Northern Illinois · W 31-24
7 tackles, 0.5 for loss
The other 7 games average 9 tackles. This one was 2 below.
Jake Pope
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Second year in the same secondary at UNLV. A game that shows it: 15 tackles against Air Force — Week 7, 2026.
70 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
70 tackles. 3 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 7 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 21-27vs Memphis | 13 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | W 21-6@ Hawai'i | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 6-44@ North Texas | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 38-10@ Akron | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 5 | W 39-31vs California | 8 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 13-7vs North Dakota State | 12 | 6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 31-41@ Air Force | 15 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 15 tackles |
| Wk 9 | W 31-24vs Northern Illinois | 7 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 70 | 30 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 |
Oct. 31 · W 31-24 vs Northern Illinois, play by play
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 3 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How UNLV’s defense played that day
Northern Illinois’s 10 drives: 6 stopped (1 takeaway) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 6 of 9.
A big game: 15 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 14 of his 15, sacks included.
A big game: 12 tackles.
8 tackles, including 1 more for loss. The pressure he forced on 4th and 5 ended California’s drive (downs).
Hurried the quarterback on 4th and 5. Fourth quarter, up 32-25. Ended California’s drive (downs).
5 tackles, including 2 passes broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
6 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 6, sacks included.
A big game: 13 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 14 for him; the box score credits 13.
Week 6 · 2026
W 13-7
0.5 tackles for loss · 12 tackles · 6 solo tackles
A close one, won by 6 at home.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +9 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
4%3 pass breakupsTackle volume
70tackles this seasonTFL rate
3%2 TFL70 tackles · 2 for loss · 3 pass breakups.
2 seasons under Dan Mullen, all run-leaning offenses — 15-7 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 10.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 7.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 9.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 7.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dan Mullen
Pass share
42.2%
218 pass / 298 run
Plays / game
64.5
8 games
Team sack rate
6.6%
258 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
70 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #55 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #11 of 42 Mountain West DBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 3 schools: Nick Saban, Kirby Smart and Dan Mullen.
