This post was updated Sept. 7 at 9:33 p.m.

LAS VEGAS — Testing luck in Sin City always seems to be a risk.

And the Bruins’ gamble did not end in their favor.

UCLA football (0-2) fell 30-23 to UNLV (3-0) on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in its first away game of the season. After a slow start to the game – recording just three points and 110 yards in the first half – a late-game surge was not enough to push the Bruins over the hill to tally their first win of the year.

“I’m frustrated because when you know that you can execute better than we were, put together two halves like I wish we had done, and the situation that we’re in the first half – we didn’t really help ourselves out,” said coach DeShaun Foster. “We came into the second half and finally started to execute, but it still wasn’t enough, just didn’t make enough plays.”

The Bruins dominated the field in the third quarter, racking up 144 yards of offense and maintaining possession for all but 58 seconds. However, in that time, the Bruins scored just 10 points after two stopped rushing attempts, and a penalty forced a field goal. The UCLA defense also picked up speed, holding UNLV to just 17 yards in the quarter.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava was one of two Bruins to record a touchdown – his first coming in the third quarter on a four-yard pass to freshman tight end Noah Fox-Flores after a passing interference penalty on UNLV gave UCLA a first down at the 10-yard line.

Iamaleava, who was reported as a top transfer in the 2025 spring portal, seemed to ride a bumpy road to find his footing in his Bruin debut against Utah. However, he looked to gain momentum and confidence after halftime, tossing an improved 255 yards on 70.7% completion alongside 59 rushing yards and a ground score in his second game donning the blue and gold.

“He’s somebody that … wants to make big plays,” Foster said. “He’s asking for the ball and asking to be put in certain situations, so I love when you have a quarterback that wants to put it on his shoulders and carry the team.”

The biggest miss of Iamaleava’s night was overthrowing redshirt junior tight end Jack Pedersen over the middle of the field, who was wide open in the end zone. The incompletion meant UCLA had to go for a field goal, forcing a try for a touchdown on the last offensive drive of the game.

And despite UCLA keeping it close, staying within one touchdown with 52 seconds on the clock, Iamaleava threw an interception to Rebel defensive back Aamaris Brown, stopping the Bruins’ march down the field and guaranteeing UNLV’s win.

Sophomore wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer also contributed to UCLA’s late-game surge, catching eight passes for 87 total yards, including a team-high 21-yard catch from Iamaleava.

But keeping up with the UNLV’s offense proved to be the biggest challenge, with the Rebels controlling the ball for 18 minutes and 46 seconds and recording three touchdowns in the first half. And a fourth-quarter touchdown off a 17-yard pass from quarterback Anthony Colandrea further cemented a UNLV victory.

“I just know we want to start better,” said redshirt senior defensive lineman Gary Smith III. “We came out in the second half, kept swinging. I’m just happy that we didn’t give up. That’s something to build off of. We just got to go back and make adjustments off the field.”

Colandrea’s nearly flawless performance paved the Rebels’ way to their third consecutive victory of the season. The Virginia transfer went 15-for-21 through the air and added three touchdowns to UNLV’s win.

Redshirt senior linebacker JonJon Vaughns and redshirt sophomore linebacker Isaiah Chisom led the Bruin defense with a combined 19 tackles, but their efforts were not enough to put a halt to UNLV’s winning momentum.

Both squads were quiet on the ground, with UCLA averaging 5.8 yards per rush, falling just above UNLV’s 4.6 yards per rush. But Colandrea’s steady and efficient throws were more than enough to record his program’s first win against UCLA in school history.

Colandrea seemed to connect throw after throw, recording all but one of his squad’s touchdowns and racking up 203 passing yards.

After a 43-10 wipeout to start its season, the Bruins added a second loss of the season and remain at the cellar of the Big Ten rankings.

“I think our discipline has to be there. They came out a little bit hungrier than us,” Iamaleava said. “We let the score, how the game was going affect our emotions. I think that caused some penalties, and we have to be better.”