Gilliam leads Bulldogs to 24-21 win at Nevada

RENO, Nev. (KSEE/KGPE) — The Fresno State football team snapped its two-game losing streak on Friday night in Reno, coming back from a halftime deficit to beat Nevada 24-21.

Senior running back Elijah Gilliam played a big part in the win, as he finished with 140 yards from scrimmage (74 receiving and 66 rushing), and two touchdowns.

Gilliam also had perhaps, the biggest play of the night, catching a 71-yard screen pass in the third quarter, that set up a go-ahead touchdown run from backup quarterback Joshua Wood three plays later.

The Fresno State defense shut out the Wolf Pack in the second half, led by senior linebacker Malachi Langley who finished with 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.

Special teams also played a significant role in the win, with the Bulldogs twice stopping Nevada’s punt unit from getting punts off. Punter Clay Lawrence also pinned the Wolf Pack inside its own 10 three times.

Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene went 13-of-20 for 190 yards with 1 interception. Keene helped seal the victory, when he gained two yards on a quarterback sneak on 4th-and-1 from the Nevada 46-yard line with 1:55 left in the game.

With the win, Fresno State moves to 4-3 overall, and 2-1 in the Mountain West.

Nevada falls to 3-5 overall, and 0-2 in the conference.

Fresno State returns home on Saturday, Oct. 26 to host San Jose State for Homecoming. Kickoff at Valley Children’s Stadium is set for 5 p.m.

At halftime, Bulldog great Ron Cox will be officially inducted into the Ring of Honor.

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