Ten wins should seem like a milestone, but UNLV was more frustrated after Tuesday night in Frisco. In a 17–10 loss that seemed closer than it actually was, the Rebels never found their offensive rhythm against Ohio, producing just 281 yards and waiting until the fourth quarter to finally reach the end zone. When it was all over, the UNLV QB’s blunt assessment revealed why this one stung so much.

“Yeah, no, it hurts,” Colandrea didn’t sugarcoat it and definitely didn’t hand Ohio any credit after the Frisco Bowl. “You always want on the last one. Especially since we don’t play till next August, so no. I think Ohio didn’t really beat us today. We really beat ourselves. The offense we got in the red zone, we just couldn’t score, and that starts with me.”

That honesty sits awkwardly against the reality of the game. With 184 passing yards, no touchdowns, an interception that ended a late first-half drive, and a stat line that didn’t resemble a Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. This was possibly Colandrea’s worst performance of the year.

Even though they punched it in on fourth down, the Rebels essentially ran into themselves on a third-and-goal play. It was an embarrassing moment. UNLV had its chances, highlighted by the interception in the end zone before halftime, the botched punt that didn’t yield much, and the halted drives that ended a 35-game streak of scoring 20-plus points.

Still, Colandrea has been accountable and consistently devoted throughout the season. Even with portal money flying around, he reaffirmed his commitment to UNLV.

“I’m not transferring,” Colandrea said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here. I just want to play in the (bowl game) and finish out the year with the guys.”

Anthony Colandrea wasn’t running from the execution, discipline, and decision-making flaws that the Frisco Bowl highlighted. They belonged to him. And occasionally, that’s the most obvious indication that a QB understands how painful a defeat like this should be. That same sense of accountability echoed from HC Dan Mullen.

Dan Mullen owns up to costly mistakes

Dan Mullen didn’t try to hide the fact that it wasn’t how a great first season was meant to wind down. Mullen admitted how the night may have turned out differently with an early lead and pointed directly to the red zone, with stalled drives and missed chances.

“We made to the red zone, you want to, you know, you get to obviously get to score,” Mullen said. “Playing with the lead probably changes the style of the game. You know the mistakes we made. The critical errors would be turnovers, whether it be the penalties when penalties occurred at the critical times, pushing us back in the long down situations, or giving them first downs to keep drives alive.

“Letting them play with the leave, control the tempo, and you can see it, and it’s pretty simple. You both teams had under 60 plays in the game, so you give them credit for being able to control that and we’re not going to be able to win. I didn’t do a good enough job of preparing us to get us ready.”

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Mullen linked the defeat decisively to preparation. “That’s on me,” he stated, stressing that a team’s performance shows how prepared they are to play. The Rebels’ head coach’s tone remained positive despite quarterback Anthony Colandrea’s poor performance by his standards. Jai’Den Thomas led the rushing game with just 51 yards, and Jaden Bradley topped the receivers at 62 yards, but Mullen portrayed the offense’s poor performance as a collective failure.

Still, the loss didn’t erase what the season meant to him. He spoke about how much this group rekindled his passion for coaching. UNLV may have finished 10–4, but the head coach is staying, Colandrea is returning, and the foundation is clearly in place.