Hajj-Malik Williams threw three touchdown passes in the first half, and Kylin James scored three rushing touchdowns as UNLV exploded for 27 points in the second quarter, defeating Utah State 50-34 on Friday night.
UNLV (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) made its first appearance in the AP rankings at No. 25 last week but suffered a close 44-41 overtime loss to Syracuse at home.
They bounced back with a strong first half against Utah State, accumulating 367 total yards and setting a program record for points in a half against FBS teams, leading 41-7 at halftime.
Utah State (1-5, 0-2) has now lost five games in a row, marking the longest losing streak in a single season for the program since finishing the 2016 season with five straight losses.
James finished with 101 rushing yards on 11 carries. Ricky White III caught seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, while Jai’Den Thomas had 17 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown for UNLV.
Jacob de Jesus caught a short pass from Williams and gained 38 yards on the first play. James then had a 33-yard run, and after one incomplete pass, he scored from 5 yards out to give UNLV a 7-0 lead with 13:50 left in the first quarter, and they stayed ahead from there.
Williams converted a fourth-and-1 at the Utah State 40, then completed three passes to Ricky White III for gains of 14, 5, and 18 yards, with the last one extending the lead to 14-0 about eight minutes later.
Utah State responded with an 11-play, 79-yard drive that ended with Rahsul Faison scoring on a 20-yard run, making it 14-7 as the second quarter began.
Caden Chittenden added a 33-yard field goal with 13:35 left in the first half, giving UNLV a 10-point cushion.
On the very next play, Utah State quarterback Spencer Petras ran for 12 yards, but Charles Correa forced a fumble that linebacker Jackson Woodard recovered at the 37-yard line.
Four plays later, Williams threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Casey Cain, and then Woodard intercepted a pass, allowing James to score on a 22-yard run, extending the lead to 31-7 with 9:24 remaining in the half.
