Hajj-Malik Williams throws 2 TDs passes to help No. 24 UNLV beat Cal 24-13 in the LA Bowl

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Despite losing its starting quarterback after three games and head coach 10 days ago, UNLV had its best season in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The 24th-ranked Rebels picked up their 11th win and first bowl victory in 24 years Wednesday night when they pulled away in the second half and beat California 24-13 in the LA Bowl.

“This is exactly how we wanted to finish it. I mean, not many people can say they got 11 wins in a season,” said linebacker Jackson Woodard, who the Defensive MVP of the game.

Hajj-Malik Williams passed for two touchdowns and Kylin James ran for another for the 11-3 Rebels, who won for the first time in a bowl game since beating Arkansas in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl. It also gave the Rebels 11 wins for the first time as an FBS program.

Del Alexander, an assistant when UNLV last won a bowl game, was the interim head coach after Barry Odom departed for Purdue on Dec. 8.

“It means a lot. I've done this so many times that it is a big deal for the players to experience. For them to feel it and get the reward and establish the legacy, it's important for them,” Alexander said.

Dan Mullen, who will take over UNLV's program next season after being hired last Thursday, was in attendance.

Cal (6-7), which hasn’t had a winning season since 2019, was missing quarterback Fernando Mendoza and leading wide receiver Nyziah Hunter, after both entered the transfer portal.

UNLV took a 7-3 lead during the first quarter when Williams connected with Kayden McGee for a 49-yard touchdown strike. The freshman got behind Cal’s secondary on a post pattern, caught the ball at the 13 and easily ran into the end zone for his first collegiate TD.

The Rebels went back on top 14-10 early in the second quarter as Jacob De Jesus took a shovel pass 12 yards and then did a backflip after scoring. The touchdown came a play after a successful fake punt when Marshall Nichols lobbed the ball to Cameron Oliver for a 52-yard gain to the Cal 9.

“My head was in the clouds and (special teams) coach (James) Shilbest said, `Hey, you want to run it?’ I mean, I didn’t figure out where the ball was and I said, go. I’ve seen it every day in practice for a year or two years,” Alexander said. "I think I was facing the wrong way, but I saw it go and said ‘OK, good.’”

De Jesus, the game's Offensive MVP, also had a 38-yard punt return during the fourth quarter to set up a field goal by Caden Chittenden.

UNLV had a 14-13 lead at halftime but extended its lead to eight with 2:13 remaining in the third quarter when James went 23 yards up the middle. The Rebels regained possession after Jett Elad recovered the ball after Cal quarterback EJ Caminong fumbled on a lateral.

Williams was 5 of 18 for 96 yards while Jai'Den Thomas had 18 carries for 72 yards.

Williams took over as UNLV's starting QB when Matthew Sluka left the program after three games because of a name, image and likeness dispute.

CJ Harris got his first start at Cal and completed 13 of 20 passes for 109 yards in 2 1/2 quarters of action before being injured. Caminong went the rest of the way and was 6 of 19 for 57 yards.

Jayden Ott rushed for 84 yards on 11 carries.

The Golden Bears' lone touchdown came with 19 seconds remaining in the first quarter when Josiah Martin went 29 yards on a reverse to give Cal a short-lived 10-7 advantage.

Cal had a chance to take the lead before halftime. It had second-and-goal at the UNLV 1 before Martin lost 2 yards on a run and Harris was sacked for a 9-yard loss, leaving them to settle for Ryan Coe's second field goal.

“The game came down to the fake punt they got a score off of, we had the ball at the 2-yard line and couldn’t quite get it in the end zone,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “We, unfortunately, had a turnover that turned into a touchdown. Missed field goal. … But, obviously, the fake punt was a tough one, so really unfortunate that we couldn’t quite get that done.”

Cal: The Golden Bears got into UNLV territory only once on their eight second half drives.

UNLV: The victory should also mean the Rebels will be ranked in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time. A Mountain West team has won three of the four LA Bowls.

Both teams are slated to open the 2025 season on the road on Aug. 30. UNLV will be at Sam Houston State and Cal faces former Pac-12 foe Oregon State.

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UNLV celebrates after the team's win against California during the LA Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

UNLV running back Darrien Jones, left, and defensive back Devin Hartsuck celebrate after the team's win against California during the LA Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski holds up the LA Bowl belt after UNLV's victory over California during the LA Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

UNLV interim head coach Del Alexander is dunked after the team's victory against California during the LA Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

California quarterback CJ Harris, left, stiff arms UNLV linebacker Marsel McDuffie during the first half of the LA Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said workers at seven Amazon facilities will begin a strike on Thursday morning, an effort by the union to pressure the e-commerce company for a labor agreement during a key shopping period.

The Teamsters say the workers, who authorized strikes in the past few days, are joining the picket line after Amazon ignored a Dec. 15 deadline the union set for contract negotiations. Amazon says it doesn’t expect an impact on its operations during what the union calls the largest strike against the company in U.S. history.

The Teamsters say they represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 1.5 million people Amazon employs in its warehouses and corporate offices.

At one warehouse, located in New York City’s Staten Island borough, thousands of workers who voted for the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and have since affiliated with the Teamsters. At the other facilities, employees - including many delivery drivers - have unionized with them by demonstrating majority support but without holding government-administered elections.

The strikes happening Thursday are taking place at one Amazon warehouse in San Francisco, California, and six delivery stations in southern California, New York City; Atlanta, Georgia, and Skokie, Illinois, according to the union’s announcement. Amazon workers at the other facilities are “prepared to join,” the union said.

“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.

The Seattle-based online retailer has been seeking to re-do the election that led to the union victory at the warehouse on Staten Island, which the Teamsters now represent. In the process, the company has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.

Meanwhile, Amazon says the delivery drivers, which the Teamsters have organized for more than a year, are not its employees. Under its business model, the drivers work for third-party business, called Delivery Service Partners, who drop off millions of packages to customers everyday.

“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement.

The Teamsters have argued Amazon essentially controls everything the drivers do and should be classified as an employer. Some U.S. labor regulators have sided with the union in filings made before the NLRB. In September, Amazon boosted pay for the drivers amid the growing pressure.

FILE - Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien, center, rallies with Amazon workers outside the Staten Island Amazon facility JFK8, June 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/ Stefan Jeremiah, File)