Pack wins stats, loses game
Nevada safety Uche Anyanwu intercepts a pass in the first quarter of the Wolf Pack’s 35-19 loss Saturday to Texas Tech. Anyanwu was a key player on a Nevada defense that held the highly tauted Red Raider offense in check for most of the game.
Nevada’s tough 35-19 loss Saturday wasn’t made any easier after the team took a look at the box score sheet. At the end of the game, and especially after the first three quarters, the Wolf Pack dominated statistically in nearly every category.
After the third quarter, Nevada had 371 total yards to Texas Tech’s 230. It racked up 193 rushing yards to just 49 for the Red Raiders. Nevada had the ball for 30:16 to Tech’s 14:44, and they had held the vaunted passing game of the Red Raiders to just 181 yards. Despite all of this, the Wolf Pack entered the fourth quarter trailing 21-12.
In the fourth quarter Texas Tech evened out the stats a little bit, finishing with 421 yards to Nevada’s 488. Despite being in the driver’s seat statistically from start to finish, the Wolf Pack lacked in the category that mattered most: the win/loss department.
“Of course we should have won,” said senior defensive back Uche Anyanwu. “There’s no doubt in my mind we should have won.”
The rest of the team echoed Anyanwu’s thought.
“We should have had the win tonight, easily,” said sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
RED ZONE MISCUES
Much of Nevada’s heartache can be attributed to the offenses’ play in the red zone. The Wolf Pack converted only three-out-of-five times in the red zone, scoring no touchdowns.
Momentum shifted with 9:37 left in the third quarter when Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick apparently rammed his way into Texas Tech’s end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. Up 15-14, the Wolf Pack was contemplating whether or not to go for two, but the officials reviewed the play and determined that Kaepernick fumbled the ball before reaching the end zone, which was recovered by Texas Tech for a touchback.
“I thought I dropped the ball getting up,” Kaepernick said of his fumble.
Nevada head coach Chris Ault knows the team must finish its drives positively if it wants to compete with sixth-ranked Missouri next week.
“We were in the goal zone eight times, we had two missed field goals, one lost fumble in the endzone and one interception,” Ault said. “We have to score when we’re in the endzone.”
DEFENSIVE SECONDARY
Coming into Saturday’s game the consensus was that Texas Tech’s passing offense would be too much for Nevada’s shaky secondary.
Take away the 82-yard, catch-and-run touchdown Tech quarterback Graham Harrell threw to Michael Crabtree and the Wolf Pack secondary played exceptional. Aside from the long bomb, Nevada did not give up a touchdown and allowed only 215 passing yards to an offense that put up 536 passing yards last week. The Wolf Pack also intercepted two of Harrell’s passes.
“We can stop them and stop them and stop them, but the only thing the fans and the media see is the big play,” senior defensive back Uche Anyanwu said. “We just got to make the big plays.”
The Wolf Pack’s secondary will be put to the test again next week against another spread offense in the Missouri Tigers.
KICKING GAME MISCUES
Coach Chris Ault left little to the imagination when finding one aspect of his team to credit for this loss.
“I’m extremely disappointed in our kicking game,” Ault said. “If there’s a difference in this game, it’s the kick return and the onside kick.”
The kick return Ault referred to was an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown by Texas Tech receiver Eric Morris. On the play, Nevada senior Brian Fludd had a chance to tackle Morris immediately but was blocked in the back by a Texas Tech player. The play drew no call from the officials and the touchdown stood.
Ault also criticized place kicker Brett Jaekle for a poor onside kick.
“It only went eight-and-a-half yards,” Ault said. “We can’t have that.”
The surprise onside kick came with Texas Tech nursing a 14-12 lead with 6:40 left in the third quarter and momentum on Nevada’s side. The kick was recovered by Tech on Nevada’s 39-yard line. The Red Raiders went on to score a touchdown on that drive to go up 21-12, and never looked back.
Juan López can be reached at jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com
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