Gamble and Lose: Offense Goes Broke in 13-7 Loss to UNLV

Las Vegas, Nevada: The city of light and the gambling capital of the world. Two billion dollars a year changes hands in Sin City each year, and Saturday night, two players bellied up to the blackjack table. One player was an inexperienced gambler who had won five straight hands. The other was a grizzled veteran who had been chasing the big payout. Both played the odds and reached 20 combined points. However, the veteran gambler played the better cards late as UNLV handed NDSU its first FBS and Mountain West loss in a 13-7 decision.

The first score of the game was a sign of things to come as Nathan Hayes was intercepted by UNLV's Andre Porter, who would beat Hayes to the end zone for a 23-yard pick-six to grab the early 7-0 lead. The nightmare was just beginning for NDSU's QB1, as he would be intercepted on the following possession by Mumu Bin-Wahad.

"Code Green" would hold its own after the miscues as UNLV's Ramon Villela would miss a 45-yard field goal to keep the score 7-0. The Bison offense would show signs of life in the second quarter as Hayes would fire a laser to Chris Kiel for a 21-yard touchdown to even the game at seven. That would also be your halftime score, as field position and turnovers were the story in the first half. Hayes two interceptions were matched by UNLV's Jackson Arnold, who threw his first pick of the season to Ray James Jr.

The Rebels started the second half scoring with a 29-yard field goal to grab a 10-7 lead. UNLV would hold the ball for 11 minutes in the third quarter as the Bison ran just eight plays for 13 yards in the third stanza.

Tim Polasek said all week that "Scared money don't make money". He decided to show he wasn't scared to start the fourth quarter as on a fourth-and-one from his own 18, Polasek kept the offense on the field. The riverboat gamble was a massive backfire, as Myles "Money" Mitchell would lose money and be stuffed for no gain. The gamble would lead to another Villela field goal, making it 13-7 as the game wound to its conclusion.

The Bison had one last chance to salvage a win late, as a 28-yard run from Nathan Hayes got the Herd down to the 24-yard line. Then the offense would unravel as Hayes would be sacked, commit a holding penalty, and then Hayes would throw his second pick of the game to Mumu Bin-Wahad and his third of the game as NDSU busted late to drop their first FBS game 13-7.

Nathan Hayes three picks are the most in a game since Easton Stick's three interceptions at South Dakota State in 2017. On the bright side, NDSU ran for 176 yards, including Mitchell, who paced the running game with 91 yards.

"Code Green" did its job on Jackson Arnold as he passed for just 77 yards, threw a pick, and was sacked twice, but NDSU's "welcome to the FBS moment' came in the form of Jai'Den "Jet" Thomas. Thomas is easily the best player the Bison have gone against in the FBS era, as he rushed for 112 yards and broke countless NDSU tackles.

NDSU outgained UNLV 300-255, but turnovers, losing the time of possession, and the dubious decision to go for it on fourth and one were too much to overcome in the end.

The Bison now must turn the page and face the other school from Nevada in the Mountain West, the Nevada Wolf Pack. The boys from Reno are coached by a familiar nemesis, former Montana State head coach Jeff Choate. Choate led the Bobcats from 2016-2019, where he led them into the Fargodome for two playoff meetings; his teams lost to NDSU by a combined score of 94-24.

Nevada has struggled in the Choate era, as he is just 8-22 with the Wolf Pack. Choate has won just three conference games during his tenure, including losing all seven league matchups in 2024. If it couldn't get any worse, they also lost to Montana State 20-7 earlier this season.

The 2026 Wolf Pack are 2-3 this year and are coming off a 30-13 win at UTEP this past Saturday. Their offensive engine is running back Hershel Turner, who ran for 192 yards and scored a touchdown against the Miners.

Their quarterback Carter Jones has passed for 654 yards and owns a two to three touchdown to interception ratio. Nevada leans on its ground game rather than Jones, as they rush for 212 of their 380 yards per game.

The Wolf Pack defense gives up 22 points per contest and holds teams to 31% on third down. They are led by lineback EJ Smith, who has 59 tackles and 2.5 sacks this season.

North Dakota State still owns the best defense in the Mountain West, but the offense must get back on track if NDSU has any hopes of reaching the conference championship game. That starts with getting Hayes to read his progressions, getting Jackson Williams more involved in the game plan, and continuing to give "Money" Mitchell the ball in the run game.

Kickoff between the Bison and Wolf Pack is set for Saturday, October 17, at 6 p.m. at the Fargodome. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network and heard on Bison 1660/92.7 FM.

For a full recap of the UNLV game and a preview of Nevada, watch the Bison Overtime show with Grant Hubbard, Ethan Ibach, and Peter Havelka. The show is streamed live every Monday on X @bison_overtime and YouTube on the Bison Information Network YouTube channel.