards) to the UNLV 18
PENALTY UNLV False Start (Boyd,Austin) 5 yards from UNLV18 to UNLV13. NO PLAY.
Jaylon Glover run for 1 yd to the UNLV 14
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Jaden Bradley
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Taeshaun Lyons for 14 yds to the UNLV 28 for a 1ST down
Jaylon Glover run for 2 yds to the UNLV 30
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Daejon Reynolds for 32 yds to the UCLA 38 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Koy Moore
Jai'Den Thomas run for 11 yds to the UCLA 27 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 2 yds to the UCLA 25
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds to the UCLA 21
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Troy Omeire for 21 yds for a TD (Ramon Villela KICK)
Caden Costa kickoff for 61 yds , Anthony Frias II return for 21 yds to the UCLA 25
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Jaivian Thomas for 12 yds to the UCLA 37 for a 1ST down
Jaivian Thomas run for 3 yds to the UCLA 40
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 5 yds to the UCLA 45
Anthony Woods run for 1 yd to the UCLA 46
Nico Iamaleava run for a loss of 2 yards to the UCLA 44 Nico Iamaleava fumbled, recovered by UCLA Jaheem Joseph
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Keyvone Lee for 9 yds to the UCLA 35
Anthony Colandrea sacked by Anthony Jones for a loss of 8 yards to the UCLA 43
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. for 5 yds to the UCLA 38
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Var'Keyes Gumms for 14 yds to the UCLA 24 for a 1ST down
(02:00) Shotgun Colandrea,Anthony pass complete short right to Gumms,Var'Keyes caught at UCLA23, for 2 yards to the UCLA22 (Clark,Kanye) PENALTY UCLA Offside (Stafford III,Robert) 5 yards from UCLA24 to UCLA19. NO PLAY.
Keyvone Lee run for 19 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
PENALTY UNLV UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Bradley,Jaden) 15 yards from UNLV35 to UNLV20. NO PLAY.
(01:49) Costa,Caden kickoff 69 yards to the UCLA11 Frias II,Anthony return 25 yards to the UCLA36 (McIlquham,Andrew) PENALTY UNLV Offside (Moore,Koy) 5 yards from UNLV20 to UNLV15. NO PLAY.
Caden Costa kickoff for 73 yds , Anthony Frias II return for 27 yds to the UCLA 39
(01:32) Shotgun Iamaleava,Nico rush right for 1 yard gain to the UCLA40 (Alualu-Tuiolemotu,Blesyng) PENALTY UCLA Holding (DiGiorgio,Garrett) 10 yards from UCLA39 to UCLA29. NO PLAY.
PENALTY UNLV UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Alualu-Tuiolemotu,Blesyng) 15 yards from UCLA29 to UCLA44, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 15 yds to the UNLV 41 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala
Nico Iamaleava run for 8 yds to the UNLV 33
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Mikey Matthews for 1 yd to the UNLV 32
Jalen Berger run for 8 yds to the UNLV 24 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 9 yds to the UNLV 15
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Hudson Habermehl
Mateen Bhaghani 33 yd FG GOOD
End of 2nd Quarter
Mateen Bhaghani kickoff for 46 yds , Logan Christensen return for 15 yds to the UNLV 34
Jaivian Thomas run for 4 yds to the UCLA 29
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for 12 yds to the UCLA 41 for a 1ST down
Shotgun Iamaleava,Nico pass complete short left to Mokiao-Atimalala,Titus caught at UNLV50, for 8 yards to the UNLV40 (Keyes,Quandarius; Pope,Jake) PENALTY UCLA Holding (Matthews,Mikey) 6 yards from UNLV48 to UCLA46. NO PLAY.
Anthony Woods run for 20 yds to the UNLV 34 for a 1ST down
PENALTY UCLA UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Armella,Julian) 13 yards from UNLV34 to UNLV47. NO PLAY.
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Jack Pedersen for 13 yds to the UNLV 34
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 11 yds to the UNLV 48 for a 1ST down
Jaivian Thomas run for 2 yds to the UNLV 32
PENALTY UCLA False Start (Yoon,Sam) 5 yards from UNLV32 to UNLV37. NO PLAY.
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Anthony Woods for 4 yds to the UNLV 33
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for 15 yds to the UNLV 18 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Mikey Matthews
Jalen Berger run for 1 yd to the UNLV 17
(09:29) PENALTY UCLA False Start (DiGiorgio,Garrett) 5 yards from UNLV17 to UNLV22. NO PLAY.
