Tag: Nevada

Oct 26, 2024; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Nevada Wolf Pack quarterback Chubba Purdy (13) gains yards against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the third quarter at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

Report: Brock Purdy’s brother, Chubba, staying at Nevada

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Nevada quarterback Chubba Purdy, the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, has withdrawn from the NCAA transfer portal and will remain with the Wolf Pack, On3 reported on Tuesday.

The younger Purdy, 23, had decided to enter the transfer portal last week. Before transferring to Nevada this year, he spent his first two seasons at Florida State and transferred to Nebraska for two more seasons. He also committed to San Jose State before changing course and transferring to Nevada.

Chubba Purdy played in seven games this season for the Wolf Pack (3-10), completing 18 of 25 passes for 239 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 60 yards on 13 carries.

Overall, Chubba Purdy — a former four-star high school prospect in Arizona — has 103 completions for 1,085 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions in 23 games. He also has 375 rushing yards and three scores on 86 attempts, plus two catches for 10 yards.

Nevada’s primary quarterback this season, Brendon Lewis, is a redshirt junior.

–Field Level Media

Nov 22, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; UNLV Rebels quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams (6) breaks a big gainer against the San Jose State Spartans during the third quarter at CEFCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

No. 22 UNLV controls its destiny when rival Nevada visits

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No. 22 UNLV can clinch its first 10-win season since 1984 when it faces Nevada in the Battle of the Fremont Cannon on Saturday in Las Vegas.

A win will also put the Rebels back in the Mountain West title game for the second straight season, giving them the opportunity for a rematch with Boise State.

UNLV (9-2, 5-1) enters with its highest AP and CFP poll ranking in program history following a 27-16 victory at San Jose State last week. They regained control of their own destiny with Fresno State’s 28-22 win over Colorado State on Saturday.

Colorado State had been unbeaten in conference play to that point and was in position to join Boise State in the Mountain West title game before last week’s loss.

“None of it matters if we don’t take care of business this week,” UNLV coach Barry Odom said. “That’s where our focus is and (we know) how important it is to win this rivalry game.

“It means a lot to me. It means a lot to our players. It means a lot to our organization, our fans, our donors, you know, the alumni and everything that goes into it. We know what this game means and we’re certainly excited to have the game at home.”

UNLV has lost to Syracuse and Boise State this season by a combined eight points. They’ve strung together an impressive resume, starting 4-0 with wins over Big 12 foes Houston and Kansas. The Rebels had to make a change at quarterback after the Kansas game owing to a highly publicized NIL dispute with then-starter Matthew Sluka.

Hajj-Malik Williams has emerged as one of the nation’s premier quarterbacks in the wake of Sluka’s departure. Williams has thrown for 1,567 yards and 15 touchdowns and is second on the team in rushing with 664 yards in eight starts this season.

Nevada coach Jeff Choate is one of many who believe UNLV improved at the position with Sluka’s departure.

“They present a lot of problems and it starts with (Williams),” Choate said. “I mean, it might have been addition by subtraction when the quarterback situation happened earlier in the year down there. (Williams) is a dynamic player. Really good off-schedule, runs the offense efficiently. The RPO style of offense was a really good fit for him.”

Ricky White will likely eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season on Saturday, needing 35 more yards to get there. White has 70 receptions and 10 touchdowns on the season. Jai’Den Thomas leads UNLV with 697 yards rushing after a 135-yard performance last week.

Nevada (3-9, 0-6) is seeking its first conference win, entering on a five-game losing streak. The Wolf Pack have come within three points in losses to Fresno State and Air Force, in addition to playing an impressive game against Boise in which they lost by seven as 24-point underdogs.

Their best win was a 42-37 upset of Oregon State on Oct. 12.

Choate is in his first season at the helm in Reno after a successful stint as Montana State’s head coach 2016-20. His first season at Nevada hasn’t been as positive but they’ve improved upon last season’s 2-10 finish.

It looks unbalanced on paper, but even newcomer Choate knows anything can happen in this rivalry series.

