Colorado St. 48, UNLV 23

10/20/2007 11:48 PM

LAS VEGAS (AP) -Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns and the Rams snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 48-23 win over UNLV on Saturday night.

The game featured wind gusts of more than 50 mph that littered the field with debris, sent most of the announced 19,266 fans home early and caused a few unusual plays.

A second quarter kickoff by Colorado State's Jason Smith got caught in the wind and was recovered by the Rams on their 48-yard line, only 13 yards from where the ball was kicked.

The Rams (1-6, 1-3) forced four first-half turnovers and scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 24-3 halftime lead. Darryl Williams returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown and Johnson scored from 4 yards out with 25 seconds left in the quarter to help the Rams win for the first time in 378 days.

UNLV (2-6, 1-3) tried to rally late. Frank Summers capped a seven play, 80-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run to trim Colorado State's lead to 27-17 with 11:23 to play.

But Damon Morton returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards into UNLV territory and caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Hanie on the first play from scrimmage to extend the lead back to three possessions.

Colorado State padded its lead in the final minutes. With UNLV driving, reserve safety Zac Bryson intercepted an Omar Clayton pass and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. Also, Mike Myers had a 22-yard scoring run for the Rams with 12 seconds to play.