The stands cleared out by halftime as the Fresno State Bulldogs held a hefty lead over the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Conference play started for Fresno State at home against the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Valley Children’s Stadium. The Bulldogs took a big win with a final score of 27-9. The win bumped them up one spot in the AFCA AP Coaches Poll. They now sit in the No. 24 spot.
One of the standout players of the game was Camryn Bracha, who had six total tackles, two of which were solo, 1.5 sacks and 1 breakup.
“My teammates before the game instilled their trust in me and that allowed me to trust myself,” Bracha said at the post-game press conference.
The opening drive went to Nevada after the coin toss in which they held onto the ball for over nine minutes but didn’t attack on the opportunity, not getting any points.
“They [Nevada] sustained drives and got in fourth and short, converted the fourth and shorts,” Head Coach Jeff Tedford said on Nevada’s performance.
Fresno State moved fast in the following drive, completing a touchdown and a field goal to make the score 7-0. Bulldog quarterback Mikey Keene completed a pass to Jaelen Gill, who sped past the Nevada defenders for 65 yards. Dylan Lynch then completed the field goal for the ‘Dogs.
Opening up the second quarter, Keene got sacked, giving Fresno State a loss of 17 yards. The favor was returned, as in the following minutes Fresno State sacked Nevada quarterbacks twice. Morice Norris Jr. took down Brendon Lewis and Kemari Munier-Bailey sacked AJ Bianco.
The ‘Dogs then added to the scoreboard as Malik Sherrod rushed down the middle for a gain of 72 yards and a touchdown. Lynch added to that by a field goal, extending their lead to 14-0.
It looked as if Nevada was going to score when Jamaal Bell ran for 90 yards and a touchdown on the kickoff return. The score was voided on a holding penalty by Nevada, pushing them back 10 yards and keeping the score the same.
The score remained the same going into halftime.
The ‘Dogs opened up the first drive of the second half of the game. They only earned 11 yards before Keene threw an interception into the hands of Wolf Pack player Emany Johnson.
Nevada started its short drive on the 27-yard line as they earned 1 yard and lost six before returning the ball back to Fresno State.
The Bulldogs made their way 30 yards back down the field and settled on the 48-yard line for a field goal. Lynch made the kick, giving Fresno State three more points for a score of 17-0.
The next drive for Nevada was quick as it got a 5-yard penalty for an illegal substitution and couldn’t get to the line.
Fresno State once again moved the ball down the field from the 22-yard line for 60 yards, with the majority of those brought in by wide receiver Erik Brooks.
The ‘Dogs got to the 40-yard line where Lynch once again completed a field, making the score 20-0.
The scoring didn’t stop there as the Bulldogs opened up the final quarter with a touchdown. Sherrod combined for 31 yards in that drive, while Gill put up 20 yards and got the touchdown. Lynch’s kick was good, making the score 27-0.
“The coaches gave me opportunities to go out there and trying to make the most out of it,” Gill said.
Nevada then went on another short drive until Norris Jr. got a pick from Wolf Pack quarterback Lewis, his first interception of his career.
“It’s a great feeling. It felt good against this team because last year I dropped like three in that game. So I wanted to surely get one this game,” Norris Jr. said.
The interceptions didn’t stop there as Carlton Johnson got his own during the eighth minute.
The next play Nevada was able to get on the scoreboard on a safety, giving them 2 points for a score of 27-2. They scored once again towards the end of the fourth quarter when Bianco threw a 19 yard pass to Spencer Curtis. That was followed up by a field goal from Wolf Pack kicker Brandon Talton.
The Bulldogs took the win 27-9 and improved to 5-0 overall, extending their game streak to 14 games. Fresno State will travel to Laramie next Saturday, Oct. 7, and face Wyoming. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