“Sometimes one team has an advantage for a while, but usually that pendulum shifts back and forth pretty consistently in this rivalry,” Choate said. “It’s a perfect rivalry from the standpoint of how different economically, geographically, all those things Northern and Southern Nevada are.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 1, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) warms up before the game against the San Diego State Aztecs at Albertsons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-Imagn Images

Nevada aims to slow Ashton Jeanty, No. 12 Boise State

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Ashton Jeanty leads the nation in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, but the Boise State star needs a huge performance Saturday night to assure his Heisman Trophy hopes don’t get derailed.

Jeanty will look to load up on yardage and create highlight-reel plays when the No. 12 Broncos host Nevada in Mountain West play at Boise, Idaho.

Boise State (7-1, 4-0 MW) needs to keep winning after being unveiled as the last team in the field per the initial rankings for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. The Broncos have an eye at landing a first-round bye. To do so, they have to be ranked higher than the lowest-ranked conference champion of the big four conferences, probably the Big 12.

Momentum is on the side of the Broncos, who are riding a six-game winning streak. Boise State’s lone blemish was a last-second 37-34 loss to Oregon on Sept. 7.

As for Jeanty, he moved into the favorite’s role for the Heisman after topping 200 rushing yards in three of his first six games. He also had 192 against then-No. 7 Oregon and 186 against Utah State.

However, things were tougher the past two weeks as both UNLV and San Diego State flooded the box with eight and nine defenders.

Jeanty averaged just 3.9 yards while gaining 128 yards on 33 carries in a 29-24 win at UNLV. Last weekend, he broke loose for 112 yards in the third quarter to end up with 149 yards on 31 carries in a 56-24 whipping of visiting San Diego State.

“Ashton is the best player in the country, so everybody’s whole game plan is to stop Ashton,” Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen said.

Jeanty is still averaging 8.0 yards per carries to go with 1,525 yards and 20 rushing scores. But he needs to approach his early-season output, when he averaged at least 10 yards per carry in four of the first five games.

Nevada (3-7, 0-4) ranks 80th in rushing defense at 156.4 yards allowed per game. Wolf Pack coach Jeff Choate didn’t reveal if his squad would stack the box with extra defenders, but he is mighty impressed with Jeanty.

“People bounce off of him. He’s a five-tool runner,” said Choate, a Boise State assistant from 2006-11. “This guy runs for power, he has good speed, he can blow the top off, he can make you miss, he’s a good blocker, and he’s a threat out of the backfield.

“This guy does it all. It’s rare you see a guy with this combination of skills. That’s what separates him and makes him a special player.”

Loading up the box to stop Jeanty backfired for San Diego State as Madsen established career highs of 307 yards and four touchdowns.

“That’s who he is,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said of Madsen. “‘Mad Dog’ is an elite competitor.”

Madsen has been efficient all season with 17 touchdown passes against two interceptions. He has completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,789 yards.

The Wolfpack have dropped three straight games after falling 38-21 to visiting Colorado State last week.

Quarterback Brendon Lewis stood out in defeat, passing for 252 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 109 yards and two scores.

Overall, Lewis has thrown 11 touchdown passes against five interceptions.

Nevada has averaged 18.3 points during its three-game slide, which would seem to make it tough to threaten a Boise State squad that ranks third nationally in scoring offense at 45.8 points per game and leads the nation with 4.75 sacks per game.

Choate can’t find many negatives with the Broncos.

“They are playing with a lot of confidence and should be in the (playoff) conversation,” Choate said.

The Broncos have won 17 of the past 19 meetings, but the Wolf Pack prevailed in their last visit to Boise, winning 41-31 on Oct. 2, 2021.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs the ball as Nevada Wolf Pack safety Kitan Crawford (4) defends during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Darius Taylor’s 3-TD day carries Minnesota over Nevada 27-0

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Darius Taylor rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns to lead Minnesota to a 27-0 nonconference home win over Nevada on Saturday.

Taylor also had a receiving touchdown and Max Brosmer went 16-of-26 passing for 191 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Golden Gophers (2-1).

