Nevada found its second loss on Saturday, Sept. 19 as they fell to the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
The game consisted of back-and-forth scoring, before Nevada fumbled the ball — literally — and could not respond to the Blue Raiders’ touchdown. The game ended 20-27.
The Wolf Pack looked good for most of the game. Sophomore running back Dominic Kelley scored a touchdown on their first possession, which had me hoping for a game like the 49-14 demolition of Western Kentucky in the season opener. Of course, we could not be that lucky, and the Blue Raiders scored on their next drive.
The defense also looked strong early, holding Middle Tennessee on their next couple of possessions. The back-and-forth continued as both teams scored a field goal to close off the first half 10-10.
The second half is where it all went downhill for Nevada, with their opening play being a fumble by sophomore quarterback Carter Jones. This resulted in a touchdown by Middle Tennessee, who took the lead for the first time.
The Wolf Pack quickly recovered with a touchdown bringing the score to 17-17. Despite the touchdown, Jones continued to struggle throwing an interception, yet Middle Tennessee failed to score off of the mistake, ending the third quarter.
Nevada took the lead in the fourth quarter with a field goal, but the Blue Raiders responded by scoring a field goal of their own. After, Jones fumbled the ball again, resulting in a Middle Tennessee touchdown and sealing Nevada’s second loss of the season.
Overall, Nevada played okay. I think it is safe to say the anticipated comeback of Carter Jones after his injury watch last game was underwhelming. Going into the game favored by ~3.5 points, this game was more than winnable.
It is the silly, not-so-little mistakes, like a fumble or an interception, that should not be happening three times in one half. These mistakes, especially late in the game, are jeopardizing this team’s chances. We saw it last week as well, ending with three interceptions and a fumble against Montana State.
The game being away and across time zones may have also affected the team. The lack of a rowdy crowd of students and supporters yelling “you can’t do that” every time the opposing team gets penalized can bring morale down.
Freshman Darby Kelleher describes the atmosphere at Mackey Stadium as “very uplifting, very positive with a lot of standing and a lot of people cheering and being enthusiastic.” Not having that home field advantage for the first time this season could have contributed to the loss.
Nevada is now tied for fifth in the Mountain West with a 1-2 overall and 0-0 conference record.
Their first Mountain West game will be in Mackay Stadium on Saturday Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. against the Air Force Falcons. Air Force is the favorite by ~4.5 points. I’m questioning if the little mistakes will continue, or if Nevada can pull off the upset at home.
