Keane throws 3 of his 4 TD passes in 3rd quarter, Fresno State holds on to beat UNLV 31-24

Updated Oct. 29, 2023 2:16 a.m. ET

Associated Press

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Mikey Keane threw three of his four touchdown passes in the third quarter to help Fresno State beat UNLV 31-24 Saturday night.

Keane threw a 31-yard scoring strike to Tim Grear Jr. to open the scoring before the Runnin' Rebels got a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Maiava to Ricky White, a 30-yard field goal by Jose Pizano and a 4-yard TD run by Jai’Den Thomas with 33 seconds left in the first half that made it 17-7.

The Bulldogs (7-1, 3-1 Mountain West) went three-and-out on the first drive of the second half but then scored on each of its remaining four third-quarter possessions. Keane hit Mac Dalena for a 2-yard touchdown and then Eric Brooks for a TD from 10-yards out to give Fresno State a four-point lead. Dylan Lynch added a 36-yard field goal before Keane threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Malik Sherod that made it 31-17 with 3 seconds left until the fourth quarter.

Maiava completed 21 of 35 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for UNLV (6-2, 3-1). White finished with seven receptions for 152 yards and two TDs.

Maiava threw a 15-yard TD pass to White with 12:22 remaining to make it 31-24 and then drove UNLV to the 8, where the Rebels had first-and-goal. After back-to-back incomplete passes by Maiava — the second of which was dropped in the end zone by a wide-open Senika McKie — before Levelle Bailey intercepted a pass to seal the win for Fresno State.

___ Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football