Brendon Lewis went 15-of-23 passing for 114 yards with three interceptions for Nevada (1-3), which had just 172 yards of total offense and committed eight penalties for 89 yards.

In addition to picking off Lewis three times, Minnesota’s defense also collected four sacks.

Leading 6-0 in the second quarter, the Golden Gophers earned some separation with a pair of touchdowns.

First, Max Brosmer hit Taylor for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:03 left in the first half to give Minnesota a 13-0 lead.

The score came two plays after Minnesota’s Patrick Garwo III intercepted a pass and returned it to the Nevada 16-yard line.

Then Taylor scored on a 4-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds remaining until halftime to put Minnesota ahead 20-0.

The score capped off a 7-play, 69-yard drive that took only 1:23.

With 8:58 left in the third quarter, Taylor scored on an 80-yard touchdown run to give Minnesota a 27-0 lead.

Taylor broke through the Nevada front seven in the middle of the field, sprinted down the right sideline, then cut back across the field to the end zone.

Nevada put together a drive in the fourth quarter to the Minnesota 16-yard line, but it ended on an interception by Minnesota’s Ethan Robinson in the end zone off Lewis.

Minnesota took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of field goals by Dragan Kesich, one from 52 yards and another from 21.

Nevada had a chance to score in the second quarter after mounting an 11-play, 51-yard drive, but a 42-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

–Field Level Media

Aug 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer (16) throws the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota looks to spread ball around vs. Nevada

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Minnesota shut out Rhode Island last week, thanks in large part to a passing attack that used multiple targets, bringing the Golden Gophers to 1-1 for the season.

But for the Golden Gophers to surge past .500 and beyond, coach P.J. Fleck said his team must repeat that approach, starting Saturday against Nevada in Minneapolis.

“That’s going to have to be the key for us to have success,” Fleck said. “The ability to spread it around. … For this to work the best it can work, everybody has to be reliable.”

Following a disappointing opening loss to North Carolina, Minnesota saw its offense click against Rhode Island. Darius Taylor led the running game with 64 yards, while quarterback Max Brosmer completed 24 of 30 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Brosmer and his understudy, Drake Lindsey, connected with 12 different targets.

Plenty of defensive playmakers emerged for the Golden Gophers, too. Minnesota snagged three interceptions, with Jack Henderson taking his to the end zone for a 25-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

“We have a swarming defense that plays with legal football violence in everything that we do,” Fleck said. “And I think that’s been the message from Day 1 with our players, and they’ve responded really well in two games with that.”

In addition to staying sound in all three phases of the game, Nevada (1-2) must pare down a recent rash of penalties to stay afloat at Minnesota.

The Wolf Pack were penalized 14 times for 134 yards in last week’s 20-17 loss to Georgia Southern, including a pair of personal fouls on consecutive plays late in the opening half.

The sequence led to a Georgia Southern touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the second quarter.

“We’ve been walking that line,” Wolf Pack coach Jeff Choate said. “We crossed the line, and that was the first time it really hurt us. I think that lesson can now be learned in a really tangible way, and we can tighten the screws on them a little bit more because we have evidence, ‘Hey, this can cost us a game.’”

Quarterback Brendon Lewis passed and rushed for a touchdown against Georgia Southern while accounting for 368 yards of total offense, including 271 through the air.

Saturday will mark the first meeting between Nevada and Minnesota. The Wolf Pack are 2-5 against competition from the Big Ten and will aim to improve on a 27-0 loss at Iowa in 2022.

–Field Level Media

Nevada’s Brendon Lewis looks to run while taking on SMU at Mackay Stadium in Reno on Aug. 24, 2024.

SMU scores 16 points in fourth quarter, rallies past Nevada

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Preston Stone tossed a go-ahead 34-yard touchdown pass to RJ Maryland with 1:18 left as SMU scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally for a 29-24 victory over Nevada in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night at Reno, Nev.

Maryland had career bests of eight catches and 162 receiving yards for the Mustangs, who never led until the late scoring connection. Stone completed 17 of 30 passes for 254 yards, the TD and one interception for SMU.

