Nevada will play an inconsistent Fresno State team Saturday. Fresno State got a 17-6 win over Louisiana Tech last weekend, in which the Bulldogs didn’t score in the first half, finished with just 262 total yards of offense and converted 6 of 22 third-down attempts.

The Fremont Cannon will stay blue for another year. With the game tied at 20-20 and only 27 seconds remaining, Nevada’s Nick Graziano found Kyle Sammons streaking down the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown that gave the Wolf Pack a 27-20 victory over the UNLV Rebels in front of a sold out house of 25,728 fans.

For many of Nevada’s seniors who redshirted their first season, this Saturday’s game against UNLV will mark the fifth time they have seen their team face the Rebels and the fourth time they have played in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon.

UNLV is led by freshman Travis Dixon, who beat out returning starter Rocky Hinds for the quarterback position.

With Nevada down 10-0 at the end of the first quarter Saturday against Nicholls State of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) and fans starting to seriously contemplate what an 0-3 start to the season would mean, senior tight end Adam Bishop stepped up to help ensure a Wolf Pack victory.

Nevada rushed for 333 yards against Nicholls State Saturday night, and more than half of those came from its backup running backs.

One year ago, Kyle Sammons was in a great position. The junior college transfer was coming off an impressive first year at Nevada where he tied for third on the team with 27 receptions for 375 receiving yards, including two touchdowns.

Nevada started the process of putting its painful losses to Nebraska and Northwestern behind it Saturday night, getting a convincing 52-17 win over Nicholls State, a Division I-AA school, in front of 15,233 fans at Mackay Stadium.

Intercepting a pass from a quarterback on a nationally ranked team and returning it 80 yards for a touchdown – in front of 81,078 fans at a hallowed place like Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium, no less – is the stuff most defenders start dreaming about in Pop Warner.

While the Nevada Volleyball team certainly doesn’t enjoy losing, especially on its home court where it was 11-3 last season, the mood after Friday’s season opening 3-0 loss to Pacific was surprisingly upbeat.

The Pacific Tigers (1-0) spoiled Nevada’s season opener Friday night, beating the Wolf Pack 3-0 at the Virginia Street Gym.

Last Thursday, red-shirt freshman Tony Maldonado found himself in an unfamiliar position. The former star quarterback from Reed High School and last year’s Northern 4A Region Player of the Year was lining up as a receiver rather than behind the center waiting for the snap.