The Nevada Sagebrush

The Wolf Pack may have defeated Utah State 56-42 Saturday night at Mackay Stadium, but the mood in the locker room wasn’t filled with happiness. After playing one of its worst defensive halves of the season, there was little cause for celebration for the team.

“It was very quiet,” safety Doyle Miller said about the atmosphere in the lockerroom after the game. “That wasn’t a game we can play and win a championship. Obviously it was a win, but defensively we still have a lot of things we can make.”

In the first half, the Nevada defense played almost flawlessly, shutting out the Aggies as the Wolf Pack took a 35-0 lead into halftime. In the first two quarters, Nevada’s defense held Utah State to 98 yards of  total offense as the Aggies went 0-for-6 on third down conversions. The Wolf Pack offense went 4-for-4 in red zone scoring chances as Kaepernick had 125 pass yards and 102 rush yards at the break.

Backup quarterback Tyler Lantrip entered the game in the first quarter, scoring one rushing touchdown as it appeared Nevada would run away with the game.

“Offensively, I thought it was a nice rebound from the way the team played last game against Hawaii,” head coach Chris Ault said.

For the defense, however, it was a tale of two halves.

After shutting down Utah State’s offense in the first half, the second half turned into a scoring clinic as the teams combined for five touchdowns in the third quarter. The Aggies had 244 yards of total offense in the third quarter as Utah State had six pass plays of at least 15 yards.

Utah State scored on its first four possessions of the second half as the Aggies pulled to within 49-28 with 11:01 to go in the game.

The Aggies had 315 passing yards in the second half as Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

“Defensively speaking, I can’t think of another another time in my career that I’ve seen a group play a worse half of football,” Ault said.

The Aggies offense scored three touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters as Nevada saw its 35-point lead reduced to 14.

It was a stark contrast to the way the defense played in the first half, when the Wolf Pack held Utah State to seven first downs.

“(In the first half) we were playing as a team as a defense,” linebacker Kevin Grimes said. “We were making the plays we were supposed to and executing like we were supposed to.”

The second half, Utah State had 20 first downs and went a perfect 6-for-6 on third down conversions.

“If anything, it was a wake up call,” Grimes said. “We, obviously, are not where we are supposed to be. We have to practice harder than we ever practiced before and prep better than we ever prepped before.”

With the victory the Wolf Pack improved to 7-1 on the season and 2-1 in Western Athletic Conference play. Nevada is now bowl eligible.

The Wolf Pack begins a two-game road trip at Idaho on Nov. 6.

News and notes:

Running back Mike Ball injured his leg during a kick return in the third quarter. He did not return to the game.

The Wolf Pack scored more than 49 points for the fifth time this season and has scored at least 21 points in each of its eight games.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at leggen@nevadasagebrush.com.

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