UNLV defense stymies North Dakota behind Porter’s pick-6 in Rebels’ 13-7 win

In a 13-7 victory on Saturday, UNLV's defense held strong against North Dakota's formidable offense. Andre Porter's 23-yard interception return for a touchdown proved to be the lone scoring play for the Rebels. UNLV (4-2, 2-0 Mountain West Conference) thwarted North Dakota's (5-1, 2-1) typically high-energy offense. The Bison entered the game averaging 33.6 points per contest, with their lowest scoring performance of the season against Wyoming, a 28-0 triumph on October 3rd.

On Saturday, UNLV's defense managed to intercept Bison quarterback Nathan Hayes three times. Despite nursing an injured toe, Hayes managed to complete just 12 of 22 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. He ran six times for 33 yards during the game, following a 79-yard, 10-carry two-touchdown performance on the ground the previous week.

Porter's pick-6 occurred on the Bison's second drive. North Dakota tied the score at 7 via a 21-yard touchdown to Chris Kiel with 6:10 left before halftime. Ramon Villela contributed with a 29-yard and a 24-yard field goal for UNLV. Jai’Den Thomas rushed for 112 yards on 22 carries for the Rebels. With North Dakota scoring the fewest points by a Bison squad since a 9-3 win over Illinois State on December 14, 2019, UNLV will now face Air Force on the road.