Ault bothered by shaky offense despite 27-20 win
Head coach Chris Ault was not impressed with sophomore quarterback Nick Graziano’s play entering the fourth quarter of Nevada’s 27-20 win over UNLV Saturday.
Graziano had completed just 12 of 28 passes and thrown an interception, and the team hadn’t scored since Graziano’s 90-yard touchdown pass to Mike McCoy in the first quarter
“I was very, very, very disgusted with that offense in the third quarter,” Ault said. “We had some nice passing lanes open. I thought Graz was just really sporadic in some really key situations and you could feel it on the sideline. We lost momentum and confidence.”
But when the game was on the line, Graziano performed.
With the game tied at 13, he engineered a 65-yard drive down the field that culminated with a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior Adam Bishop.
When UNLV responded with a touchdown of its own to tie the game again with only 1:02 remaining, Graziano took Nevada 65 yards in five plays, hitting a wide open Kyle Sammons for a game-winning 43-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining.
“It was pretty impressive scoring in under two minutes,” Graziano said. “It’s always a great feeling as a quarterback to lead your team down the field.”
Graziano credited the offensive line with giving him time to find Sammons.
“I sat back there for a long time,” Graziano said. “I didn’t have any pressure on me and I was able to throw it how I need to throw it and everything else is history now. It goes to show that the line really stepped up their play in the fourth quarter and was pass protecting how they can.”
For the game, Graziano threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 31 yards.
Ault said despite his harsh words about Graziano, which included calling his play “very, very average,” he was pleased with the young quarterback’s composure at the end of the game.
“Now don’t get me wrong, for three quarters I’ll be right in his ear, but that last quarter it all comes back to you,” Ault said. “He found a way to get it done. He was very comfortable and confident and if we had to go into overtime he was ready and I felt real good about that if that were the case.”
In the fourth quarter Graziano completed eight of 10 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
Earlier in the game Graziano had trouble with his consistency, throwing occasional pin-point passes such as the gem to McCoy but also overthrowing the ball frequently and forcing Nevada to punt.
“We’ve got to settle ourselves down as a whole offense,” Graziano said of what needs to improve. “Me personally, getting more accuracy with my balls because they were flying around today.”
He said not being relaxed hurt him in the first three quarters.
“Just not being calm, just having too much adrenaline,” Graziano said. “As a quarterback you want to get amped up but you got to remember that the basics come down to fundamentals and being able to deliver the ball where you need to.”
Ault said he’s critical of Graziano’s play because he knows how good he can be.
“I’m being hard, but he’s a better player than what you saw today and we’re counting on him,” Ault said.
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