Air Force will face UNLV in their sixth game of the season on Saturday, October 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Falcons currently hold a 1-4 record overall and are 0-3 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Rebels remain undefeated at 5-0, including a 1-0 conference record.
This meeting marks the 26th matchup between Air Force and UNLV, with Air Force leading the series 18-7. In conference play, Air Force has an 18-6 advantage over UNLV. The last time these teams met was in November 2023, when UNLV defeated Air Force 31-27 at Falcon Stadium, ending a five-game losing streak against the Falcons. In their most recent contest held in Las Vegas in October 2022, Air Force won decisively with a score of 42-7.
UNLV is off to its best start since 1974 and leads several statistical categories within the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels are first in third down defense and turnover margin, among others. Their defensive back Aamaris Brown leads the NCAA with one interception per game and is second nationally for passes defended. Running back Jai’Den Thomas leads the conference with nearly 98 rushing yards per game.
For Air Force, a win would break a four-game losing streak and mark their first road victory this year. It would also improve their record against UNLV to 19-7 overall and to 10-4 when playing away games against the Rebels.
Last week, Air Force lost to Navy by a score of 34-31 in the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy series opener. Despite managing more than 400 total offensive yards for the fifth consecutive game this season—including three straight games with more passing than rushing yards—the Falcons were unable to secure a win. Quarterback Liam Szarka set program records by posting his third consecutive game with at least 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards—a first in Mountain West history.
Szarka said after last week’s performance that he rushed for a career-best of 152 yards and two touchdowns while completing eleven out of nineteen passes for another two scores. Tight end Bruin Fleischmann recorded six catches for a career-high of 166 receiving yards and added his third straight touchdown reception.
Defensively, Roger Jones Jr., Blake Fletcher, Mikhail Seiken, Payton Zdroik, and Isaac Hubert each made significant contributions last week through tackles or turnovers.
Air Force continues to hold onto the nation’s longest active streak of consecutive games with at least one hundred rushing yards—now at ninety games—and has surpassed four hundred total offensive yards in every game this season.
