Syracuse battles back, forcing overtime and beating No. 25 UNLV 44-41, spoiling the Rebels' poll debut

LAS VEGAS (AP) — LeQuint Allen told Syracuse coach Fran Brown in the first half that the pain in his lower left leg was eight out of 10. He also said that he would not give up the game.

Good thing for the Orange, as Allen stormed into the end zone from a yard out in overtime to give Syracuse a 44-41 win over No. 25 UNLV on Friday night, four days after the Rebels advanced to the AP Top 25 for the first time time in the program's history.

“I just put everything on the line for my team,” Allen said. “At the end of the day, if I can run and jog, I still want to be out there for my team. Nobody is bigger than 'The S'.”

After Caden Chittenden hit a 41-yard field goal to give the Rebels (4-1) a 41-38 lead in overtime, the Orange (4-1) capitalized on eight plays and tied the game on Allen's fourth Touchdown of the Game The 200-pound running back dragged UNLV's 230-pound linebacker Jackson Woodard for about four seconds before crashing into the end zone.

Allen ran 19 times for 71 yards and two touchdowns and had nine catches for 58 yards and two more scores.

“He did that, that’s exactly what he does – that’s LeQuint,” Brown said. “Never stop talking, never stop just wanting football.” He is never open. He’s a competitive guy.”

Kyle McCord, who transferred from Ohio State in the offseason, was 40 of 63 for 355 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception for Syracuse. Oronde Gadsen II completed 10 passes for 142 yards for the Orange, both career highs.

UNLV's Hajj-Malik Williams completed 21 of 25 passes for 227 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Ricky White III had 10 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. The star receiver also forced Syracuse punter Jack Stonehouse to give up a punt and later blocked a punt, his second of the season.

“If you look at what this team did, we really didn’t start well and stayed in the fight,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said. “I hate it because we have a strong team and great young men. We're close, but this will bring us closer. I have no doubt about that.”

With a crowd of 31,329 — the third-highest number since UNLV began playing at Allegiant Stadium in 2020 — there were four lead changes and three ties in the back-and-forth marathon.

Syracuse struck first after McCord completed all seven attempts during a nine-play drive, capped by a shovel pass from Allen that scored from 8 yards out to give the Orange a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. With Allen's second touchdown of the game, the Orange extended the lead to 14-0.

UNLV had outscored its previous four opponents in the first quarter by a combined score of 52-14 and led in three of the games after the first. But the Rebels found their rhythm in the second quarter, outscoring Syracuse 21-3 and taking a 21-17 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Syracuse really got to work in the third quarter, winning the first drive of the second half and running 75 yards in 12 plays, capped by McCord's 6-yard strike to Allen, giving the Orange the lead back at 24-21.

One play after Syracuse safety Duce tackled Chestnut Williams at the UNLV 20, it was Orange running back Yasin Willis who sprinted uninterrupted for 21 yards, extending the lead to 10 at 31-21.

UNLV tied the score — its second in two weeks — thanks to Chittenden's field goal and a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown, then took a 38-31 lead on White's 9-yard TD reception.

Trailing by seven yards in 11 plays, with less than three minutes left, the Orange drove 75 yards to tie the game, with Jackson Meeks catching a 6-yard TD pass with 23 seconds left.

The Rebels elected to take a knee on their first play of the final round of regulation, sending UNLV to its first overtime game since 2021, a triple-overtime loss to Eastern Washington.

The takeaway food

White was considered an All-America candidate at wide receiver at the start of the season but continues to play on special teams. He is the first Rebel to block two punts in a season since Ronnie Smith had two punts in 2006.

Impact on the survey

UNLV will likely lose its spot in the rankings after suffering its first loss of the season.

Next

Syracuse: At NC State on Oct. 12

UNLV: At Utah State on Oct. 11.

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