FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Penaltis lead to points, sixth loss
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Many things went wrong for the Nevada Wolf Pack Saturday in the 27-24 loss, but one of the most critical might have been the numerous penalties.
Nevada was hit with eight penalties in the game and four of those resulted in first downs for San Jose State.
Seniors Matt Hines and Paul Pratt got facemask penalties and Pratt also got called for pass interference. Senior Ezra Butler got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Butler’s penalty occurred on a 3rd-and-long play and led to a San Jose State field goal.
Pratt’s penalties, which occurred on two separate San Jose State drives, led to 10 Spartan points.
The pass interference call came on a 2nd-and-7 from Nevada’s own 28-yard line and led to a San Jose State field goal.
The facemask penalty was far more costly. It occurred on a 3rd-and-15 play and led to what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown for San Jose State, putting it up 27-24.
Pratt said the penalty should have been five yards instead of 15.
“I shouldn’t have had my hands in his face,” Pratt said. “I don’t think it was 15 yards (the penalty). I think I grazed him. You got to make sure you don’t give them anything to call and I gave them something to call.”
Nevada coach Chris Ault was not pleased.
“I think our defense, we just stuck ourselves so bad, just ridiculous penalties,” Ault said. “They just killed us.”
Onside Kicks
Both teams tried onside kicks in the first half of Saturday’s game and Nevada came out on the losing end of each one.
After going up 14-7, Ault made the call to try an onside kick and it ended in disaster.
Kicker Brett Jaekle struck the ball wrong and it didn’t go the required 10 yards, leading to San Jose State getting the ball on Nevada’s 39-yard line and scoring a field goal.
“It was wide open,” Ault said. “That might have turned the game around. We had worked on that. It would have been a critical play for us.”
After scoring the field goal to make the score 14-10, the Spartans tried an onside kick of its own and caught Nevada completely off guard.
The kick went 14 yards and San Jose State recovered it before it hit the ground.
Fortunately for Nevada, it forced the Spartans to punt on that possession.
Credit Given Where Due
Nevada’s Marko Mitchell had a great game Saturday, making four catches for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Both touchdowns came in the first half on long-pass plays.
The first was a 64-yard pass to Mitchell on the sideline, which he ran in unscathed for a touchdown.
The second was a 59-yard reception with one minute left in the first half that put Nevada up 21-10.
Colin Kaepernick was nearly sacked, but instead of running he kept looking upfield and found Mitchell open.
Green Hurt
Nevada senior center Dominic Green had to be helped off the field in the second quarter after injuring his left ankle.
He did not enter the game again, but was seen leaning on crutches on the sideline.
Ault said he didn’t know the extent of the injury.
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