LJ Johnson Jr. and Brashard Smith each rushed for a score for the Mustangs, who were playing their first game as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Brendon Lewis passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 77 yards for the Wolf Pack, who were 27 1/2-point underdogs after going 2-10 in each of the past two seasons.

Cortez Braham and Jace Henry caught touchdown passes and Savion Red rushed for a score for Nevada, which played its first game under new coach Jeff Choate.

SMU traveled 83 yards on nine plays for the game-winning score. Maryland had three catches for 67 yards on the drive.

Nevada’s advantage was 24-13 after Red ran into the end zone from the Mustangs 1 with 3:23 left in the third quarter.

SMU moved within 24-21 on Smith’s 4-yard TD run and Johnson’s two-point conversion run with 8:01 left in the game.

The Wolf Pack muffed the ensuing kickoff and were backed up at their own 1. On second down, SMU’s Jahfari Harvey dropped Red in the end zone for a safety to bring the Mustangs within one with 7:19 to play.

Earlier, SMU set up the Wolf Pack’s first touchdown with a high punt snap that ended up being a 30-yard loss. It was eventually fallen on by the Mustangs’ Jaden Milliner-Jones at his own 9-yard line with 2:25 left in the first quarter.

Three plays later, Nevada cashed in with Lewis’ 5-yard scoring pass to Henry with 1:07 remaining.

The Mustangs tied the score on Johnson’s 1-yard TD run with 12:57 left in the second quarter. Matthew Killam kicked a 36-yard field goal to give the Wolf Pack a 10-7 lead with 8:38 left in the first half before SMU’s Collin Rogers booted a career-long 52-yard field goal to knot the score with 4:12 remaining.

Lewis then threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Braham with nine seconds left in the half to give Nevada a 17-10 lead.

SMU moved within 17-13 after a 43-yard field goal by Rogers with 12:18 left in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Oct 20, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; SMU Mustangs quarterback Preston Stone (2) runs with the ball against the Temple Owls during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

SMU out to gain traction in opener at Nevada

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SMU moved up in status to the Atlantic Coast Conference and opens the season Saturday night when it visits downtrodden Nevada in Reno, Nev.

SMU finished off its 11 seasons in the American Athletic Conference with an 11-3 record in 2023, including 8-0 in conference play.

Last season’s gaudy record, combined with joining the ACC, has given the program its biggest push since the “Pony Express” era, when rushers Eric Dickerson and Craig James began an uprising that saw the Mustangs eventually win 10 or more games in four straight seasons (1981-84).

But everything was too wild during that time and multiple sanctions against SMU led to the program being shut down for two seasons (1987-88).

Now the Mustangs are back in the spotlight.

Quarterback Preston Stone passed for 3,197 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games last season before missing the final two due to a broken fibula. The Dallas native is well aware of SMU’s longstanding wish to match his long-ago success.

“Obviously, I didn’t live through the glory days,” Stone said. “But I’ve known about the Eric Dickerson, Craig James, (quarterback) Lance McIlhenney days since I was a little kid. It’s really cool how we’re making our way back to that.”

The Mustangs open against a Nevada squad coming off back-to-back 2-10 campaigns under the departed Ken Wilson.

Jeff Choate is the new coach after sharing defensive coordinator duties at Texas the past three seasons.

Choate’s lone head coaching experience came at FCS Montana State. He guided the Bobcats to a 28-22 record and two playoff appearances from 2016-19.

Now he’s attempting to revive a Wolf Pack program that lost 16 consecutive games before stunning San Diego State 6-0 last October.

The August quarterback battle never developed with Nebraska transfer Chubba Purdy — younger brother of Brock, the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback — unable to throw much due to a shoulder injury.

That helped incumbent Brandon Lewis hold on to the gig. He passed for 1,313 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games (10 starts) last season.

“I think there was a question mark maybe even within the locker room about, ‘Hey, how hard or is he preparing? How hard is he working?’” Choate told reporters of Lewis’ 2023 work habits. “There is no doubt that he was the hardest-working member of our football team this fall camp.”

