INGLEWOOD, Calif.
It’s over now, one of the most special seasons in UNLV football history.
It’s officially time for Dan Mullen to take charge.
The Rebels on Wednesday night beat Cal 24-13 in the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. UNLV won the fancy heavyweight belt that went to the victors. Not exactly a Fremont Cannon in stature, but notable all the same.
It won 11 times on the season. It won its first bowl game since 2000. Not a bad way to finish. Not at all.
Mullen, UNLV’s new coach who has replaced the departed Barry Odom, was in attendance getting a preview of the side he has inherited.
He took pictures with former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, the game’s official host. Mullen taped a segment for “SportsCenter at Night.” He joined the ESPN television booth during the third quarter. National coverage never hurts.
And all the while, the Rebels had one final game together before the team that gave an entire city reason to pay attention this year ended its time together.
The question is, how to keep things moving in a positive direction? How to continue forward and not take a step back?
How to remain relevant?
Keep working
“Don’t change anything about the detail and work,” senior defensive back Jalen Catalon said. “I know there’s a new coach coming in with a new philosophy and how he goes about his business. But this is a good football team and can remain a good football team.
“Just keep the same mentality we have used. It doesn’t matter what head coach is here. There can be success.”
It will mean Mullen replacing 17 starters, a senior class that helped turn the Rebels into a nationally ranked team from the doldrums in which they existed for decades.
It will mean him finding a quarterback capable of leading UNLV.
We saw the last of Hajj-Malik Williams at the position for UNLV on Wednesday, his short but productive tenure ending in victory.
There is no telling where things might have gone this season had Williams not played so well following the departure of Matthew Sluka over a dispute concerning name, image and likeness payments.
Williams in many ways saved UNLV’s season.
It was poignant in a way watching him take a knee to run out the clock here.
The Rebels wanted this more than anything after losing to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game. Wanted another opportunity to finish things the right way. Wanted it for those seniors.
And in doing so, they gave returning players something from which to aspire from this moment forward.
“I just hope they stay focused on the little details and keep putting in the work day in and day out,” said senior wide receiver Jacob De Jesus, named the game’s offensive MVP. “That’s what it’s going to take to win football games.”
Mullen will next begin naming members of his coaching staff. Those transferring in will begin announcing their intentions. Some already have. Those leaving will as well.
Changing of the guard is upon UNLV, but hopefully not a change in culture. Hopefully not a dip in confidence that defined the past two seasons under Odom.
He inspired the Rebels to believe and they did. He held them to a standard and they responded.
He took a team and built a program.
Time has come
“I love coaching,” Mullen said at his introductory news conference. “It has been my life. It is what I have done my entire life. It’s my passion. I know the game has changed a lot, but standing in front of those young guys in that room — that’s what it’s all about for me.
“I can’t wait until they get back and they become my team and we’re out there together as a family and as a team on that field, trying to get better and win a championship.”
The time has come. The bowl game has passed. The special season is over.
And as UNLV’s band played the school’s fight song and a program of winners strolled off the field late Wednesday, trophy and belt in hand, it became official.
It’s his team now. His guys.
The future under Dan Mullen begins.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.