(09:03) Shotgun Iamaleava,Nico pass complete deep right to Pedersen,Jack caught at UNLV02, for 21 yards to the UNLV01 fumbled by Pedersen,Jack at UNLV02 forced by Bin-Wahad,Mumu recovered by UNLV Bin-Wahad,Mumu at UNLV01 Bin-Wahad,Mumu return 0 yards to the UNLV01, End Of Play PENALTY UNLV Pass Interference (Bin-Wahad,Mumu) 12 yards from UNLV22 to UNLV10, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Anthony Woods run for 6 yds to the UNLV 4
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Noah Fox-Flores for 4 yds for a TD (Mateen Bhaghani KICK)
Jai'Den Thomas run for 8 yds to the UNLV 33
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Jaden Bradley
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to JoJo Earle
Cameron Brown punt for 36 yds, fair catch by Mikey Matthews at the UCLA 31
Anthony Woods run for 1 yd to the UCLA 32
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Mikey Matthews for 15 yds to the UCLA 47 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Anthony Frias II for 5 yds to the UNLV 48
Nico Iamaleava run for 1 yd to the UNLV 32
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Hudson Habermehl
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 12 yds to the UNLV 20 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Mikey Matthews for 4 yds to the UNLV 16
Anthony Woods run for 4 yds to the UNLV 12
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 1 yd to the UNLV 11
Nico Iamaleava run for 10 yds to the UNLV 1 for a 1ST down
Jalen Berger run for a loss of 1 yard to the UNLV 2
Jalen Berger run for no gain to the UNLV 2
(00:16) Shotgun Iamaleava,Nico pass complete short middle to Gilmer,Kwazi caught at UNLV00, for 2 yards to the UNLV00 TOUCHDOWN nullified by penalty, clock 00:14 PENALTY UCLA Pass Interference (Mokiao-Atimalala,Titus) 15 yards from UNLV02 to UNLV17. NO PLAY.
UCLA Penalty, Offensive Holding (Jalen Berger) declined
Mateen Bhaghani 35 yd FG GOOD
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Var'Keyes Gumms for 9 yds to the UNLV 34
Jai'Den Thomas run for 3 yds to the UNLV 37 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 6 yds to the UNLV 43
Anthony Colandrea run for 7 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea run for 33 yds to the UCLA 17 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Var'Keyes Gumms for 17 yds for a TD (Ramon Villela KICK)
Caden Costa kickoff for 65 yds , Anthony Frias II return for 22 yds to the UCLA 22
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Mikey Matthews for 12 yds to the UCLA 34 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava run for 15 yds to the UCLA 49 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Jack Pedersen for 5 yds to the UNLV 46
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Jack Pedersen for 2 yds to the UNLV 44
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala for 5 yds to the UNLV 39 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava run for 8 yds to the UNLV 31
Anthony Woods run for 1 yd to the UNLV 30
Nico Iamaleava run for 30 yds for a TD (Mateen Bhaghani KICK)
Mateen Bhaghani kickoff for 57 yds , Jaylon Glover return for 4 yds to the UNLV 12
Jaylon Glover run for 6 yds to the UNLV 18
Anthony Colandrea sacked by Kechaun Bennett for a loss of 13 yards to the UNLV 5
Jaylon Glover run for 2 yds to the UNLV 7
(07:15) Brown,Cam punt 43 yards to the UNLV50, out of bounds at UCLA50 PENALTY UNLV Illegal Substitution 3 yards from UNLV07 to UNLV04. NO PLAY.
Cameron Brown punt for 43 yds , Mikey Matthews returns for no gain to the UCLA 43
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Jaivian Thomas for 7 yds to the 50 yard line
Jalen Berger run for 20 yds to the UNLV 30 for a 1ST down
(05:46) Shotgun Iamaleava,Nico pass incomplete deep left to Gilmer,Kwazi thrown to UNLV00 PENALTY UNLV Pass Interference (Welch,Laterrance) 15 yards from UNLV30 to UNLV15, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Jack Pedersen
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Kwazi Gilmer
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Kwazi Gilmer
Mateen Bhaghani 33 yd FG GOOD
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaden Bradley for 6 yds to the UNLV 31
Jai'Den Thomas run for 3 yds to the UNLV 34
Anthony Colandrea run for 3 yds to the UNLV 37 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 1 yd to the UNLV 38
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Jai'Den Thomas
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Jaden Bradley
Cameron Brown punt for 43 yds, fair catch by Mikey Matthews at the UCLA 19
UCLA Penalty, Personal Foul (-12 Yards) to the UCLA 13
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Titus Mokiao-Atimalala
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 21 yds to the UCLA 34 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Ezavier Staples for 6 yds to the UCLA 40
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Ezavier Staples for 12 yds to the UNLV 48 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Anthony Woods for 11 yds to the UNLV 37 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass complete to Kwazi Gilmer for 13 yds to the UNLV 24 for a 1ST down
Nico Iamaleava pass incomplete to Kwazi Gilmer
Nico Iamaleava pass intercepted
Anthony Colandrea run for 13 yds to the UNLV 26 for a 1ST down
(00:44) Kneel down by UNLV at UNLV25 for loss of 1 yard.
(00:34) Kneel down by UNLV at UNLV23 for loss of 2 yards.