Reno-Gazette Journal

Late score lifts SMU over Nevada in college football season opener

By Jim Krajewski, Reno Gazette Journal,

3 hours ago

Nevada was close to pulling off one of the biggest upsets in its football history.

But SMU woke up late and grabbed the lead for the first time with less than two minutes left

Instead the Wolf Pack, a 27.5-point underdog at the betting windows, had to settle for playing one of its best games in recent memory, as SMU took a 29-24 win on Saturday night at Mackay Stadium.

SMU quarterback Preston Stone found tight end RJ Maryland for the winning touchdown with one minute, 18 seconds remaining.

No Moral Victory

Nevada coach Jeff Choate said he hates the term "moral victory."

"I have a really hard time with moral victories. I have a really hard time with that," he said. "This was an opportunity early in my tenure for us to make statement and have a statement win. There's a lot of of disappointment we weren't able to make that happen. Not just for the young men in the locker room but for our staff and our fans."

The Pack tried to keep the Mustangs off balance in the first half with a variety of looks on defense, but SMU adjusted late in the game.

"That's what a championship team does, when their backs to the wall, they find ways to make plays," Choate said. "As the game wore on, they got a feel for what we were doing to their tempo."

Nevada linebacker Drue Watts said the loss will not define the Pack's season.

"We're not going to hang our hats on this game because we played a Top 25 offense in the nation," Watts said. "It just shows where we're at and how this team has improved and how we've taken those next steps from the past two years."

Watts said the Wolf Pack has a new attitude and will be a tough team in the Mountain West Conference.

"This is our new team. We're here. We're going to compete. We're going to fight in this conference," Watts said. "It's going to be a show every night. We're going to win some games. It's going to be a turnaround. Games are going to be exciting."

Ejection

SMU's Brandon Crossley was ejected in the third quarter for spitting on an opposing player, giving Nevada a first down.

The Pack had been preparing to punt before the ejection, facing a 4th-and-15. The Pack then went down and scored to take a 24-13 lead with 3:23 left in the third quarter. A pass interference call on the drive against SMU helped as it gave the Pack the ball at the 4-yard line.

SMU was whistled for 11 penalties for 125 yards while the Pack was called for 11 for 85 yards.

Nevada QB play

Nevada's Brendon Lewis matched his touchdown total from last season with his two TDs in Saturday's game.

Nevada led 17-19 at the half as Lewis was the Wolf Pack's leading rusher with 67 yards and was 7-of-12 passing for 67 yards and two touchdowns, to Jace Henry and Cortez Braham Jr.

Lewis finished with 77 yards, on 18 rushes. The Pack had 148 rushing yards as a team. He completed 14-of-26 passes for 132 yards and two TDs with no interceptions.

Braham said the pack took a step forward by playing tough all four quarters.

"The team we had last year would have given up," Braham said. "We fought all four quarters and that's something Coach Choate really honed in on."

Kickoff return

Ashton Hayes returned kickoffs for the Pack. But he had a costly error when he fumbled a kickoff in the end zone, then tried to recover it on the one-yard line and his knee hit the ground.

The Mustangs got a safety two plays later, to pull within one, 24-23.

Choate said the team had gone over kickoff protocols late in the fall camp.

"We went through exactly that scenario, and he had the right idea," Choate said.

He said Hayes forgot he could go back in the end zone for the touchback.