Dan Mullen, picking up where Barry Odom left off, led the UNLV Rebels to their second-straight 10-win season last year. While Mullen’s debut campaign in Sin City couldn’t have gone much better, his opening game to year two couldn’t have gone much worse.
The Rebels, a popular preseason pick to represent the Group of Six in the College Football Playoff, fell at home to Memphis on Saturday night. The 27-21 Week 0 loss puts UNLV behind the eight ball in its quest for a CFP berth.
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Mullen’s pass defense struggled throughout the game against the Tigers. Memphis quarterback Marcus Stokes took many deep shots all night, drawing pass interference flags on some while narrowly missing on plenty of others. His biggest completion came on a 48-yard touchdown to Braylon Burnside. The play gave Mullen’s critics an early chance to yap.
As UNLV fought to find the end zone, Mullen only gave his detractors more ammunition. The Rebels passed on multiple field goal opportunities, opting to attempt longer fourth-down conversions. They finished the game just 2-of-5 on fourth down.
Mullen’s mentality likely shifted when kicker Ramon Villela missed a 32-yard try at the end of the first half. That, and additional red zone woes, are what Mullen attributed to the defeat.
UNLV is back in action at Hawaii next weekend. Kickoff between the Rebels and Rainbow Warriors is set for 10:00 p.m. ET (CW).
