Late turnovers doom Bengals’ upset aspirations

LAS VEGAS — Looking for a Week 0 upset at UNLV, the Idaho State Bengals held a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter.

But two late interceptions thrown by quarterback Jordan Cooke, who was excellent otherwise, led to a go-ahead touchdown for the Rebels (1-0) in a 38-31 loss for the Bengals (0-1).

ISU was the aggressor much of the game, jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and consistently answering UNLV scores.

The Bengals were led by a massive performance from senior running back Dason Brooks, who carried the ball 18 times for 132 yards and two scores, while adding 38 yards on three catches.

Cooke was equally effective for much of the game, completing 30 of 50 pass attempts for 380 yards and one touchdown. He added 15 yards and a score on one reception, but a pair of picks ended two late Bengal possessions prematurely.

Receiver Ian Duarte led the Bengals with 105 yards on six catches, one of which for a touchdown. Wideout Michael Shulikov added 72 yards on three catches and was on the passing end of ISU’s first touchdown of the season — a screen double-pass, which he threw back to Cooke for a 15-yard score to give the Bengals a 10-0 lead in the first.

In its first game under new coordinator Grant Duff, the ISU defense stifled the Rebel offense early.

UNLV put together a successful first drive, going 66 yards on seven plays before the Bengals forced and recovered a fumble in the endzone for a touchback.

Duff’s defense held UNLV to 232 passing yards. But speed in the running game was their weakness as Rebel running back Jai’Den Thomas turned 10 totes into 147 yards. He scored three touchdowns on the ground — one from 39 yards out and another for 70 yards.

Head coach Cody Hawkins and his squad will look to repeat the many positives and limit the few mistakes next week, when they visit Southern Utah University.