UNLV has won four straight games. But this season Barry Odom’s team has been in the headlines for their controversy with their starting quarterback, Matthew Sluka, who has left the team mid-season over an NIL dispute. However, his absence did not affect them much, and they still dominated Fresno State and secured their fourth start victory, 59-14. This Saturday, the Rebels are going to play a very critical game against well-rested Syracuse at their home ground at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. However, the question remains: can UNLV maintain their winning streak or will Syracuse Orange look for their second back-to-back win in 2024?

Fans who cannot attend the game live in the stadium, don’t get disheartened as you can enjoy the game back home with your family and friends. Don’t forget to tune in at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1 and catch all the live action. You can also watch the game via live stream on platforms like Fubo and Slink, but regional restrictions may apply.

After Matthew Sluka announced his decision, head coach Barry Odom handed over the responsibility to Hajj-Malik Williams. Williams took the golden opportunity and displayed an impressive performance in their last game against Fresno State. His presence has not only boosted their team’s morale but with his contribution, their offense is looking much stronger.

On the other hand, Syracuse Orange’s are looking for their fourth victory. Quarterback Kyle McCord has been incredibly impressive; he has appeared in all four games this season, competed for 1,459 passing yards, and scored 14 passing touchdowns. Syracuse faced Holy Cross in their fourth week; it looked like they stepped onto their field with clear intentions to dominate; their aggressive gameplay helped them to register a 42-14 win.

But let’s move the clock back a little bit and see how things unfolded after Matthew Sluka decided to leave mid-season.

Fan backlash and Urban Meyer’s take on Matthew Sluka

Sluka started his college football career with Holy Cross, and he decided to join the Rebels in 2024. But who thought his first season with the new team would hamper his college career? On September 23, Matthew Sluka discussed his concern over the NIL deal with offensive coordinator Brennan Marion before practice. He mentioned that he hasn’t received the exact money for NIL his agent has claimed. In conversation with Marion, he firmly stated that he would not play for the rest of the season and keep his final year of eligibility.

The next day he went straight to head coach Barry Odom and shared the same news, which made Odom very angry. And the reason was their back-to-back victories; UNLV has got their best score in 40 years. The big chaos was created because Matthew and the team did not have the written contract. The quarterback and the team had not signed any papers. According to the player’s father and his agent, UNLV committed to paying him $100K.

As soon as the news broke out, fans started calling Sluka a quitter. Meanwhile, many analysts, college football insiders, and media outlets took a stand for the player. Urban Meyer, a former sports commentator and coach, joined the debate and slammed the quarterback for abandoning the team mid-season over payout. He said, “Yeah, come on, those aren’t winning. Those aren’t winning. Those are losing. But listen here, like this is, this is crazy right now? What’s going on? Like, you can’t expect to tell a player to transfer from his school and not leave him to the compensation that you promised you’re going to give him. But at the same time, that’s what’s wrong with this thing. There’s no contract. It’s just a handshake. It’s on a promise.”

Not just Meyer, but former NFL legend Mark Ingram acknowledged Sluka and his family’s right to feel disappointed, as he said, “Like this is just crazy right now, at the same time, like you can’t expect a player to go play. You’re not giving him what you said you were to give him. But at the same time, as a player, I don’t know how you three and Oh, four and Oh, lead your conference, leading your division, and shoot, you just quit on your guys.”

Though Matthew Sluka has made a bitter exit from UNLV, how do you think that UNLV will fare against Syracuse in the upcoming matchup? Let us know your thoughts.