Cal heads to Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon, and the matchup brings a UNLV team that’s had its share of turbulence through four games but still has the kind of pieces that can make life uncomfortable for an opponent.
The Rebels are 2-2 after opening the year as the preseason favorite to win the Mountain West, and Donovan Hicks of the Las Vegas Review-Journal said that record has not sat well around the program. UNLV opened with a loss to Memphis, then beat Hawaii 21-6 on the island, before things “slowly came off the rails again” in a 44-6 loss to North Texas. Hicks pointed to the turnovers in that game, saying the Rebels had none in their first two weeks before coughing it up four times against North Texas.
There was at least a cleaner showing last week in a 38-10 win over Akron. Hicks said the offense “was able to find a little bit of a rhythm,” and noted that Jackson Arnold threw for three passing touchdowns after managing only two through the first three games.
UNLV’s setting is part of the program’s identity, too. The Rebels play at Allegiant Stadium, and Hicks called it a beautiful building while relaying Dan Mullen’s view that it is the best stadium in college football.
He also said that if the program reaches the level it wants, selling out the stadium would be “incredible.” At the same time, Hicks said the Raiders’ arrival in Las Vegas has mattered more so far for facilities and recruiting than for changing UNLV’s place in the city.
“Now it’s more of a solid mix, but I think they’re two separate entities,” Hicks said, adding that UNLV remains “the locals’ program.”
Mullen’s long-term future came up as well. Hicks said last season his name was everywhere in coaching speculation, and the question of whether he would stay was so common that the media eventually asked him directly.
Mullen said he would be there, and Hicks believes he is still likely to stick around at least another season. Even if a bigger job opens, Hicks said the Rebels’ 2-2 start has probably lowered the temperature around his stock a bit.
On the field, UNLV leans on a pair of offensive headliners. Hicks raved about 2025 all-Mountain West running back Jai’Den “Jet” Thomas, calling him everywhere on the field and saying the Rebels want to feed him as much as he can handle.
Thomas has battled to get past the line of scrimmage this season, but Hicks said once he does, the explosive traits show up fast. He compared Thomas to Ashton Jeanty, citing similar builds and styles.
Arnold, meanwhile, gives UNLV a quarterback who can hurt defenses with his legs. Hicks described him as a more physical presence than Anthony Colandrea, the shifty runner who was the Mountain West offensive player of the year in 2025 and is now at Nebraska.
Hicks said Arnold is “not afraid to get hit and truck through the line of scrimmage,” and added that now he seems to be finding a rhythm with his receivers. Still, Hicks said Arnold “needs to work on ball-placement a little bit.”
Defensively, Hicks said UNLV’s biggest step forward has come in its second year under coordinator Paul Guenther. Last season’s unit struggled, but Hicks believes the defense has grown a significant amount this year, with the secondary carrying major importance against Cal. Safeties Jake Pope and Tre Fulton were among the names he highlighted, along with linebacker Cam Santee, who had 110 tackles at Holy Cross last year.
That defense will be tasked with slowing a Cal offense that badly needs a response after last week’s 24-10 loss to Clemson, a game in which the Bears failed to score an offensive touchdown.
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