Hajj-Malik Williams throws 2 TD passes to help No. 24 UNLV to beat Cal 24-13 in the LA Bowl

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Despite losing its starting quarterback after three games and head coach 10 days ago, UNLV had its best season in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The 24th-ranked Rebels picked up their 11th win and first bowl win in 24 years Wednesday night as they pulled away in the second half to beat California 24-13 in the LA Bowl.

“That’s exactly how we wanted to end it. I mean, not many people can say they got 11 wins in a season,” said linebacker Jackson Woodard, who is the game’s defensive MVP.

Hajj-Malik Williams passed for two touchdowns and Kylin James ran for another for the 11-3 Rebels, who won for the first time in a bowl game since beating Arkansas in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl. It also gave the Rebels 11 wins for the first time as an FBS program.

Del Alexander, an assistant the last time UNLV won a bowl game, was the interim head coach after Barry Odom left for Purdue on Dec. 8.

“It means a lot. I’ve done it so many times that it’s a big thing for the players to experience. For them to feel that and get the reward and establish the legacy, that’s important to them,” Alexander said.

Dan Mullen, who will take over UNLV’s program next season after being hired Thursday, was in attendance.

Cal (6-7), which has not had a winning season since 2019, was without quarterback Fernando Mendoza and leading wide receiver Nyziah Hunter after both entered the transfer portal.

UNLV took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter when Williams connected with Kayden McGee for a 49-yard touchdown strike. The freshman got behind Cal’s secondary on a pass pattern, caught the ball at the 13 and easily ran into the end zone for his first collegiate TD.

The Rebels got back on top 14-10 early in the second quarter when Jacob De Jesus took a shovel pass 12 yards and then did a backflip after scoring. The touchdown came after a successful fake punt as Marshall Nichols lobbed the ball to Cameron Oliver for a 52-yard gain to the Cal 9.

“My head was in the clouds and (special teams) coach (James) Shilbest said, ‘Hey, you want to run it?’ I mean, I didn’t find out where the ball was, and I said go. I’ve seen it every day in practice for a year or two,” Alexander said. “I think I turned the wrong way, but I saw it go and said ‘OK, good’.”

De Jesus, the game’s offensive MVP, also had a 38-yard punt return during the fourth quarter to set up a Caden Chittenden field goal.

UNLV led 14-13 at halftime, but extended its lead to eight with 2:13 left in the third quarter when James went 23 yards up the middle. The Rebels regained possession after Jett Elad recovered the ball after Cal quarterback EJ Caminong fumbled on a lateral.

Williams was 5 of 18 for 96 yards, while Jai’Den Thomas had 18 carries for 72 yards.

Williams took over as UNLV’s starting QB when Matthew Sluka left the show after three games due to a dispute over name, image and likeness.

CJ Harris got his first start at Cal and completed 13 of 20 passes for 109 yards in 2 1/2 quarters of action before getting hurt. Caminong went the rest of the way and was 6 of 19 for 57 yards.

Jayden Ott rushed for 84 yards on 11 carries.

The Golden Bears’ lone touchdown came with 19 seconds left in the first quarter when Josiah Martin went 29 yards on a reverse to give Cal a short-lived 10-7 advantage.

Cal had a chance to take the lead before halftime. It had second-and-goal at the UNLV 1 before Martin lost 2 yards on a run and Harris was sacked for a 9-yard loss, leaving them to settle for Ryan Coe’s second field goal.

“The game came down to the fake punt, they got a score off of it, we had the ball at the 2-yard line and couldn’t quite get it in the end zone,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “Unfortunately, we had a turnover that turned into a touchdown. Missed field goal. … But the fake punt was obviously a tough one, so really unlucky that we couldn’t quite get it done.”

Takeaways

Cal: The Golden Bears entered UNLV territory just once on their eight drives in the second half.

UNLV: The win should also mean the Rebels will be ranked in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time. A Mountain West team has won three of the four LA Bowls.

Next

Both teams are scheduled to open the 2025 season on the road on August 30. UNLV will be at Sam Houston State and Cal faces former Pac-12 foe Oregon State.