UNLV Edges Idaho State in High-Scoring Week 1 Thriller
UNLV defeated Idaho State 38-31 in a tightly contested Week 1 matchup featuring 22 lead changes. The Rebels dominated the second half, outscoring the Bengals 24-7 after halftime to secure the victory.
Idaho State struck first with 10 points in the opening quarter, but UNLV answered with 14 in the second to take control. The Bengals kept pace with 7 points in both the third and fourth quarters, but it wasn't enough to overcome UNLV's second-half surge.
The game featured several momentum-shifting plays. Jai'Den Thomas led UNLV's ground attack with two explosive runs—a 70-yarder and a 39-yarder—both resulting in touchdowns. Idaho State's Jordan Cooke led the passing attack with 380 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown to Ian Duarte in the third quarter. UNLV's Anthony Colandrea rushed for 93 yards.
The contest lived up to its billing as a high-octane affair, with the total surpassing the 67-point over-under. Idaho State covered the 30.5-point spread, keeping the game closer than expected in what proved to be one of the week's most exciting matchups.
AI-generated recap · Aug 26, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Idaho State | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
 UNLV | 0 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Idaho State | UNLV |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 31-52 | 18-24 |
| Pass Yards | 395 | 232 |
| Rush Yards | 160 | 300 |
| Total Yards | 555 | 532 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 5-13 | 3-12 |
| Penalties | 10-80 | 8-90 |
| Possession | 28:48 | 31:12 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Idaho State Penalty, delay of game (Jordan Cooke) to the IDST 20
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Damien Morgan for 21 yds to the IDST 41 for a 1ST down
Dason Brooks run for 21 yds to the UNLV 38 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Julian Mason for 5 yds to the UNLV 33
Dason Brooks run for 5 yds to the UNLV 28 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Domonick Ruiz
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Jonah Burton for 16 yds to the UNLV 12 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke run for a loss of 5 yards to the UNLV 17 Jordan Cooke fumbled, recovered by IDST Jordan Cooke
Dason Brooks run for 9 yds to the UNLV 8
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Damien Morgan
Trajan Sinatra 26 yd FG GOOD
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Jaden Bradley for a 1ST down Idaho State Penalty, Defensive pass interference (Damien Morgan) to the UNLV 40 for a 1ST down
Alex Orji pass complete to Troy Omeire for 5 yds to the UNLV 45
Jai'Den Thomas run for 11 yds to the IDST 44 for a 1ST down
Alex Orji pass complete to Troy Omeire for 13 yds to the IDST 31 for a 1ST down
Alex Orji pass complete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. for 19 yds to the IDST 12 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 3 yds to the IDST 9
Alex Orji run for 9 yds to the IDST 20 Alex Orji fumbled, recovered by IDST Noa Calaycay
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Dason Brooks for 13 yds to the IDST 33 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Ian Duarte for 3 yds to the IDST 36
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Ian Duarte for 9 yds to the IDST 45 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Michael Shulikov for 34 yds to the UNLV 21 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Michael Shulikov for 6 yds to the UNLV 15
Jordan Cooke 15 Yd pass from Michael Shulikov (Trajan Sinatra Kick)
Anthony Colandrea run for 3 yds to the UNLV 28
Keyvone Lee run for 3 yds to the UNLV 31
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Keyvone Lee for a loss of 1 yard to the UNLV 30
Cameron Brown punt for 48 yds
Dason Brooks run for 11 yds to the IDST 33 for a 1ST down
Dason Brooks run for 4 yds to the IDST 37
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Damien Morgan for 5 yds to the IDST 42
Idaho State Penalty, false start (Damien Morgan) to the IDST 37
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Damien Morgan for 5 yds to the IDST 42
Dason Brooks run for a loss of 1 yard to the IDST 41
Jaylon Glover run for 2 yds to the IDST 39
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Troy Omeire for 6 yds to the IDST 33
