Fans, media rip Dan Mullen, UNLV for poor 1st half against FCS Idaho State
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Dan Mullen’s UNLV debut is not going as planned. After 2 quarters, Idaho State, an FCS program, held a 17-14 lead over Mullen’s UNLV Rebels at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Mullen embraced the transfer portal during his Florida tenure and used it as a tool to build his first UNLV roster. Mullen notably added 16 former blue-chip recruits by using the portal during the offseason.
UNLV, though, struggled to do much right during the first half of the Mullen era. The first drive painfully ended in a touchback instead of a touchdown. Fans might have been Mullen’s squad to “flip a switch” and takeover, but Idaho State didn’t roll over.
Idaho State isn’t even an FCS power. The program hasn’t had a winning season since 2018.
Here’s a sample of the social media reaction to UNLV’s 1st-half struggles:
Dan Mullen get ready to relearn the booth for a Thursday night Temple-ECU game buddy
— Pregame Empire (@PregameEmpire) August 23, 2025
Dan Mullen… are we serious? pic.twitter.com/LwexymmjM8
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) August 23, 2025
Dan Mullen ruined UNLV in 1 offseason. Thats one of the worst first half ive ever seen, and thats saying a lot because I watched every florida state game last year.
— Uncle Lou (@crazyunclelou) August 23, 2025
Mullen’s Rebels may be a 2nd-half team. UNLV has taken a 21-17 lead early in the 3rd quarter. The Rebels still have a long way to go to cover the spread.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
