Memphis Rallies to Beat UNLV 27-21, Gives Charles Huff Winning Debut

Charles Huff became the first Memphis head coach to win a road debut game Saturday night, as the Tigers rallied past UNLV 27-21 in a high-profile Week 0 matchup at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Memphis, playing as a road underdog, scored the final 13 points of the contest to hand the reigning Mountain West runner-up its first loss of the 2026 season.

Quarterback Marcus Stokes, a former Division II standout who earned the starting nod over South Carolina transfer Air Noland, threw for two touchdowns and showed particular resilience under pressure. Each of the three times UNLV found the end zone, Stokes led Memphis to an answering touchdown in under four minutes. The scoring summary reflected that pattern: the Tigers tied the game twice before taking control for good late in the fourth quarter, capping the comeback with a 32-yard Philippe Laforge field goal and a 36-yard Laforge field goal to push the lead to 27-21.

UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold, an Auburn transfer, finished 25-of-37 for 291 yards and two passing touchdowns, and also led the Rebels on the ground with 54 yards on 21 carries. But Memphis' defensive line made Arnold's night miserable when it mattered most. The Tigers recorded six total sacks, four of them in the final seven minutes. Defensive end Elijah Kinsler led the way with 2.5 sacks, while defensive tackles Taylor Burton and Jaden McKinney combined to stop UNLV on a critical fourth-and-7 from the Memphis 18-yard line with approximately six minutes remaining and the Rebels trailing by six. The Tigers also held All-Mountain West running back Jai'Den Thomas to just 12 carries for 44 yards.

We're a fourth quarter program. That starts in January. When everybody else is just tag-touching a cone and feeling really good about themselves, we're taking them into the deep water. That's our process. We plan to win the game in the fourth quarter because we work harder than a lot of other teams.

— Charles Huff, Memphis head coach

Memphis also stifled UNLV on third down, holding the Rebels to a 3-of-15 conversion rate. Huff arrived from Southern Miss in December and brought with him 17 transfers from his previous program, along with a nearly overhauled roster. The victory came amid widespread uncertainty about how quickly the new-look Tigers would gel.

This was a national statement. Not just about the score and not just about the game. But that the Memphis Tiger community is serious about this program and the direction this program is going.

— Charles Huff, Memphis head coach

Memphis improves to 1-0 on the young season while UNLV falls to 0-1. The Tigers return home to begin conference play, while the Rebels look to regroup after squandering a third-quarter touchdown lead on their home field.