Jaylon Glover run for 3 yds to the IDST 30 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea run for 12 yds to the IDST 18 for a 1ST down
Jaylon Glover run for 3 yds to the IDST 15
Jaylon Glover run for 2 yds to the IDST 13
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to JoJo Earle for no gain to the IDST 13
Ramon Villela 30 yd FG MISSED
Robert Freeman IV run for 7 yds to the IDST 27
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Ian Duarte, broken up by Aamaris Brown
Jordan Cooke run for 3 yds to the IDST 30 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass intercepted
Jai'Den Thomas run for 5 yds to the UNLV 41
Anthony Colandrea run for 16 yds to the IDST 43 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaden Bradley for 14 yds to the IDST 29 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for no gain to the IDST 29 UNLV Penalty, Offensive holding (Alani Makihele) to the IDST 39
Jai'Den Thomas 39 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick)
Caden Costa kickoff for 63 yds , Robert Freeman IV return for 35 yds to the IDST 37
Robert Freeman IV run for 30 yds to the UNLV 33 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Damien Morgan
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Robert Freeman IV for a loss of 6 yards to the UNLV 39
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov
Gabe Russo punt for 39 yds
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds to the UNLV 24
Alex Orji pass incomplete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr. UNLV Penalty, Defensive holding (Mike Lindsay) to the UNLV 24
Alex Orji run for 6 yds to the UNLV 30 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas 70 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick)
End of 2nd Quarter
UNLV Penalty, unsportsmanlike conduct (Mason Young) to the IDST 25
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov
Dason Brooks run for a loss of 3 yards to the IDST 22
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Jonah Burton, broken up by Jaheem Joseph
UNLV Penalty, unsportsmanlike conduct (Jaheem Joseph) to the IDST 37 for a 1ST down
Dason Brooks run for 5 yds to the IDST 42
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov
Idaho State Penalty, false start (Stryker Rashid) to the IDST 37
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Jonah Burton
Gabe Russo punt for 47 yds
Anthony Colandrea sacked by Noa Calaycay for a loss of 8 yards to the UNLV 8
Anthony Colandrea run for 10 yds to the UNLV 18
Anthony Colandrea sacked by Camron Willis for a loss of 9 yards to the UNLV 9
Cameron Brown punt for 41 yds
Jordan Cooke run for no gain to the 50 yard line Idaho State Penalty, Offensive holding (Stryker Rashid) to the IDST 40
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Jonah Burton for 17 yds to the UNLV 43
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Dason Brooks for a loss of 1 yard to the UNLV 44
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Jonah Burton for 17 yds to the UNLV 27 for a 1ST down
Dason Brooks 27 Yd Run (Trajan Sinatra Kick)
Keyvone Lee run for no gain to the UNLV 25
Anthony Colandrea run for 9 yds to the UNLV 34
Keyvone Lee run for a loss of 1 yard to the UNLV 33
UNLV Penalty, false start (Alani Makihele) to the UNLV 28
Cameron Brown punt for 42 yds
Dason Brooks run for 4 yds to the IDST 34
Dason Brooks run for 10 yds to the IDST 44 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Damien Morgan for 7 yds to the UNLV 49
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Raiden Brown, broken up by Quandarius Keyes
Dason Brooks run for 3 yds to the UNLV 46 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Michael Shulikov for no gain to the IDST 46 Idaho State Penalty, Offensive holding (Jorgen Miller) to the IDST 44
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Dason Brooks for no gain to the IDST 35
Mason Lindberg kickoff for 65 yds , Jaylon Glover return for 14 yds to the UNLV 49 UNLV Penalty, Offensive holding (Justin Flowe) to the UNLV 7
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaden Bradley for 11 yds to the UNLV 18 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr.
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jai'Den Thomas for 5 yds to the UNLV 23
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Var'Keyes Gumms for 16 yds to the UNLV 39 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jai'Den Thomas for 11 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to DeAngelo Irvin Jr.
