UNIVERSITY of Nevada, Las Vegas star Ricky White III channeled his inner Randy Moss in the blowout 72-14 win over Utah Tech.

The Rebels wide receiver scored a touchdown on each of his first three catches in the first quarter of the Week 2 college football matchup.

Wide receiver Ricky White #11 of the UNLV Rebels gets ready for a play during a spring scrimmage at Allegiant Stadium on April 08, 2023


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Wide receiver Ricky White #11 of the UNLV Rebels gets ready for a play during a spring scrimmage at Allegiant Stadium on April 08, 2023Credit: Getty

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss (84) runs for a 56-yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 26, 1998
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Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss (84) runs for a 56-yard touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 26, 1998Credit: AP


UNLV running back Jai’Den Thomas opened the scoring with a 27-yard run three plays into the hosts’ opening drive.

Utah Tech quickly tied things up, courtesy of tight end Alec Burton’s 64-yard TD, which he recorded in just 57 seconds of play after the Bobcats offense took the field.

Then, the White Show began.

Rebels transfer quarterback Matthew Sluka’s three consecutive passes to the Georgia native landed in the receiver’s hands.

They resulted in a combined 67 yards and three scores with UNLV’s lead ballooning to 28-7 after the first 15 minutes.

The Sporting Tribune’s writers Kevin Kelly and Will Despart wrote his eruption gave White a “Randy Moss-esque statline.”

They referred to Minnesota Vikings legend Moss’ fabled Thanksgiving 1998 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.

In that game, the would-be Hall of Famer made only three catches.

They all went for touchdowns, though, and a total of 163 receiving yards.

White ended the Saturday matchup with five receptions for 111 yards.

The Rebels set their new single-game record for offensive yards with 695, beating the 671-yard mark the Rebels recorded against Idaho in 1977.

UNLV also came close to reaching the program’s highest-ever score from the 80-8 win over Idaho State in 2015.

College football top 25 rankings

BELOW are the top 25 rankings of college football’s best programs after Week 1

    Georgia (1-0)
    Ohio State (1-0)
    Texas (1-0)
    Alabama (1-0)

    Ole Miss (1-0)
    Oregon (1-0)
    Notre Dame (1-0)
    Penn State (1-0)
    Missouri (1-0)
    Michigan (1-0)
    Utah (1-0)
    Miami (1-0)
    USC (1-0)
    Tennessee (1-0)
    Oklahoma (1-0)
    Oklahoma State (1-0)
    Kansas State (1-0)
    LSU (0-1)
    Kansas (1-0)
    Arizona (1-0)
    Iowa (1-0)
    Louisville (1-0)
    Georgia Tech (2-0)
    North Carolina State (1-0)
    Clemson (0-1)

After the clash, White revealed the Rebels smelled blood in the lead-up to the Week 2 clash.

“We set a goal before the game of 70 points and we executed that,” the wideout said.

Meanwhile, UNLV coach Barry Odom said that getting the ball to White early on was part of the game plan.

“We were pretty direct with trying to feed him the ball,” Odom said.

“I thought that he wouldn’t play much in the second half, so I was trying to find a way to get him the ball early.”

“He’s one of the dynamic playmakers in college football.”

Odom rested his starters after heading for the halftime break with a 44-7 lead.

The dominant victory fired UNLV to 2-0 on the season.

The Rebels face Kansas on Friday, September 19, in Week 3.