Pack defense holds Aggies
Nevada’s defense took a small step forward on Saturday and helped the team pull a 31-28 win over a winless Utah State Aggie team.After giving up 627 yards in the 69-67 four-overtime loss to Boise State last weekend, Nevada held Utah State to just 212 yards of total offense.
Most impressive was how it stopped Utah State’s final drive late in the fourth quarter.
Nevada was leading 31-28 with 3:47 to play when Utah State’s Kevin Robinson returned a kickoff 45 yards to the Nevada 39-yard line.
It looked as if Utah State was guaranteed a chance at a game-tying field goal, but the Wolf Pack defense held firm, pushing the Aggies back 16 yards on two consecutive sacks and forcing it to punt from its own 44.
Nevada’s offense held the ball for the remaining five minutes to seal the win.
“I was pleased that we came out,” Nevada coach Chris Ault said. “We played hard. Our defense played better. I expect us to continue to improve on both sides of the ball.”
The defense forced two turnovers. One was an interception by Ezra Butler in the first quarter and the other was a fumble by Utah State quarterback Leon Jackson that Wolf Pack linebacker Jerome Johnson got his hands on.
“I was pleased after playing Sunday night, four overtimes, and then five days later turning around to play a game,” Ault said.
However, the defense and special teams did have their share of mistakes.
In the second quarter, Utah State running back Derrvin Speight sprinted untouched through a huge gap in the defensive line for a 12-yard touchdown, and Kevin Robinson returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown.
“They did a nice job moving the ball around and kept our defense on its heels,” Ault said.
Nevada’s defense has been plagued with a tendency to give up big plays all season and is currently ranked 94th (out of 119) Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams.
It gives up an average of 433 yards per game and has given up more than 600 yards twice this season, to Nebraska and Boise State.
Utah State (0-7, 0-3) also could be a misleading measuring stick as its offense is the third worst in the country.
Still, Nevada held Utah State to 12 first downs and forced it to punt six times. In contrast, Boise State ran over Nevada’s defense, getting 30 first downs and was only forced to punt the ball once.
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on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 1:04 am and is filed under Football, Sports.
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