Pack whacks ‘Dogs in Fresno
Fresno Calif., — Nevada coach Chris Ault understated Nevada’s success when he said the Wolf Pack ran the ball well Friday in the team’s 41-28 win at Fresno State.
Nevada ran the ball extremely well.
The Wolf Pack ran for 480 yards Friday against a weak Fresno State rush defense, ranked 106th in the nation coming into the game.
“We put up a lot of yards,” Ault said.
Sophomore running back Vai Taua, who recorded a career high 268 yards on the ground, led Nevada’s rush attack.
“My hats off to (Taua),” said Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who added 118 rush yards on 17 carries.
The Wolf Pack ran 61 times compared to 17 pass attempts.
“That was a big win for out football team,” Ault said.
Nevada’s win broke a four-game losing streak at Fresno State.
Nevada broke the losing streak with strong start to the game.The Wolf Pack jumped on the scoreboard first when Kaepernick led an option-read play into the endzone for a 16-yard touchdown scamper.
Fresno State answered after quarterback Tom Brandstater connected with wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu on a 23-yard pass with 1:05 left in the first quarter.
Nevada scored 10 more points before the half to go into the locker room up 17-7.
The Bulldogs scored first in the second half to pull within three points. Fresno State then got the ball back and drove into Nevada territory, looking to take its first lead of the game, when tight end Bear Pascoe coughed the ball up.
Nevada capitalized on the fumble.
Kaepernick found receiver Chris Wellington down the sideline for a 40-yard pass play, which started a drive capped by a two-yard Kaepernick run. Nevada scored again later in the third quarter to take a 31-14 lead.
“We only ran the ball 16 times,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. “We were playing catch up the whole time.”
Fresno State countered with a touchdown to pull within 10 points at 31-21, but the Wolf Pack extended the lead to 38-21 after a 28-yard run from Taua.
Fresno State followed with a A.J. Jefferson 92-yard kickoff return, but that was its final score of the game.
“It’s pretty easy when you are running behind those guys,” Taua said of his offensive linemen. “They’re the guys who deserve all the credit.”
Kaepernick also gave the credit to the Union, the offensive line’s nickname.
“Our offensive line just came out here and dominated in getting this win tonight,” Kaepernick said.
Nevada’s offensive line has been one of the keys to the Wolf Pack’s running success this year. Nevada is second in the nation in rush yards per game.
“We are a close group of guys,” Nevada offensive lineman Dominic Green said. “We just love to run the rock.”
The win moves the Wolf Pack into third place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with three games left in the season. Nevada will come home next week to battle San Jose State, the WAC’s second placed team, Nov. 15.
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