LAS VEGAS (AP) — Samuel Harris ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns and Wyoming held off UNLV's rally for a 41-35 win on Saturday night.
Down 41-21, UNLV scored touchdowns with 22 seconds left in the third quarter and with 8:32 left in the fourth.
The Rebels flirted with taking the lead, but Wyoming ended the threat when Tyson Shamsid-Deen intercepted reserve quarterback Alex Orji in the end zone. It was Shamsid-Deen's second interception of the game.
On the following play, Wyoming's Markell Holman ran left, broke four tackles, reversed field and ran 49 yards and Wyoming (6-3, 5-1 Mountain West) proceeded to let time expire.
Holman ran for 110 yards.
Wyoming took the lead when Erik Sandvik's field goal broke a 7-all tie with 5:02 left in the first.
Early in the second, Harris ran it in from the 1, and with 6:42 left before halftime, on a double-pass, reserve quarterback Landon Sims threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jake Wilson for a 24-7 lead.
UNLV (5-4, 3-2) responded scoring two touchdowns in the last four-and-a-half minutes of the first half.
Jackson Arnold threw a 33-yard touchdown to Kayden McGee. Then, following a Wyoming fumble, the Rebels took advantage and three plays later, Arnold threw an 8-yard touchdown to Taz Reddicks to reduce the UNLV deficit to 24-21 with 1:55 before halftime.
It still proved to be more than enough time for Wyoming as the Cowboys scored in a little more than a minute with Sims running it in from the 13.
Following Shamsid-Deen's first interception, Sandvik kicked a 34-yard field as time expired in the first half to put Wyoming up 34-21.
Arnold threw two touchdown passes for UNLV.
Up next
Wyoming: Travels to face UTEP on Saturday.
UNLV: Heads to New Mexico to face the Lobos on Saturday.
-
Williams throws 2 TDs passes to help No. 24 UNLV beat Cal 24-13 in the LA Bowl
UNLV won for the first time in a bowl game since 2000 and the first outside of the Las Vegas Bowl. It also gave the Rebels (11-3) 11 wins for the first time as an FBS program.
UNLV triumphs over Cal football at the LA Bowl
UNLV and Cal went head-to-head at the Art of Sports LA Bowl in Los Angeles. UNLV landed a victory over Cal after an already impressive season.
Mullen gives opening speech as 14th head coach of UNLV Football
Dan Mullen took the podium as the 14th head football coach at UNLV on Friday and gave his opening remarks about leading the Rebels to new heights.
WATCH: UNLV community welcomes Dan Mullen as new head football coach
Dan Mullen returns to the sidelines in Las Vegas after spending the last three seasons as an ESPN college football analyst. He previously coached at Florida and Mississippi State.
