UNLV QB Hajj-Malik Williams shines vs. Fresno State, proves Rebels will be just fine without Matthew Sluka

UNLV's new starting quarterback looked great in his debut start for the Rebels

Why wouldn't UNLV's collective find $100,000 to keep starting quarterback Matthew Sluka happy amid the program's first 3-0 start since 1984? Hajj-Malik Williams provided the answer on Saturday.

In UNLV's first game since an NIL dispute made it the talk of college football, Williams showed that the Rebels may be just fine without Sluka. The newly minted UNLV starter passed for three touchdowns and ran for another while guiding UNLV to an 59-14 win over Fresno State.

The outcome cemented UNLV as the team to beat in the Group of Five, and the manner of victory suggested the Rebels' College Football Playoff aspirations are just as real with Williams at QB as they were with Sluka. While the Rebels' defense and special teams did plenty to help, the offense rose to new heights

To be clear, Fresno State's passing defense is a wreck. But UNLV's passing offense had also been a wreck during the season's first three games, and it looked much smoother with Williams leading the offense.

Williams, a senior transfer from Campbell, completed 13 of 16 passes for 182 yards without sacrificing any of the dynamic running ability that made Sluka effective. (Williams totaled 119 yards on 12 carries in the runaway win.)

UNLV's first score came on a six-yard Williams touchdown run. He later connected on touchdown passes of 12, 17 and 15 yards while while averaging 11.4 yards per attempt. By comparison, Sluka averaged 6.6 yards per attempt in his three games and did most of his damage as a runner.

If UNLV assistant coaches were writing checks that the school's collective was unable or unwilling to cash, that's a problem. The Rebels aren't off the hook for whatever role they may have played in the Sluka saga, and they will likely have some questions to answer in recruiting

But if you were waiting for on-field repercussions, they may not be coming. In fact, Sluka may have done the Rebels a favor. Eventually, UNLV was going to pay the price for playing an ineffective passer at quarterback. The Rebels play at Syracuse next week and still face No. 25 Boise State.

They needed to get more dynamic offensively if they want to win the Mountain West. Sluka left them with no choice but to get more dynamic now instead of kicking the can down the road.

UNLV's Ricky White entered the season as college football's leading returning receiver after racking up a school-record 1,483 yards last season, but he'd made just 10 receptions for 126 yards through three games. Against Fresno State, he tallied 10 receptions for 127 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Suddenly, you can't load the box against UNLV's run game and dare the Rebels to throw. 

Williams proved he can air it out, and he proved that UNLV should be just fine during his tenure at quarterback.