HOUSTON – Matthew Sluka threw for 71 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 59 yards as UNLV beat Houston 27-7 on Saturday night in both teams’ season opener and Willie Fritz’s first game as Cougars coach.
Sluka, who completed 6 of 13 passes, threw touchdown passes of 13 and 24 yards to Jacob De Jesus in the first half as the Rebels (1-0) led 14-0 at halftime.
“I thought he managed (the game) well and … it seemed like he made good decisions on the headphones, the things I heard from the offense,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said of Sluka. “We have a number of playmakers on that side of the ball, and we need a quarterback that is also a playmaker, but also distributes the ball, is efficient with it, doesn’t lose it and reads it really well.”
Jalen Catalon, who finished with two interceptions, returned a 36-yard interception for a touchdown in the third quarter.
“He’s a playmaker,” UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard said of Catalon. “He went out there and made a play.”
Michael Allen ran for 65 yards and Jaden Braden caught two passes for 60 yards. UNLV outgained Houston 308-247.
UNLV earned its first win over a Big 12 team since beating Iowa State 34-31 in overtime on Sept. 20, 2008.
“It’s nice to see an away win,” Odom said. “That makes me happier than the school logo.”
Donovan Smith finished the game with 15 of 30 passes for 135 yards and two interceptions. Mekhi Mews caught three passes for 57 yards for Houston (0-1).
“Very disappointing,” Fritz said. “I thought we would play better. I did a bad job as head coach. My assistant coaches did a bad job and I played poorly, too. I didn’t see a lot of good out there.”
The Cougars avoided a shutout with a 2-yard touchdown pass from sophomore backup Ui Ale to Joseph Manjack IV with a minute left in the fourth quarter. Ale completed 7 of 8 passes for 74 yards and scored a touchdown.
THE RESULT
UNLV: The Rebels dominated both offensive lines. UNLV rushed for 195 yards. UNLV’s defense finished with 10 tackles for loss, including six sacks. Jackson Woodard finished with 11 tackles, including three sacks.
“I thought we played relentless defensively all night,” Odom said. “I thought we controlled the game offensively.”
Houston: The Cougars struggled throughout the UNLV rush. Houston managed 59 yards in the first half. The Cougars managed 2 of 15 third downs.
“We didn’t tackle very well at the beginning of the game,” Fritz said. “That hurt us. We couldn’t push everyone back. They pushed us back. And then we really struggled to defend ourselves on offense.”
Next
UNLV: Hosts Utah Tech on Saturday.
Houston: At No. 16 Oklahoma on Saturday.
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