QB Hajj-Malik Williams, UNLV Rebels roll, race to 4-0 start

LAS VEGAS — UNLV made a statement Saturday in its first game without former starting quarterback Matthew Sluka: The Rebels will be fine.

With a dominant 59-14 win over Fresno State and a 4-0 record, UNLV proved it will be a contender in the Mountain West Conference race despite its quarterback change.

Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 182 yards, rushed for 119 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns in his first start for the Rebels after Sluka decided to leave the program on Wednesday amid a dispute over his zero compensation.

“It was business as usual,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said. “We have a very mature team. … Our players, we have strong leadership. They understand the mission we’re on and they’ve done it.”

Williams, a sixth-grader and FCS transfer from Campbell, joined the Rebels in January and lost a close contest with Sluka in fall camp. The 24-year-old quarterback played 41 games at Campbell, left the program as the program’s career leader in passing yards and touchdowns and was ready for his opportunity.

“I thought he was effective, I thought he was efficient,” Odom said. “I thought the offensive line did a great job protecting him. I thought the receivers ran great routes. I thought the runners ran hard. We played well on offense.”

UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III led the Rebels with a season-high 10 catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns and said the quarterback change was “definitely good for us.”

“He’s just a great quarterback that we can get behind as an offense and just match his pace,” White said.

After starting three games for UNLV, Sluka elected to redshirt and was expected to enter the transfer portal in December. Sluka’s father and agent have claimed that he was verbally promised $100,000 by UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion during his recruitment, but only received $3,000 from the school’s NIL collective. UNLV said in a statement that Sluka’s representatives made financial demands for him to continue playing, which it interpreted as a “violation of the NCAA’s pay-for-play rules as well as Nevada state law.”

Odom read from a prepared statement during his postgame press conference and did not answer questions about Sluka. He said UNLV has followed current rules and is committed to the development and success of every player in the program.

“Many have expressed a very clear opinion about the events of last week without fully knowing the facts, without fully knowing the events of last week and without fully knowing the rules in the ever-changing and evolving NIL system,” said Odom. “And unfortunately, some have even used this as a platform for their own agendas. I respect everyone’s right to an opinion and will not comment on others’ opinions or their motivations for expressing them.”

White also had a message to Circa Sports CEO Derek Stevens after the Las Vegas casino expressed interest in offering $100,000 to keep Sluka on the team, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal that it was worth it would “keep the Rebels’ playoff hopes alive.” .”

“I would ask someone to contact the CEO of Circa and ask him to please forward the $100,000 that he wanted to donate to our O-Hotline,” White said.

The Rebels ended a six-game losing streak against Fresno State and posted the program’s first 4-0 start since 1976 with a strong day in all three phases of the game. Their defense produced four interceptions and four sacks while giving up just 30 rushing yards, and their special teams produced a blocked punt in the first quarter that White returned for a touchdown and a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown by Jai’Den Thomas in the fourth quarter.

The win kept UNLV in the running for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff and capped a chaotic week for an athletic department that was simultaneously dealing with the latest round of conference realignment in college athletics.

UNLV officially decided Thursday to remain in the Mountain West, rejecting a move to the Pac-12 after adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to that league for 2026. The seven remaining schools in the Mountain West agreed to a grant of rights binding them to the conference through 2031-32.

Having already defeated Big 12 members Houston and Kansas outside of the conference, UNLV will get another opportunity to defeat a Power 4 opponent and bolster its CFP record when it hosts 3-1 Syracuse on Friday .

“Our guys are going to turn the page really quickly,” Odom said. “In the locker room I saw that we were ready to do this and move on to the next game.”