The Nevada football team secured a thrilling 42-37 home victory against the Oregon State Beavers on Oct. 12 as part of the university’s Sesquicentennial celebration. In a back-and-forth battle, the Wolf Pack offense racked up 353 rushing yards while the defense came up with four interceptions.
The Beavers received the opening kickoff and got off to a quick start. Gevani McCoy, Oregon State quarterback, connected on an 18-yard pass to Jermaine Terry II, Oregon State tight end, moving the offense close to midfield.
After a few short runs, Anthony Hankerson, Oregon State running back, broke free for a 28-yard carry down to Nevada’s three-yard line. Jacke Reichle, Oregon State running back, capped the drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Beavers a 7-0 lead with 10:48 left in the first.
In response, Nevada turned to its ground game. Brendon Lewis, Nevada quarterback, led the charge with a 19-yard scramble to midfield. After several short runs, Savion Red, Nevada running back, broke loose for a 33-yard touchdown. In under three minutes, the Wolf Pack tied the game 7-7 with 7:51 left in the first.
Oregon State’s offense stayed in rhythm, as Hankerson powered forward on an 18-yard run. McCoy then connected with Terry II for a 25-yard catch-and-run, putting the Beavers at Nevada’s 20-yard line. Another 10-yard completion from McCoy to Terry II, followed by a series of short runs, brought Oregon State near the goal line.
After three attempts to punch it in, McCoy dropped back on fourth down but was intercepted by Tori Daffin, Nevada cornerback, who returned it to Nevada’s 22-yard line.
With the sudden change in possession, the Wolf Pack methodically advanced downfield. Lewis and Red split medium-yardage carries, while an 11-yard trick-play pass to Chubba Purdy, Nevada quarterback, helped sustain the drive.
A 15-yard scramble by Lewis, followed by a few short runs, set up Red for a five-yard touchdown, giving Nevada a 14-7 lead with 10:44 left in the half.
After a tough series, the Beavers started with a few short-yardage runs before McCoy connected on a 30-yard catch-and-run to Jeremiah Noga, Oregon State wide receiver, advancing to the Nevada 39-yard line. Following a quick completion, Salahadin Allah, Oregon State running back, burst free for a 21-yard run to the four-yard line.
However, the Wolf Pack defense held strong, stuffing Hankerson on two attempts at the goal line and forcing an incompletion on third down, which led to a field goal. Nevada maintained a 14-10 lead with 5:53 left in the half.
With an opportunity to score before halftime, the Pack went to work. Patrick Garwo III, Nevada running back, shared carries with Red, pushing the Pack to the Oregon State 43-yard line. After a run for a loss, Lewis threw consecutive incompletions, setting up a field goal attempt by Matthew Killam, Nevada kicker.
However, on a trick play, the ball was flipped to Killam, who attempted to run for the first down but was tackled after gaining only one yard, turning the ball over to the Beavers at their 32-yard line with 1:43 left in the half.
As time winded down in the half, McCoy kickstarted the offense with a 16-yard scramble to midfield. He then connected with Noga for a 27-yard completion, setting up Hankerson, who broke free from tackles for an 18-yard touchdown run. This score allowed the Beavers to reclaim the lead at 17-14 with just 0:38 left in the half.
After running out the clock to close the half, the Pack ran two short-yardage carries before an incomplete pass from Lewis forced a punt, giving the ball back to the Beavers.
With momentum on their side, Hankerson opened the drive with a 12-yard run, and McCoy followed with a 37-yard pass to Trent Walker, Oregon State wide receiver, placing the Beavers at the 18-yard line.
On the next play, Walker caught a 10-yard pass, which set up an eight-yard touchdown run for Hankerson, extending the Beavers’ lead to 24-14 with 11:04 left in the third.
After allowing 17 points to slip past them, the Pack needed a response. Lewis and Red continued to carry the load, exchanging touches to midfield. A 22-yard quarterback run from Lewis set up the Pack at the Oregon State 22-yard line. Following three medium-yardage runs, Red scored on a seven-yard touchdown run—his third of the day—cutting Oregon State’s lead to 24-21 with 5:58 left in the third.
The Beavers capitalized on holding and pass interference penalties against the Pack, using short-yardage runs to advance to the Nevada 36-yard line. As McCoy dropped back to pass, Michael Coats Jr., Nevada cornerback, jumped the route and intercepted McCoy, marking the quarterback’s second interception of the night.
With momentum shifting, the Pack’s offense ignited with a 28-yard run from Red, followed by an 18-yard completion from Purdy to Lewis that advanced the Pack to the Oregon State 15-yard line. An eight-yard run from Lewis, followed by a six-yard touchdown run from Red—his fourth touchdown of the night—gave Nevada a 28-24 lead with 13:37 left in the game.
As pressure mounted for the Beavers, they leaned on the run, with Hankerson taking short-yardage runs to the 47-yard line. After an incompletion, McCoy dropped back to pass, but Kitan Crawford, Nevada cornerback, jumped the route and returned the interception 52 yards for a pick-six. This marked the Pack’s first defensive score of the season, increasing their lead to 35-24 with 10:43 left.
After allowing 21 unanswered points, McCoy returned to the game, completing multiple medium-yardage passes to move the Beavers downfield. Hankerson rumbled ahead for a 13-yard run to the one-yard line and then punched it in on his next carry for his third touchdown of the day. The Beavers’ two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Nevada with a 35-30 lead with 6:50 left in the game.
A surprise onside kick attempt caught the Pack off guard, with Noga recovering the ball and putting the Beavers’ offense back on the field at their 46-yard line. Despite the prime field position, Hankerson was stuffed on consecutive rushes, and McCoy was then sacked by Kris Ross, Nevada defensive lineman, for a loss of four yards, forcing a punt back to the Pack.
Nevada continued to pound the ground game, with Purdy taking off for an 18-yard run, setting up Lewis to evade the entire Oregon State defense en route to a 67-yard touchdown run. This extended the Pack’s lead to 42-30 with 3:57 left in the game.
With time running out, the Beavers moved quickly. The offense focused on short-yardage runs to reach midfield, setting up a 32-yard completion from McCoy to Terry II at the Nevada 3-yard line. McCoy then zipped a three-yard touchdown pass to Walker at the goal line, cutting the Pack’s lead to 42-37 with 1:57 left in the game.
Nevada ran three straight plays on their next possession, forcing Oregon State to use all their timeouts as they ran the clock down to 0:58.
In a last-ditch effort, the Beavers’ offense returned to the field. McCoy dropped back and completed a 24-yard pass to Walker, then connected on several medium-yardage passes out of bounds, pushing the Beavers to the Nevada 32-yard line. With seven seconds remaining, McCoy took a deep shot to the end zone but was intercepted again by Coats Jr., marking the quarterback’s fourth interception of the night. Nevada held on for a high-scoring 42-37 win over Oregon State.
Jeff Choate, Nevada’s head coach, recognized the importance this win meant for the program.
“You’ve got to have that payday sooner or later,” Choate said. “For them to continue to fight the way they did, down in that game and make plays defensively, it’s been a while since we’ve forced turnovers, and that was hugely impactful. Our offensive line and our runners went for almost 360 against a Pac-who team.”
The Wolf Pack’s (3-4, 0-1) next challenge comes at home on Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m., as they face the Fresno State Bulldogs (3-3, 1-1) in the university’s homecoming game.
James Wolfgang Perez can be reached via email at dominicgutierrez@unr.edu or via Twitter @JamesWPerezUNR
