FORT COLLINS, Colo. — UNLV erased two decades of frustration in Fort Collins on Saturday night, routing Colorado State 42-10 for its first road win over the Rams since 2002.
The Rebels (7-2, 3-2 Mountain West) fell behind early before unleashing 42 unanswered points, piling up 571 total yards and dominating a matchup that marked the final meeting between the programs as conference rivals. Colorado State (2-7, 1-4) led 7-0 after the first quarter, but UNLV answered with a 21-3 surge in the second and never looked back.
Junior running back Jet Thomas sparked the turnaround with one of the most explosive halves in school history. He ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run to tie the game and added a 59-yard burst on the next drive to set up another score. Thomas finished with 131 yards on just seven carries, averaging 18.7 yards per rush and notching his eighth career 100-yard performance.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea added two rushing touchdowns of his own and put the game out of reach in the third quarter when he found Troy Omeire for a 68-yard catch-and-run that stretched the lead to 28-10. Jaylon Glover nearly gave UNLV a second 100-yard rusher, finishing with 99 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
The Rebels also dominated defensively, holding Colorado State to a single third-down conversion on 13 attempts and allowing the fewest points to a conference opponent since 2012. UNLV finished with eight tackles for loss, and Latterance Welch grabbed his fourth interception of the season to tie for the team lead.
“They came out showing some different looks, went down and scored, and I don’t think they did much after that,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “Offensively, I thought up front we played really well. When they blitz that much, if you cover them up and get to the second level, there’s no one left. And we hit them on some really big runs.”
With Colorado State departing the Mountain West after this season, UNLV closes the series on a two-game winning streak, though the Rams still lead 17-8-1 all-time. The win also marked just the Rebels’ second trip to Canvas Stadium.
UNLV has now scored 30 or more points in every game this season, extending its school-record streak to nine straight.
The Rebels return home Saturday to host Utah State at Allegiant Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.