Hajj-Malik Williams threw a touchdown pass and ran for another to lead UNLV to a 29-27 win over Hawaii on Saturday night.
The game was uncertain until Williams broke free for a 40-yard run to the Hawaii 15-yard line on third-and-3 with 1:09 remaining.
Williams completed 13 of 27 passes for 175 yards and ran 19 times for 122 yards for the Runnin’ Rebels (7-2, 3-1 Mountain West Conference). Jai’Don Thomas rushed 16 times for 109 yards, helping UNLV gain 290 yards on the ground. Ricky White III caught seven passes for 128 yards.
UNLV took a 10-0 lead with a 41-yard field goal by Caden Chittendon and a 23-yard touchdown run by Williams.
Hawaii (4-6, 2-3) responded quickly, as Brayden Schager threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Dekel Crowdus, cutting the deficit to three. UNLV added a safety, leading 12-7 after the first quarter.
Hawaii made it a two-point game at halftime with a 41-yard field goal by Kansei Matsuzawa.
Chittendon’s 32-yard field goal pushed UNLV’s lead to five early in the third quarter, but Schager answered with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Jonah Panoke, giving Hawaii a 17-15 lead.
Williams regained the lead for the Rebels, hitting White for a 37-yard touchdown with 6:53 remaining in the game. Matsuzawa’s 33-yard field goal late in the third quarter cut Hawaii’s deficit to 22-20 heading into the final quarter.
Hawaii gained just 3 yards on two consecutive drives with a chance to take the lead. Thomas then ran for a 32-yard touchdown to extend UNLV’s lead to 29-20 with 6:03 left.
Hawaii quickly answered, with Schager throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Panoke, cutting the deficit to 29-27 with less than two minutes to go.
Schager finished with 282 yards, completing 14 of 35 passes with an interception for Hawaii.
