UNLV Stuns No. 23 New Mexico 21-17 as Jackson Arnold Accounts for Three Touchdowns

For three quarters, New Mexico played the kind of game that had carried the Lobos into the AP Top 25: lean on the run, squeeze the clock, let the defense handle the rest. Then Jackson Arnold found two big plays in the span of four minutes, and the most impressive streak in the Mountain West went down with them. UNLV scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and held on for a 21-17 upset of No. 23 New Mexico on Saturday night at University Stadium in Albuquerque.

Arnold threw a 43-yard touchdown to Kayden McGee early in the fourth, ran 44 yards for the go-ahead score with 7:26 left, and the Rebels' defense closed it with a fourth-down stop and a Tony-Louis Nkuba interception inside the final two minutes. UNLV improved to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the Mountain West, and the program's official account noted the win makes the Rebels bowl eligible for a fourth straight season. New Mexico fell to 8-2 and 5-1 in league play.

A trick play and a fast start

The Lobos looked every bit the favorite early. UNLV went three-and-out on its first possession, and New Mexico answered with a 42-yard march that stalled when Dee Crayton dropped Scottre Humphrey for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the UNLV 36.

The Lobos did not need long to get the ball back or to get creative with it. Pinned at their own 20 after a Matt Choules punt, they handed it to wide receiver Bailen George, who threw deep down the middle to DJ Darling for a 65-yard gain. Kiefer Sibley ran 12 yards to the 3, and Humphrey scored on the next snap. It was 7-0 with 7:21 left in the first quarter.

The next UNLV mistake turned into more points. Arnold had the Rebels at the New Mexico 21 after an 18-yard scramble, but Darren Agu sacked him on the next play and Brett Karhu recovered the fumble. New Mexico turned that into an 11-play, 73-yard drive that bled 5:43, helped by a 20-yard Sibley run on third-and-20 and a UNLV illegal hands penalty that moved the ball to the 10. Toa Fa'avae found Cade Keith for a 9-yard touchdown, and the Lobos led 14-0 with 10:36 left in the half.

UNLV hangs around

UNLV's offense spent much of the half going backward. The Rebels were flagged three times for false starts in the second quarter alone, and one drive that reached the New Mexico 40 on Lobo penalties ended in a punt from midfield.

The Rebels finally broke through after a New Mexico three-and-out gave them the ball at their own 45. Arnold hit Vincent Carner for 11 yards and Peyton Zachary for 13 on third-and-7, then ran twice for 11 more. From the 16, Arnold threw over the middle to Keyan Burnett for a touchdown with 1:38 left, cutting the deficit to 14-7 at the break.

The third quarter that almost ended it

New Mexico opened the second half by doing what it does. The Lobos put together an 11-play, 45-yard drive that took 6:54 off the clock, keyed by a 20-yard Humphrey run and a Fa'avae keeper on fourth-and-2 at the UNLV 28. The drive stalled at the 19, and Nick Romero kicked a 36-yard field goal for a 17-7 lead with 5:36 to play in the quarter.

UNLV answered quickly, and then gave it right back. Arnold found Carner for 10 yards and then for 37 more down the right side to the New Mexico 28. Two plays later, Arnold's throw was tipped by CJ McBean and intercepted by Frankie Edwards III at the 13. A 50-yard Michael Kern punt later pinned the Rebels at their own 5 with 1:24 left in the third. Against the top scoring defense in the country, a 10-point deficit and 95 yards of field looked like plenty.

Ninety-five yards, then 44 more

It was not. UNLV's drive from its own 5 ran 11 plays across the quarter break and covered all 95 yards. Matt Byrnes caught a 13-yard pass on third-and-7 to get the Rebels breathing room, and Arnold converted a fourth-and-1 at his own 30 with a 4-yard run. On third-and-9 from the 35, Arnold hit Zachary for 22 yards. On the next snap, Arnold went deep right to McGee, who caught it at the 21 and finished a 43-yard touchdown with 11:40 left. New Mexico's lead was down to 17-14.

The UNLV defense then set up the turning point. Andre Porter sacked Fa'avae on first down and dropped Sibley for a loss on second, and the Lobos punted after a three-and-out. The Rebels took over at their own 35.

Arnold went right back to McGee for 21 yards. Two runs went nowhere, setting up third-and-10 at the New Mexico 44. Arnold kept it on a designed run to the left, got outside, and was not touched on the way to a 44-yard touchdown with 7:26 to play. UNLV led 21-17, its first lead of the night.

New Mexico still had time. Marco Beltran Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Lobo 41, and Humphrey carried three straight times to the UNLV 46. But on fourth-and-2 at the 41, Fa'avae's pass for Keith fell incomplete with 3:53 left. After a UNLV punt, the Lobos started at their own 3 with 2:36 to play. A false start and an Elias Rudolph sack pushed them back to the 3 again, and on second-and-20, Nkuba intercepted Fa'avae at the New Mexico 23. The call stood on review with 1:31 left, and Arnold took a knee from there.

Arnold's night, and a defense that bent late

Arnold finished 12 of 26 for 201 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and led all rushers with 98 yards on 14 carries. That stat line came a week after UNLV turned to Alex Orji in a loss to Wyoming. Before this game, coach Dan Mullen told the Albuquerque Journal of that switch, "We just needed a spark." On Saturday, Arnold was the spark. Orji threw one pass, an 8-yard completion in the first quarter.

McGee caught only two passes, but they went for 64 yards and the touchdown that started the comeback. Carner had three catches for 58 yards and Zachary two for 35. Jai'Den Thomas, who entered the week as the Mountain West's leading rusher, was held to 21 yards on 11 carries.

UNLV's defense was led by linebacker Cam Santee, who made 12 tackles with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. Porter added seven tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss, and Rudolph and Nkuba made the two biggest plays of the final drive.

For New Mexico, Humphrey ran 19 times for 89 yards and a touchdown, Sibley added 77 yards on 13 carries, and the Lobos piled up 203 rushing yards on 48 attempts. Agu had seven tackles, a sack and the forced fumble, Austin Brawley made six tackles, and Jahmir Torres broke up three passes.

What the numbers say

The Lobos won time of possession 33:03 to 26:57 and outrushed UNLV 203 to 118. They lost because they could not throw. Fa'avae was 7 of 14 for 40 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and outside George's 65-yard trick-play completion, New Mexico had 40 passing yards all night. The Lobos went 3 of 13 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. UNLV outgained New Mexico 327 to 308.

What it means

The loss snapped several of New Mexico's best runs. The Lobos had won 11 straight games at University Stadium and 11 straight Mountain West games, the longest active conference streak in the FBS, according to the school. They had also held 14 straight opponents to 20 points or fewer. UNLV got to 21.

It also scrambles the league race. New Mexico and Wyoming are both 5-1 in conference play, and the Lobos visit Wyoming on Friday, Nov. 20, before hosting Air Force on Nov. 27. UNLV, now 4-2 in the league, plays at San Jose State on Nov. 21 and hosts Nevada on Nov. 28.

Eight days earlier, New Mexico smothered Nevada 31-3 and looked like the class of the conference. UNLV arrived off the Wyoming loss and a quarterback switch, two weeks removed from holding off Northern Illinois behind three Arnold touchdowns. For 45 minutes Saturday, the favorite looked like the favorite. Then Arnold took the game over, and the Mountain West got a lot more interesting.

The full box score is available from ESPN (opens in a new tab).

Sources: ESPN, New Mexico Athletics, UNLV Athletics, Albuquerque Journal.

Photo: UNLV Athletics (file photo from Sept. 26, 2026, at Akron).