Jacob De Jesus caught a touchdown and gained 142 all-purpose yards to lead No. 24 UNLV to a 24-13 win over Cal in the LA Bowl on Wednesday in Inglewood, Calif.
UNLV clinched its first 11-win season since 1984 with the victory, although all of the 1984 wins were later vacated after the NCAA penalized the Rebels for using ineligible players. It was the program’s first bowl win since beating Arkansas in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.
De Jesus tallied 75 yards on punt returns, 27 yards on punt returns and 38 yards receiving in his final collegiate game. Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Woodard also closed his career with a strong performance, racking up 11 total tackles.
The Rebels’ Ricky White was a gametime scratch, presumably because the wide receiver expects to be an NFL draft pick in April.
UNLV’s Jai’Den Thomas ran for 72 yards on 18 carries, while Kylin James ran for a touchdown and 37 yards on seven carries.
UNLV took a 14-10 lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter when De Jesus hauled in a 9-yard touchdown reception from Hajj-Malik Williams. The Rebels executed a fake punt on the previous play, as punter Marshall Nichols hit a wide-open Cameron Oliver with a shovel pass for 52 yards.
Cal was faced with a goal-to-go situation at the two-minute warning in the first half, trailing 14-10. UNLV’s defense held firm and forced Cal to kick a 30-yard field goal after Johnathan Baldwin sacked CJ Harris for a loss of nine on third down.
Harris was replaced by EJ Caminong on Cal’s second drive in the first quarter before eventually going to the locker room with an undisclosed injury. Caminong served as the Golden Bears’ fourth-string signal caller during the regular season but was given reps with Cal starter Fernando Mendoza in the transfer portal and the second- and third-stringers unavailable due to injury.
Harris finished with 109 yards through the air, completing 13 of his 20 attempts. In his college debut, Caminong struggled in relief, completing only 6 of 19 pass attempts for 57 yards. Jaydn Ott ran for 84 yards on 11 carries.
Cal opened the scoring with 7:45 remaining in the first quarter on a 43-yard field goal by Derek Morris. UNLV responded quickly with a 43-yard touchdown connection from Williams to Kayden McGee for McGee’s first career touchdown. He entered with just three receptions on the season.
Josiah Martin capped a nine-play, 89-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown run to give Cal a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.
–Field Level Media
