UNLV Rolls Akron 38-10 Behind Jai'Den Thomas
Three interceptions. Akron threw all of them, one went back for a touchdown, and the final read UNLV 38, Akron 10.
It did not start that way. Akron scored first on a 12-yard run by Jordan Gant and led 7-0, and UNLV tied it on a 40-yard pass from Jackson Arnold to Jai'Den Thomas. Thomas caught another from two yards for a 14-7 lead, Akron cut it to 14-10 on a 36-yard field goal with 2:44 left in the second quarter, and that was the end of Akron's scoring. Thomas ran in from 16 yards early in the third, Ramon Villela kicked a field goal, and Arnold found Taz Reddicks from 59 yards to make it 31-10 entering the fourth.
Mumu Bin-Wahad finished it with a 35-yard interception return with 7:19 left. Take that off the board and UNLV still wins 31-10, so call it a bonus.
The yardage was lopsided too. UNLV had 493 total yards (203 rushing on 33 carries, 290 passing) against 301 for Akron, and sacked Akron three times. Brayden Roggow threw two of the picks and Gant, a running back, threw the third on his only pass attempt. (Yes, really.) Gant did run for 80 yards and a touchdown, which is not nothing.
UNLV goes to 2-2 and Akron to 1-3. If you had Thomas, you had a very good Saturday: 37.7 points on a touchdown run and two touchdown catches.
One more number for the box score: Akron went the whole second half without a point, and the last time it scored the margin was 14-10.