They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and former Florida Gator coach Dan Mullen almost had as poor a debut with UNLV as one could have drawn up.
Playing in front of a half-empty Allegiant Stadium against an FCS Idaho State squad that was 9th in the Big Sky in 2025, Mullen's Rebels pulled off a 38-31 win that had curious Gator fans going "I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending."
Dan Mullen survives UNLV debut
Very little seemed to go right for UNLV as they were dragged into the muck with an Idaho State team they were favored to beat by 30.5 points.
On UNLV's opening drive, the Rebels fumbled heading into the endzone. They also missed field goals of 30 and 41 yards on the afternoon. Despite racking up 538 yards of offense, UNLV only managed 38 points against the Bengals.
But it was the UNLV defense that looked all too familiar to the curious Gator fans who searched high and low to watch the game. Idaho State racked up 555 yards of offense, and the only thing that saved UNLV was four turnovers, including an inexplicable one Idaho State threw in the endzone.
UNLV also committed eight penalties for 90 yards.
There is a reason why Idaho State was winning in the 4th quarter.
At one point in the game, the UNLV analyst commented, "I'd like to see tighter coverage and better tackling from the UNLV defense."
Well, I'm afraid I've got some bad news...
Dan Mullen is the coach at UNLV and has spent the last three years in a TV studio because he refused to ever address a flawed defense that cost the Gators the 2020 national title (along with a thrown shoe).
Most Gator fans aren't going to make it appointment viewing to try and watch UNLV in 480p every week, but it has been the woe is me attitude of Mullen since getting fired by Florida that turned Week 0 into a watch party among Florida fans.