After falling 49-36 to Kansas in the 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, UNLV will reflect on the defeat, but also on a successful season as a whole for the program.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!UNLV played 14 games this year, a first in the history of Rebels football.
Additionally, they finished third place in the Mountain West Conference with a 6-2 record and booked a ticket to the conference championship.
There, UNLV came up short against Boise State 44-20 on Nov. 25 in Las Vegas.
Either way, that defeat was not the conclusion of their season as they had one last ride in 2023, on the road to Phoenix.
When reflecting on this historic year, Rebels head coach Barry Odom stated that he was proud of his team’s continuous growth throughout its entirety.
“We set out to win the [Mountain West] Championship, but we didn’t get that done,” Odom said. “I thought the progress of the program was substantial in the ways than where we started when getting the job and started working together.”
Our @AlecCipollini asked @unlvfootball head coach Barry Odom about the season and what Rebels fans can look forward to next year. #BEaREBEL #GuaranteedRateBowl pic.twitter.com/JWVfOZtfsw
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) December 27, 2023
Building off the evolution of his squad, Odom revealed what is next for the Rebels.
“Where we go from here, the goal is to win championships,” Odom said. “We start school back the third week of January. Obviously recruiting will be hot and heavy before then and we will start the rebuild of the next team and every team is going to look different.”
UNLV won the most games in a single season since 1984 with nine and even though their last two results did not go in their favor, things are only looking up from here for their program.
Kansas Jayhawks defeat UNLV Rebels 49-36 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl
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Alec Cipollini is a reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