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Jaden Bradley for a 1ST down Idaho State Penalty, Defensive holding (Mike Lindsay) to the IDST 40 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea run for 37 yds to the IDST 3 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas 3 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick)
Dason Brooks run for 13 yds to the IDST 38 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Dason Brooks for 1 yd to the IDST 39
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov, broken up by Laterrance Welch
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Raiden Brown for a 1ST down UNLV Penalty, Defensive pass interference (Aamaris Brown) to the UNLV 46 for a 1ST down
Dason Brooks run for 15 yds to the UNLV 31 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Damien Morgan for 4 yds to the UNLV 27
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Dason Brooks
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Raiden Brown for 24 yds to the UNLV 3 for a 1ST down
Jackson Sharman pass intercepted
Anthony Colandrea run for 2 yds to the UNLV 22
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaylon Glover for 19 yds to the UNLV 41 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaden Bradley for 47 yds to the IDST 12 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete
Jaylon Glover run for 3 yds to the IDST 9
Anthony Colandrea pass incomplete to Jaden Bradley
Ramon Villela 26 Yd Field Goal
Caden Costa kickoff for 64 yds , Robert Freeman IV return for 18 yds to the IDST 19
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Ian Duarte
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Julian Mason for 9 yds to the IDST 28
Dason Brooks run for no gain to the IDST 28
Dason Brooks run for 8 yds to the IDST 36 for a 1ST down
Ian Duarte 64 Yd pass from Jordan Cooke (Trajan Sinatra Kick)
Mason Lindberg kickoff for 60 yds , Jaylon Glover return for 29 yds to the UNLV 34
Keyvone Lee run for 6 yds to the UNLV 40
UNLV Penalty, personal foul (Will Thomas) to the UNLV 22
Keyvone Lee run for a loss of 3 yards to the UNLV 19
Anthony Colandrea run for 15 yds to the UNLV 34
Cameron Brown punt for 48 yds , Robert Freeman IV returns for 7 yds to the IDST 25
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov for a 1ST down UNLV Penalty, Defensive pass interference (Denver Harris) to the IDST 40 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Dason Brooks for 9 yds to the IDST 49
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Ian Duarte for 14 yds to the UNLV 37 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Ian Duarte for 5 yds to the UNLV 32
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Damien Morgan for 10 yds to the UNLV 22 for a 1ST down
pass incomplete to Damien Morgan
Dason Brooks run for no gain Idaho State Penalty, Offensive holding (Jorgen Miller) to the UNLV 32
Jordan Cooke run for 1 yd to the UNLV 31
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Julian Mason for 24 yds to the UNLV 7 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov for a 1ST down UNLV Penalty, Defensive pass interference (Andrew Powdrell) to the UNLV 2 for a 1ST down
Dason Brooks 2 Yd Run (Trajan Sinatra Kick)
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaden Bradley for 7 yds to the UNLV 32
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds to the UNLV 36 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaden Bradley for 41 yds to the IDST 23 for a 1ST down
pass incomplete to Nick Elksnis
Anthony Colandrea run for 14 yds to the IDST 9 for a 1ST down
Daejon Reynolds 9 Yd pass from Anthony Colandrea (Ramon Villela Kick)
Robert Freeman IV run for 3 yds to the IDST 28
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Ian Duarte, broken up by Aamaris Brown
Jordan Cooke pass intercepted
Anthony Colandrea run for 6 yds to the IDST 14
Alex Orji run for 2 yds to the IDST 12
Alex Orji run for 1 yd to the IDST 11
Alex Orji 11 Yd Run (Ramon Villela Kick)
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Ian Duarte for 10 yds to the IDST 35 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass intercepted
Jaylon Glover run for 9 yds to the IDST 14
Jaylon Glover run for 6 yds to the IDST 8 for a 1ST down
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to JoJo Earle for a loss of 1 yard to the IDST 9
pass incomplete to Daejon Reynolds
Anthony Colandrea sacked by Bronson Childs for a loss of 14 yards to the IDST 23
Ramon Villela 41 yd FG MISSED
Jordan Cooke run for no gain to the IDST 23 Idaho State Penalty, Offensive holding (Jorgen Miller) to the IDST 13
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Damien Morgan for 7 yds to the IDST 20
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Dason Brooks for 16 yds to the IDST 36 for a 1ST down
Jordan Cooke pass complete to Michael Shulikov for 32 yds to the UNLV 32 for a 1ST down
Dason Brooks run for a loss of 1 yard to the UNLV 33
Jordan Cooke sacked for a loss of 11 yards to the UNLV 44 Idaho State Penalty, intentional grounding (Jordan Cooke) to the UNLV 44
pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov
Jordan Cooke pass incomplete to Michael Shulikov, broken up by Quandarius Keyes
Anthony Colandrea pass complete to Jaden Bradley for 11 yds to the IDST 45 for a 1ST down
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds to the IDST 41
Jai'Den Thomas run for 4 yds to the IDST 37
Alex Orji run for 5 yds to the IDST 32 for a 1ST down
run for a loss of 3 yards to the IDST 35
run for a loss of 3 yards to the IDST 38
run for a loss of 1 yard to the IDST 38