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Idaho State scores TD off wild trick play vs. UNLV, Dan Mullen

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels08/23/25ChandlerVessels
dan mullen
Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Idaho State is off to a quick start against UNLV thanks to a little trickery. The Vandals lead the Rebels by a score of 10-0 in the first quarter of a Week 0 matchup after a savvy play call.

Quarterback Jordan Cooke threw a sideways pass to receiver Micahel Shulikov, drawing the defense over to the left side. Cooke then took off on the opposite side and, instead of running with the ball, Shulikov passed it back to his QB. Cooke corralled the pass to score the first touchdown of the afternoon.

The score put Idaho State up two possessions early on in the game. However, there is still three more quarters for UNLV to make up ground and save itself from an embarrassing season-opening loss.

The Rebels are still trying to make a decision on their starting quarterback as both Michigan transfer Alex Orji and Virginia transfer Anthony Colandera will split reps Saturday. Orji got the start but fumbled on the opening drive with UNLV inside the red zone.

The Rebels remained scoreless after the first quarter but it wouldn’t take them long to put up some points once the second got underway. With Colandera in at QB, UNLV went on a 64-yard touchdown drive capped up by a 39-yard score from running back Jai’Den Thomas with 10:39 in the second quarter.

Thomas also added a touchdown on the very next offensive drive for the Beles, this time breaking free for a 70-yard score. UNLV currently holds a 14-10 lead over Idaho State with 7:12 to go before halftime.

Athlon Sports grades coaching hire of Dan Mullen at UNLV

One of the more interesting hires of the college football offseason was Mullen taking over the UNLV. After spending a couple of seasons at ESPN, Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports believes the former SEC leader can be an effective tactician once again.

He graded the hire of Mullen an A while evaluating each and every coach in a new place for 2025: “After going 20-8 the past two seasons, UNLV is well-positioned to take that next step. Known for his prolific offenses, Mullen has two (mostly) successful head-coaching stints on his résumé,” Lassan wrote.

“From 2009-17, he won 69 games at Mississippi State (one of the hardest jobs in the SEC). And from 2018-21, Mullen went 34-15 at Florida, with one appearance in the SEC Championship Game.”

While Mullen has mostly coached on the East Coast during his career, with the brief exception of a stop at Utah, he had no qualms about taking over at UNLV. Most recently, that was as the head coach at Florida and before that Mississippi State.

As Lassan alluded to, Mullen compiled a 103-61 record and six AP-Top 25 finishes over his coaching career. However, a difficult finish at Florida led to him taking the analyst job at ESPN. Along the way, those experiences also gave him the chance to see how good things are at UNLV compared to other schools.

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this report.