1986 UNLV Rebels football team

1986 UNLV Rebels football
Conference	Pacific Coast Athletic Association
Record	6–5 (3–4 PCAA)
Head coach	Wayne Nunnely (1st season)
Home stadium	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl
Seasons ←  1985 1987  →

1986 Pacific Coast Athletic Association football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
San Jose State $	7	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Fresno State	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Long Beach State	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
UNLV	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Utah State	3	–	4	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Pacific (CA)	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Cal State Fullerton	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	9	–	0
New Mexico State	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1986 UNLV Rebels football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Wayne Nunnely, the Rebels compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 3–4 in conference play, tying for fourth place in the PCAA. The team played home games at the Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Whitney, Nevada.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Washington State *	Martin Stadium Pullman, WA	L 14–34	17,000	[1]
September 13	Portland State *	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	W 51–14	12,561	[2]
September 20	Wisconsin *	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	W 17–7	32,207	[3]
September 27	Cal State Fullerton	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	W 40–23	20,101	[4]
October 11	at Pacific (CA)	Pacific Memorial Stadium Stockton, CA	L 15–21	11,500	[5]
October 18	San Jose State	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	L 20–23	17,522	[6]
October 25	at Utah State	Romney Stadium Logan, UT	L 6–7	11,270	[7]
November 1	North Texas State *	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	W 27–26	12,131	[8]
November 6	Fresno State	Sam Boyd Silver Bowl Whitney, NV	L 7–36	8,940	[9]
November 15	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	W 58–42	9,283	[10]
November 22	at Long Beach State	Veterans Memorial Stadium Long Beach, CA	W 31–8	5,197	[11]
*Non-conference game

^{[12] [13]}

References

1. "Cougars open with 34–14 victory over UNLV". Tri-City Herald. September 7, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "UNLV crushes Portland State". Corvallis Gazette-Times. September 14, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Rebels run to win over Wisconsin Badgers". The Oshkosh Northwestern. September 21, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Titans start with hope but finish with just another loss to UNLV". The Los Angeles Times. September 28, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Pacific bounces back with win". The Modesto Bee. October 12, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Olivarez kicks late field goal to give SJS another win". The Peninsula Times Tribune. October 19, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Touchdown pass, PAT enough for USU". The Daily Herald. October 26, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "UNLV comes back to beat North Texas State, 27–26". Reno Gazette-Journal. November 2, 1986. Retrieved October 30, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Fresno St. wins; Bulldogs roll late to get past UNLV 36–7 for eighth victory". Austin American-Statesman. November 7, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Guess what? Aggies lose". Alamogordo Daily News. November 16, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Long Beach St. falls in last game to UNLV". The Daily Breeze. November 23, 1986. Retrieved April 20, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "1986 UNLV Rebels Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
13. "UNLV 2020 Football Guide" (PDF). University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 2020. p. 129. Retrieved December 20, 2020.