HONOLULU — Hajj-Malik Williams showcased his dual-threat capabilities by throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another, leading UNLV to a close 29-27 victory against Hawaii on Saturday evening.

The game’s outcome hung in the balance until Williams made a decisive 40-yard sprint to the Hawaii 15-yard line on a crucial third-and-3 play with just 1:09 left on the clock.

During the game, Williams completed 13 of his 27 passing attempts for a total of 175 yards while also rushing for 122 yards on 19 carries. The Runnin’ Rebels (7-2, 3-1 Mountain West Conference) also saw a notable performance from Jai’Don Thomas, who rushed for 109 yards on 16 carries, contributing to a significant 290 rushing yards by the team. Additionally, Ricky White III was a key target, making seven receptions for 128 yards.
UNLV took an early lead, scoring 10 unanswered points thanks to a 41-yard field goal by Caden Chittendon followed by Williams’ 23-yard touchdown run.
Hawaii (4-6, 2-3) responded swiftly, with quarterback Brayden Schager throwing a 74-yard touchdown pass to Dekel Crowdus just two plays later, trimming the Rebels’ advantage to three. A safety then extended UNLV’s lead to 12-7 as the first quarter came to a close.

At halftime, Hawaii managed to close the gap with a 41-yard field goal from Kansei Matsuzawa, reducing UNLV’s lead to just two points.
Chittendon’s 32-yard field goal early in the third quarter set UNLV’s lead at five points, only for Schager to respond with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Jonah Panoke, putting Hawaii in front at 17-15.
Williams then orchestrated a quick four-play drive to reclaim a five-point lead for the Runnin’ Rebels, connecting with White again for a 37-yard touchdown with 6:53 remaining. As the game reached its final moments, Matsuzawa’s 33-yard field goal brought Hawaii closer at 22-20 entering the fourth quarter.

In a critical stretch, Hawaii gained only three yards on two consecutive drives when they had the opportunity to take the lead, after which Thomas executed a 32-yard touchdown run, extending UNLV’s lead to two scores with 6:03 left.

Schager quickly responded with a five-yard touchdown pass to Panoke, bringing Hawaii back within two points just under two minutes later. Schager wrapped up the night with a total of 282 yards on 14 completions out of 35 attempts, along with one interception.