The Nevada football team was overwhelmed in a 34-13 road loss to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Oct. 26. The Wolf Pack defense allowed 246 rush yards, giving up 6.3 yards per carry, while the offense struggled to find momentum after Savion Red, Nevada running back, was injured on the team’s second possession.
The Rainbow Warriors received the opening kickoff, and Brayden Schager, Hawaii quarterback, completed a short pass before running for seven yards to reach their 40-yard line. Landon Sims, Hawaii running back, then broke free from Nevada defenders, gaining 20 yards to bring Hawaii to Nevada’s 40.
Schager followed with a nine-yard run, and Sims added a 19-yard gain on the next play, setting Hawaii up at the one-yard line. A holding penalty briefly pushed them back, but a series of short runs culminated in a one-yard touchdown run by Schager, putting Hawaii up 7-0 with 10:10 left in the first.
Chubba Purdy, Nevada quarterback, led the Pack on their opening drive, moving the offense near midfield with a series of short plays. Purdy connected with Marcus Bellon, Nevada wide receiver, for a 16-yard completion, followed by a few short gains that brought Nevada to Hawaii’s 33-yard line.
Facing a fourth down after an incomplete pass, Nevada decided to go for it. On the attempt, Nalu Emerson, Hawaii linebacker, sacked Purdy, ending the drive and turning the ball over to the Rainbow Warriors.
Schager kept Hawaii’s offense moving with his legs. After a 17-yard pass to Jonah Panoke, Hawaii wide receiver, the Rainbow Warriors advanced to Nevada’s 29-yard line. Sims then broke free for an eight-yard gain, followed by a 10-yard run from Schager, who finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown, his second rushing score of the game. Hawaii extended its lead to 14-0 with 28 seconds left in the first quarter.
Multiple short plays carried Nevada down to the Hawaii 28-yard line. A third-down completion stopped right before the first down marker forced a 46-yard field goal attempt for Matthew Killam, Nevada kicker. The kick sailed wide, turning the football over to Hawaii once again.
Schager connected with Panoke on a 12-yard pass to reach Hawaii’s 40-yard line. After a few short gains, Hawaii faced fourth down at Nevada’s 40-yard line. Schager’s incomplete pass appeared to turn the ball over, but a face mask penalty on Nevada extended the drive, giving Hawaii a first down at Nevada’s 25. However, the momentum was cut short when Schager’s pass was intercepted by Michael Coats Jr., Nevada cornerback, turning the ball over to Nevada at their 14-yard line.
In need of a spark, AJ Bianco, Nevada quarterback, started the next drive. After a series of short runs, Bianco connected with Bellon on a 15-yard pass to reach the 40-yard line. After the two-minute warning, Bianco found Nathaneal Floyd, Nevada wide receiver, for a 19-yard gain, bringing the offense to Hawaii’s 41-yard line. However, the drive stalled with two incomplete passes and an incomplete pass on fourth down, turning the ball over to Hawaii on downs for the third time.
As time wound down in the half, Schager connected with Nick Cenacle, Hawaii wide receiver, on a 30-yard pass that positioned the Rainbow Warriors at Nevada’s 33-yard line. After a series of short runs, Hawaii set up for a 27-yard field goal, which they converted to take a 17-0 lead into halftime.
Looking for any signs of offense, the Pack came out swinging to start the second half. Purdy dropped back and launched a 63-yard bomb to Bellon, finding his way into the endzone for a touchdown, cutting the Rainbow Warriors lead to 17-7 with 14:29 in the third quarter.
Both teams traded punts before Hawaii took over at their 25-yard line. Schager kept his momentum, connecting with Cenacle for 16 yards and then with Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii wide receiver, for a 13-yard gain. A series of short plays moved the ball downfield, and two penalties—a targeting call on Chad Brown, Nevada cornerback, and a face mask on Kitan Crawford, Nevada cornerback—brought Hawaii to the nine-yard line. After a short run, Schager punched it in from three yards out for his third rushing touchdown, giving Hawaii a 24-7 lead with 1:57 remaining in the third.
The Pack was unable to muster any offense on their next possession, with Purdy being stuffed on a fourth down run attempt which gave Hawaii great field position at the Nevada 28-yard line. A short run and completion set up Schager for a six-yard touchdown run, the quarterback’s fourth, which extended Hawaii’s lead to 31-7 with 14:07 left in the game.
Nevada started their drive at the 35-yard line. Bianco quickly connected with Jaden Smith, Nevada wide receiver, for an 18-yard gain to Hawaii’s 49-yard line. Bianco gained two yards on a run, then completed a 20-yard pass to Caleb Ramseur, Nevada running back, setting up a third down at Hawaii’s 42-yard line.
Bianco found Bellon for a three-yard gain, securing a first down at the 39. He then connected with Oliver Stuart, Nevada tight end, for eight yards and ran for nine yards to the 16. He converted a fourth down with a three-yard rush to the 13 and finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Bellon. However, the two-point conversion failed, with Nevada trailing 31-13 with 8:43 in the game.
After recovering an onside kick, the Pack went back to work. Bianco completed a short pass to Smith before Purdy returned to the game. Purdy then connected with Cortez Braham Jr., Nevada wide receiver, for a 31-yard gain, but a fumble at the end of the play handed possession back to Hawaii.
Schager continued to burn the Nevada defense on the ground with a 46-yard run to end his night, as the Rainbow Warriors would kick a 30-yard field goal to hold a 34-13 lead with 2:43 in the fourth.
On their final possession, the Pack pushed for big plays, leading Purdy to throw an interception that allowed Hawaii to run out the clock, sealing a brutal 34-13 loss for Nevada.
Jeff Choate, Nevada’s head coach, admitted the team made too many critical errors.
“We got our heads handed to us,” Choate said. “There are several things that stood out. They not only won the time of possession, they outrushed us. Those two things are critical if we are going to have success. They dominated both of those categories and that was a problem for us.”
The Wolf Pack’s (3-6, 0-3) next challenge will come at home as they take on the Colorado State Rams (5-3, 3-0) at 5 p.m. on Nov. 2.
James Wolfgang Perez can be reached via email dominicgutierrez@unr.edu or via X @JamesWPerezUNR