The teams split six previous meetings. The most recent was SMU’s 45-10 rout in the 2009 Hawaii Bowl.

–Field Level Media

Feb 10, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; The BetMGM Sportsbook at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Record $185.6M wagered in Nevada on Super Bowl

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Bettors set a record by wagering $185.6 million on Sunday’s Super Bowl at Nevada’s sportsbooks.

Unaudited figures were released Tuesday for Kansas City’s 25-22 overtime win against San Francisco.

The amount eclipsed the state’s previous high for a Super Bowl, set in 2022, by nearly $6 million, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Nevada’s 182 sportsbooks recorded a $6.8 million win on the game, per the figures obtained by ESPN.

The Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII came in the first Super Bowl ever held in Las Vegas.

–Field Level Media

Oct 21, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; Nevada Wolf Pack head coach Ken Wilson looks on during the first half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Nevada fires longtime football coach Ken Wilson

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Nevada fired football coach Ken Wilson after two seasons — and back-to-back 2-10 records — at the helm of the Wolf Pack program.

“After an extensive review of the Nevada football program, I have decided to make a leadership change,” athletic director Stephanie Rempe said Friday in a news release. “I would like to thank Ken for his dedication and service to Nevada Athletics and to our student athletes. This is not a decision I take lightly, as I know the ripple effect on so many people with a decision like this. For more than two decades Ken and his family have been and will continue to be an integral part of this community and the Wolf Pack.”

Wilson, 59, spent 21 years on the Nevada staff as head coach (2022-23) and as an assistant (1989-98, 2004-12). In five of those seasons, he was the associate head coach and the defensive coordinator in four others.

During Wilson’s time on the coaching staff, the Wolf Pack were 162-105 with 11 bowl berths and nine conference titles.

Wilson also served as assistant athletic director for four years (1999-2003) with Nevada.

–Field Level Media

Nevada takes on Kansas at Mackay Stadium in Reno on Sept. 16, 2023.

Kansas holds off Nevada with help of Devin Neal’s 3 TDs

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Devin Neal rushed for three touchdowns, including the tiebreaking score in the fourth quarter, as Kansas survived Nevada’s surprising upset bid to earn a 31-24 nonconference win in Reno, Nev., on Saturday night.

Neal’s 3-yard run with 6:20 left in the game snapped a 24-24 deadlock and allowed the Jayhawks (3-0) to stay unbeaten. Jalon Daniels hit 21 of 27 passes for 298 yards, going 11-for-11 in the second half, as Kansas rolled up 441 total yards.

Quarterback Brendon Lewis completed 15 of 22 passes for 113 yards and rushed for two scores for the Wolf Pack (0-3), tying the game on a 2-yard run with 10:37 remaining in the fourth quarter. But on Nevada’s last chance to tie or win the game, Jamaal Bell was stopped for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-1 with 44 seconds remaining.

Neal finished with 89 yards on 17 attempts for Kansas, which also got a 1-yard touchdown run from Daniel Hishaw in the third quarter to take a 17-10 lead. Lewis tied it at 17 with a 6-yard scoring run with 3:33 left in the period, but the Jayhawks regained the seven-point advantage 33 seconds later on a 1-yard run by Neal.

Kansas entered the game as a 28-point favorite against an opponent that was outscored 99-20 in losing its first two games against USC and Idaho. But Nevada delivered its best effort despite being outgained decisively.

The Jayhawks opened the game with an impressive 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Neal’s 3-yard run up the middle at the 9:46 mark of the first quarter. But all Kansas managed for the first half’s remainder was a 44-yard field goal by Seth Keller with 8:55 left before the break.

The Wolf Pack got on the board 11 seconds into the second quarter when Brandon Talton made a 42-yard field goal. They put together their best drive to close the first half, going 78 yards on 10 plays and cashing in when Sean Dollars scored from the 3 with 29 seconds remaining for a 10-10 tie at the break.

–Field Level Media