LAS VEGAS — Doug Brumfield ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more and Aidan Robbins rushed for 227 yards and three scores, leading UNLV to a 58-27 rout of North Texas on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
Brumfield was 21-for-27 passing for 211 yards and and he ran for 100 yards.
His scoring passes were 23 yards to Kyle Williams and 9 yards to Ricky White. Brumfield’s TD runs were for 29 and 8 yards.
Robbins, a graduate transfer from Louisville, has seven touchdowns — six rushing — through three games. His 227 yards Saturday, which featured a 59-yard burst, ranks eighth in UNLV single-game history.
Robbins had 29 carries, with his TD runs covering 1, 2 and 33 yards.
The Rebels (2-1) had 365 yards rushing and outgained the Mean Green (2-2) 576-467.
The Rebels had several long plays on offense, but their defense also made important plays.
Three times the unit made stops on fourth-down attempts, turning all three into touchdown drives, including a 99-yard march in the final quarter. North Texas did convert on one of its fourth-down attempts.
Those explosive offensive plays and key defensive stops generated enthusiasm in the announced crowd of 19,623. The response was appreciated, coach Marcus Arroyo said.
“It’s awesome to get our fan base excited and gassed up,” he said. “It’s been an awesome first couple weeks on getting engaged and excited about the brand of football that we are playing.
“It’s a big deal for us, it fuels us to come in here and make this place hard to play in — that’s what we’re trying to push for. “
North Texas quarterback Austin Aune was 17-for-29 passing for 305 yards, two scores and two interception.
UNLV led 23-20 at halftime. Brumfield ran 8 yards for a touchdown that gave the Rebels a 10-point lead midway through the third quarter before UNLV secured the win in the final quarter with Robbins’ third touchdown, Brumfield’s 9-yard pass to Ricky White that completed a 99-yard drive and Cameron Oliver’s 20-yard interception return for a TD.
Kaylon Horton had a 99-yard kickoff return for North Texas’ first points.