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Saturday, the first season of the Tony Sanchez era at UNLV ended with a 35-28 loss to the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie.
Wyoming sophomore running back Brian Hill shredded the Rebels defense for 232 yards on 35 carries in the win. Hill has now topped the 200 yard plateau four times in 2015 the most of any player in FBS. Saturday's effort was the most yards he's rushed for since he tallied 242 against Eastern Michigan on September 12th, and he's established a new school rushing record.
The Wyoming passing attack was good enough to command the Rebels attention. Cowboy quarterback Cameron Coffman completed 14 of 24 passes for 248 yards and three scores. His favorite receiver was Jacob Hollister who caught 5 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.
The 35 points Wyoming scored marked a season high, and the Rebels were unable to keep up offensively. UNLV quarterback Blake Decker threw for three touchdowns and 270 yards, 122 of those to Devonte Boyd. Xzaviar Campbell led all Rebels on the ground with 87 yards on nine carries.
A pair of late scores doomed the Rebels. At the close of the first half, Coffman tossed a 35 yard touchdown pass to James Price with just six seconds remaining to put the Cowboys ahead 14-7. Another Coffman touchdown pass halfway through the third quarter, this one to Jake Maulhardt, extended the Wyoming lead to 21-7.
UNLV managed to tie the game on a 1-yard touchdown run from Kurt Palandech with just 3:37 remaining, but three plays later Coffman threw a 64 yard touchdown pass to Hollister for what would be the game winning score with 2:20 left on the clock.
The win snaps a four game losing streak for the Cowboys. The victory was also the first in a season finale for Wyoming since a 44-0 win over Colorado State in 2010.
The Rebels end the season on a three game skid. They finish 2015 in fifth place in the West Division. UNLV has lost its last game of the year for six consecutive seasons. The all-time record between the Rebels and Cowboys is now tied at 11.