FRISCO, Texas — UNLV didn’t lose the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl because of a talent gap, a schematic mismatch or an unlucky bounce.

The Rebels lost because they weren’t ready.

Ohio Bobcats defeated UNLV Rebels 17-10 on Tuesday night at Ford Center at The Star, closing the season 9-4 and earning the seventh bowl victory in program history. UNLV finished 10-4, but the final game of a breakthrough season exposed an issue that no box score or reframing can hide.

This was UNLV’s worst offensive performance of the year.
Flat. Disjointed. Mentally loose.

And in December, that gets punished.

From the opening quarter, UNLV never looked like a team imposing itself. The Rebels moved the ball, stalled, moved it again, then stalled some more, never stacking execution long enough to apply sustained pressure.

The mistakes came immediately: a blocked punt, a red-zone fumble, an end-zone interception just before halftime, penalties that erased explosive plays, and drives that crossed midfield only to die quietly. Instead of sharpening urgency, each error compounded the next.

Ohio didn’t overwhelm UNLV early.
UNLV let the game stay alive.

By halftime, Ohio had already turned two early turnovers into a lead anyway, while UNLV had squandered multiple scoring chances. The score remained manageable. The warning signs were not.

Ohio didn’t score often. They scored with intent.

The Bobcats’ first touchdown came midway through the second quarter, finishing a 10-play, 84-yard drive that consumed nearly six minutes. Quarterback Parker Navarro capped it with a 5-yard keeper. The extra point was missed, but the drive itself mattered more than the points.

It established control.

Ohio opened the second half with the defining sequence of the game; a nine-play, 75-yard march capped by a 23-yard touchdown run from Sieh Bangura, followed by a successful two-point conversion. In under four minutes, the margin went from uncomfortable to commanding.

UNLV answered with a 50-yard field goal by Ramon Villela, but the context mattered. The drive lasted four plays, lost yardage, and survived only because of a muffed punt. It was points, not pressure.

Ohio’s response ended the competitive phase of the game. A 14-play, 61-yard drive drained 7:47 off the fourth-quarter clock and ended with a field goal, stretching the lead to 17–3 and turning time into UNLV’s biggest opponent.

UNLV’s lone touchdown came late on a 12-play, 79-yard drive, capped by Anthony Colandrea powering in on fourth down.

Ohio’s plan never changed.

Run the football.
Shorten the game.
Remove risk.

Bangura rushed for 149 yards as Ohio finished with 207 rushing yards on 43 attempts. Navarro attempted just 15 passes all night and did not throw once in the fourth quarter.

UNLV never forced Ohio out of that comfort zone.

The Bobcats generated only three passing plays of 15 yards or more, all to the same receiver, all in predictable situations. Those few throws flipped field position and locked in the margin. After that, Ohio no longer needed to pass.

That’s not being outschemed. That’s being out-prepared.

The most frustrating part of UNLV’s performance is that the offense wasn’t nonfunctional.

It just never finished.

The Rebels produced eight explosive plays. Four through the air, four on the ground. On paper, that should apply pressure. In reality, none of them stacked.

Every explosive was followed by a stall: a sack, a penalty, a turnover, or a drive-killing negative snap. UNLV crossed midfield repeatedly and came away empty. The first three meaningful drives reached scoring territory and produced zero points.

By halftime, the margin was already gone.

Colandrea finished 19-of-30 for 184 yards with one interception and a rushing touchdown. The stat line was serviceable. The performance was not sharp. Reads were late. Timing was inconsistent. Drives lacked rhythm.

The run game averaged 3.3 yards per carry and never controlled the line of scrimmage. Passing success existed between the 20s and disappeared when precision was required.

This wasn’t a scheme issue. It was an execution issue.

And execution problems in bowl games are preparation problems.

UNLV’s defense was not the reason the Rebels lost.

The unit forced a goal-line interception, limited Ohio’s passing damage, and kept the game within reach deep into the fourth quarter. Linebacker Marsel McDuffie and defensive back Jaheem Joseph were active and physical early.

But the defense was leaned on relentlessly because the offense never flipped the script.

Once Ohio committed fully to a run-only fourth quarter, UNLV’s defense was placed in a no-win situation: limited rest, predictable looks, and no margin for error.

That’s attrition, not collapse. This wasn’t a defensive failure. It was a complementary football failure.

Context matters, and that’s why this one stings.

UNLV arrived in Frisco playing in its third consecutive bowl game for the first time in program history, coming off a third straight Mountain West Championship Game appearance, with back-to-back double-digit win seasons and sustained national recognition.

This wasn’t framed as a reward bowl. It was framed as a measuring stick.

Ohio played like a program that expects to be here.
UNLV played like a program still learning what that expectation demands.

UNLV started the season 6-0. They finished it 4-4.

That’s not collapse, they came back to earth. Once the margin for surprise disappeared, closing games became harder. Ohio didn’t win because UNLV lacks ability. They won because they were sharper when the game demanded it.

This loss shouldn’t be brushed aside as “experience gained.”

It should sting.

Because this wasn’t a ceiling game, it was a floor game. UNLV played below its standard, below its identity, and below what a program trying to make bowl season routine can accept.

The progress is real.
The season mattered.

But Tuesday night delivered a reminder that can’t be ignored:

Arriving is easy. Owning November/December is not.

Until UNLV closes that gap, bowl games will remain competitive, but never comfortable.

UNLV

Ohio