FRESNO, Calif. β The Fresno State football team defeated Nevada 20-17 at Valley Children's Stadium on Saturday night en route to its fifth-straight victory. Fresno State's defense produced four turnovers, leading to 17 points by the offense.
Fresno State improves to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Mountain West play.
How it Happened
Starting on offense, Fresno State saw two plays before E.J. Warner was intercepted on the opening drive. Nevada's offense took over early at the Fresno State 45-yard line. Just three plays later, the Wolf Pack turned the ball over on a deep pass toward the end zone that was picked off by Camryn Bracha.
Nevada gained possession of the ball after a quick four-play drive for the Bulldogs that ended with a 23-yard punt from Nick Verdugo. The Wolf Pack attempted to get on the board with a 49-yard field goal attempt that missed wide left and kept the scoreboard blank at the 7:35 mark in the first quarter.
The Wolf Pack defense held the Bulldogs off with another four-play drive before Nevada became the first to score with a 39-yard field goal with just under two minutes left in the half.
The second quarter opened with the Bulldogs turning the ball over on downs; however, Fresno State quickly got the ball back after a fumble recovery by Jahzon Jacks at the Nevada 31 yard line. The Bulldogs tied the game at three with a 21-yard field goal from Dylan Lynch with 9:46 left in the half.
The Bulldog defense took the field for only one play in the next drive as Fresno State intercepted the ball for the second time of the night. K'Vion Thunderbird intercepted the ball at the Nevada 29-yard line.
Warner carried the ball five yards in the opening play of the drive, and a holding penalty for the Wolf Pack gave the Bulldogs a first down. Warner connected with Josiah Freeman in the end zone for the first touchdown of the night, followed by a successful point after by Lynch to put the Bulldogs up 10-3 over Nevada.
Nevada carried the ball only nine yards on its next drive and punted the ball 46 yards, caught by Jordan Malau'ulu, but a holding penalty on the play placed the Bulldogs at their own 10-yard line.
Rayshon Luke opened the drive with an explosive 68-yard run. The Bulldogs advanced 10 more yards with a complete pass from Warner to Donelson. The Bulldogs found the end zone after a dominant run from Brandon Ramirez, but the play was nullified by another holding penalty. The Bulldogs had to settle for a field goal as Lynch hit from 38 yards out to put the Bulldogs up 13-3 with 3:19 left in the first half.
Fresno State's defense continued to keep the Wolf Pack at bay coming out of the two-minute timeout in the second quarter. Simeon Harris caught his second interception of the season and traveled four yards to put the Bulldogs at their own 34-yard line.
The Bulldogs capitalized on the possession and Warner completed three straight passes for a total of 31 yards. Fresno State took a timeout with 38 seconds left in the half. Warner connected with Freeman for the second time of the night for a touchdown pass of 24 yards, followed by a successful extra point from Lynch to close the half with a score of 20-3.
Nevada had the ball to open the second half with a loss of four yards on the opening play. The Bulldogs and Wolf Pack turned the ball over on downs back and forth through a majority of the quarter. With 5:35 on the clock, Nevada began the only scoring drive of the quarter that ended in a 15-yard touchdown pass and a successful point to put the Wolf Pack within 10. Nevada cut their deficit down to three early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown pass and extra point.
With momentum swinging in favor of Nevada, senior linebacker Jadon Pearson ended all hopes as he came up with back-to-back plays including a tackle for loss on third down. The Bulldog offense held on to the ball for the final eight minutes of the half, solidifying their fifth straight victory and second Mountain West win of the season with a final score of 20-17.
Up Next
Fresno State will travel to Fort Collins, Colo. to face Colorado State on Friday at 6 p.m. PT.