LAS VEGAS — Phillip Payne made a leaping grab in the end zone with 36 seconds left to lift Nevada-Las Vegas to a 34-33 victory over Hawai‘i tonight in Sam Boyd Stadium.

A crowd of 29,717 watched the non-conference football game. Both teams are now 2-1.
After the Warriors took a 33-28 lead on Alex Green’s 2-yard run with 5:27 left, the Rebels drove 67 yards in 14 plays.
From the 15, Omar Clayton lofted a high pass to the right corner of the end zone. Payne, a 6-foot-3 wideout, had a 6-inch height advantage over cornerback Tank Hopkins, who was in single coverage. Payne soared to make the catch, with both cleats landing in bounds.
The Rebels’ two-point try failed.
The Warriors’ frenetic last drive was unsuccessful, with Greg Alexander’s Hail Mary pass falling incomplete in the end zone as time expired.
The Warriors ended their 12-day road trip 1-1 and 2-1 overall.
Down 28-27, the Warriors drove 59 yards to take a 33-28 lead.
The final 2 yards came on Green’s run off a trap play. The Warriors had advanced to the 2 when cornerback Mike Grant was called for pass interference while defending wideout Rodney Bradley in the end zone.
The Warriors were unsuccessful in their two-point attempt.
UNLV had taken a 28-27 lead with 8:53 to play when Clayton scored on a 11-yard draw play Kyle Watson kicked the point after.
Clayton showed no ill effects of a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The Warriors took a 27-21 lead on Alexander’s 23-yard scoring pass to Greg Salas with 11:34 remaining.
It was Salas’ second scoring catch of the game, and it came after the Rebels had taken a 21-20 lead on Clayton’s 7-yard pass to Payne on the same alley-oop pass that resulted in the game winner.
Alexander and slotback Kealoha Pilares had record-setting performances in the first half to boost the Warriors to a 20-14 lead.
Alexander, who was named the Western Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week the past Monday, made a strong bid to defend that title. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 333 first-half yards.
Twelve completions went to Pilares, who also set a personal best with 143 first-half receiving yards. While Pilares did not score a touchdown in the first two quarters, he drew defenders away from left wideout Bradley and left slotback Salas, both of whom had long scoring plays.
It was a remarkable effort for Pilares, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms before the game. But Pilares apparently found that the best remedy was to be fed a steady diet of screen and swing passes.
The Warriors settled for a 3-0 lead after driving to the 2 on their opening possession. But two passes to Salas were deflected in the end zone. Scott Enos then booted a field goal from 20 yards.
The Rebels went ahead, 7-3, when backup quarterback Mike Clausen faked a handoff, then scooted 2 yards into the end zone with 4:12 left in the first quarter.
But the Warriors struck back. Alexander was flushed from the pocket and rolled to his right, then threw to a wide-open Salas at the UNLV 38. Salas raced the rest of the way to complete a 54-yard scoring play.
Later, the Warriors advanced to the UNLV 39. Alexander eluded another pass rush and threw to Bradley, who had sneaked behind strong safety Chris Jones at the 12. Bradley sprinted his way to a 17-7 UH lead.
But two ensuing UH mistakes enabled the Rebels to close to 17-14.
UNLV quarterback Clayton was stopped for a 3-yard loss, setting up what should have been a third-and-long situation. But defensive tackle Tuika Tufaga was called for taunting, a personal foul punishable by 15 yards.
Two plays later, Clayton threw high — and long — to Jerriman Robinson along the right sideline. Cornerback Lametrius Davis, playing the ball instead of the man, unsuccessfully tried to make a leaping deflection. The ball eluded Davis’ reach, and was caught by Robinson, who sprinted the remaining 12 yards to finish a 42-yard scoring play.
Enos’ 47-yard field, as time expired in the first half, extended UH’s lead to 20-14.
The Warriors, without injured defensive ends Fetaiagogo Fonoti and Paipai Falemalu, improvised with a three-man front, in which the left end played tackle and left tackle Vaughn Meatoga served as a nose guard. Blaze Soares served as a roving linebacker who often came up to the line of scrimmage as a pass-rusher.