Mountain West football roundup: UNLV does it again ahead of road trip to Boise State

UNLV is one of 11 remaining undefeated teams in college football, but the Rebels could just as easily be 3-3.

First-year head coach Dan Mullen’s team survived a shootout on Saturday, knocking off Air Force 51-48 behind another fourth-quarter comeback. Anthony Colandrea’s 19-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining saved the Rebels (6-0, 2-0) from a loss to sputtering Air Force (1-5, 0-4).

“Heck of a team win,” Mullen said after the game. “So proud of our team. I want to give Air Force a lot of credit. That’s a really good football team. … We knew they were an explosive offense and that we were going to have to score. It was a back-and-forth game and could have gone either way. Heck of a football game. But so proud of our guys.”

It was the latest escape act for the Rebels, who opened the season with a double-digit comeback win over FCS Idaho State. UNLV trailed 31-24 in the fourth quarter against the Bengals but rallied for a 38-31 win.

UNLV also overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit at Miami (Ohio) en route to a 41-38 victory.

The Rebels will look to keep their perfect season alive at Boise State (4-2, 2-0) on Saturday. Kickoff for the MWC showdown is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Mountain time.

Boise State has defeated UNLV in the last two MWC championship games, including a 21-7 win at Albertsons Stadium last December. The Broncos went on to earn the No. 3 overall seed for the College Football Playoff.

Coming off a road loss to Notre Dame, Boise State bounced back on Saturday with a 41-25 home victory over New Mexico (3-3, 0-2). The Broncos have won 15 straight games at Albertsons Stadium, matching Alabama for the longest home winning streak in the country.

“I believe our team is growing,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said after the game. “I am proud of our team for battling.”

The other undefeated team in MWC play is San Diego State (5-1, 2-0), which routed Nevada 44-10 on Saturday for its fourth straight win. The Aztecs will not face UNLV during the regular season and are scheduled to host Boise State on Nov. 15.

The Wolf Pack (1-5, 0-2) appears to be headed in the wrong direction in Jeff Choate’s second season at the helm.

Fresno State’s (5-2, 2-1) five-game winning streak was snapped on Friday by previously reeling Colorado State (2-4, 1-1). The Rams jumped out to a 21-0 lead in a runaway 49-21 victory.

Star quarterback Micah Aledo accounted for four total touchdowns as Hawaii (5-2, 2-1) took down Utah State (3-3, 1-1) at home, 44-26.

Wyoming (3-3, 1-1) outscored visiting San Jose State (2-4, 1-1) 21-0 in the fourth quarter in a 35-28 comeback win.