‘Business as usual’ for 4-0 UNLV without Sluka
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Max Olson, ESPN Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS — UNLV made a statement Saturday in its first game without former starting quarterback Matthew Sluka: The Rebels are going to be just fine.
Rolling to a dominant 59-14 win over Fresno State and moving to 4-0, UNLV proved it will be a contender in the Mountain West Conference race regardless of its quarterback change.
Hajj-Malik Williams threw for 182 yards, rushed for 119 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns in his first start for the Rebels after Sluka opted to leave the program Wednesday over a dispute about his NIL compensation.
“It was business as usual,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said. “We’ve got a very mature team. … Our players, we’ve got strong leadership. They understand the mission that we’re on and they got it done.”
Williams, a sixth-year senior and FCS transfer from Campbell, joined the Rebels in January and lost a close competition with Sluka in fall camp. The 24-year-old quarterback played in 41 games at Campbell, leaving as the program’s career leader in passing yards and touchdowns, and was ready for his opportunity.
“I thought he was effective, I thought he was efficient,” Odom said. “I thought the offensive line did a tremendous job protecting him. I thought the receivers ran great routes. I thought the runners ran hard. We played well as an offense.”
UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III led the Rebels with a season-high 10 catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns and said the quarterback change was “definitely good for us.”
“He’s just a great quarterback that us, as an offense, we can rally behind and just go by his pace,” White said.
After starting three games for UNLV, Sluka opted to redshirt and was expected to enter the transfer portal in December. Sluka’s father and agent have alleged he was verbally promised $100,000 by UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion during his recruitment but received only $3,000 from the school’s NIL collective. UNLV said in a statement that Sluka’s representatives made financial demands for him to keep playing that it interpreted as “a violation of NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law.”
Odom read from a prepared statement during his postgame news conference and did not take questions regarding Sluka. He said UNLV complied with applicable rules and was committed to the development and success of every player in the program.
“Many have expressed very strong opinions about the events of last week without full knowledge of the facts, without full knowledge of the events of last week and without full knowledge of the rules in the ever-changing, evolving NIL system,” Odom said. “And regrettably, some have even used this circumstance as a platform for their own agendas. I respect everyone’s right to an opinion, and I won’t comment on others’ opinions or their motivations for expressing them.”
White also had a message for Circa Sports CEO Derek Stevens after the Vegas casino expressed interest in offering $100,000 to keep Sluka on the team, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal that doing so would be worth it “to keep the Rebels’ playoff hopes alive.”
“I would ask that somebody reach out to the Circa CEO and ask him, with that $100,000 that he wanted to donate, give it to our O-line please,” White said.
The Rebels ended a six-game losing streak against Fresno State and achieved the program’s first 4-0 start since 1976 with a strong day in all three phases of the game. Their defense produced four interceptions and four sacks while giving up only 30 rushing yards, and their special teams delivered a blocked punt that White returned for a touchdown in the first quarter plus a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown by Jai’Den Thomas in the fourth quarter.
The victory kept UNLV in the race for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff and concluded a chaotic week for an athletic department that was simultaneously dealing with the latest round of conference realignment in college athletics.
UNLV officially decided to remain in the Mountain West on Thursday, turning down a move to the Pac-12 following that league’s addition of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State for 2026. The seven remaining schools in the Mountain West agreed to a grant of rights that will bind them to the conference through 2031-32.
After already defeating Big 12 members Houston and Kansas in nonconference play, UNLV gets one more opportunity to take down a Power 4 opponent and strengthen its CFP résumé when it hosts 3-1 Syracuse on Friday.
“Our guys will flip the page really quickly,” Odom said. “I could tell in the locker room we’re ready to do that and get on to the next game.”
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Greg Wyshynski
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Carolina Hurricanes are benching starter Frederik Andersen for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Backup Pyotr Kochetkov, who replaced Andersen for the third period of their 5-0 loss to the Florida Panthers in Thursday’s Game 2, will get the start. Florida holds a 2-0 series lead over Carolina with Game 3 scheduled for Saturday night in Sunrise.
“Just change the vibe a little bit. I don’t blame Freddie for any of the goals that went in. Obviously, save percentage isn’t great, if you look at that. We do need some saves,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Before Game 1 against Florida, Andersen had allowed only 12 goals in nine playoff games for a .937 save percentage and a 1.36 goals-against average. But in two games against Florida, Andersen has given up nine goals on 36 shots, a .750 save percentage and a 5.54 GAA.
Defenseman Jaccob Slavin had nothing but praise for Andersen on the morning of Game 3, minutes before Brind’Amour announced the goalie change.
“He’s a stone wall back there. He has been all year, He’s a calm presence, and he’s not going to go out outside of his game to try to do anything crazy. So that gives a huge confidence,” Slavin said.
Kochetkov gave up one goal on five shots faced in Game 2. He saw action in the Hurricanes’ first-round win over the New Jersey Devils after Andersen was injured in a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier, giving up five goals on 50 shots in two Carolina victories.
Overall, Kochetkov has appeared in nine career playoff games with a save percentage of .871 and a 3.52 GAA.
Kochetkov saw the majority of the starts in the regular season for the Hurricanes, going 27-16-3 in 47 starts with a .898 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA.
The change comes as the Hurricanes desperately try to get back into a series in which the Panthers have outscored them 10-2. But there are other lineup considerations for Carolina. Brind’Amour said defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker are both game-time decisions. Chatfield has yet to appear in the conference finals with an undisclosed injury. Walker was shaken up in Game 2 on a hit from Florida forward A.J. Greer.
Center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who was a healthy scratch in Game 2, is expected back in the Hurricanes’ lineup.
Puck drop for Game 3 of the East finals is 8 p.m. ET.
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Greg Wyshynski
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart will miss Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals with a lower body injury.
The Panthers lead the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0, with the action shifting to Sunrise on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
Reinhart was Florida’s leading scorer in the regular season with 81 points in 79 games, including a team-high 39 goals. He is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the best defensive forward in the NHL. Reinhart scored 57 goals for the Panthers in 2023-24 to earn an eight-year, $69 million contract extension.
He left the Panthers’ 5-0 win in Game 2 on Thursday after a first-period hit by Hurricanes center Sebastian Aho as Reinhart carried the puck into the offensive zone. Aho appeared to make contact with Reinhart’s left knee. Reinhart’s last shift ended with 2:08 left in the first period.
Reinhart underwent testing Friday and was ruled out by coach Paul Maurice on Saturday. Maurice listed him as day-to-day after the Panthers’ morning skate.
The 29-year-old has 11 points in 14 playoff games, skating on the team’s top line with captain Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues. Reinhart was second on the Panthers with 10 goals during their Stanley Cup championship run in 2024.
Maurice said Reinhart is “a significant player” out of the lineup, one who contributes to the power play and penalty kill.
Forward Jesper Boqvist will draw into Reinhart’s spot alongside Barkov. The 26-year-old has one goal and one assist in nine playoff games this season but has averaged just 8:52 in ice time.
Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad said the Panthers have plenty of experience picking up the slack for players who are out of their lineup. Florida had only 12 players who played at least 76 games in the regular season.
“Not necessarily losing Rhino, but up and down the line of losing guys. It’s never easy, but it’s a team effort and has always been there for us. Not replace him, because he’s irreplaceable, but do our best,” Ekblad said.
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