Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
No. 16 Fresno State Upset At Nevada, 38-35
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 26, 2005
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Robert Hubbard ran for 146 yards and three touchdowns and Jeff Rowe hit Nichiren Flowers with a 12-yard scoring pass with 1:29 remaining as Nevada upset No. 16 Fresno State 38-35 Saturday to claim at least a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.
Fresno's Paul Pinegar threw a 3-yard TD pass to Matt Rivera and then a 2-point pass to Joe Fernandez to make it 38-35 with 31 seconds left, but Nevada's Anthony Pudewell recovered an onside kick to secure the victory in a crazy finish played without the stadium clock the final 6 minutes.
Pinegar completed 30-of-45 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns a week after Fresno State put a scare into top-ranked USC before falling 50-42. The Bulldogs have already accepted an invitation to play in the Liberty Bowl.
Fernandez had nine catches for a career-record 150 yards.
Nevada (8-3, 7-1) got a pair of turnovers in the final 7 minutes to overcome 17 straight points in the second half by Fresno State (8-3, 6-1). The Bulldogs close the season next Friday hosting Louisiana Tech.
Boise State also finished its season 7-1 in the WAC, so if Fresno State wins its finale there will be a three-way tie atop the conference.
The victory snapped Fresno State's 12-game winning streak in the WAC and guaranteed the Wolf Pack a bowl berth in their first winning season since 1998.
Rowe completed 14-of-22 passes for 189 yards and B.J. Mitchell added 77 yards rushing for Nevada.
Hubbard scored on a 13-yard draw play to end a 17-0 run by the Bulldogs and put the Wolf Pack ahead 31-27 with 8:12 left.
Fresno State trailed by as much as 14 points late in the second quarter and didn't take its first lead until Pinegar lobbed a 3-yard TD pass to Paul Williams then hit Jamison for the 2-point conversion to make it 27-24 with 12:29 left in the game.
The Wolf Pack led 17-3 early and 24-10 late in the second quarter before Pinegar hit Jamison for a 20-yard touchdown 40 seconds before the half to cut it to 24-16.
Kyle Zimmerman missed that extra point, but made a 38-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to pull the Bulldogs to within 24-19.
Nevada scored on its first three possessions as Rowe completed seven of his first 10 attempts, opening a 17-3 lead on the second play of the second quarter when Hubbard ran 21 yards off tackle untouched into the end zone.
Fresno State responded with a 74-yard drive, including Pinegar's 30-yard pass to Fernandez at Nevada's 12 yard line and a 5-yard TD pass to Jamison on a fourth-and-3 to cut it to 17-10 in the second quarter.
Nevada responded with a 78-yard scoring drive, capped by Hubbard's 6-yard run around right end for his second touchdown and a 24-10 lead 6:29 before the half.
But on the last series of the quarter, Pinegar had five consecutive completions to Fernandez and Jamison, capped by the 20-yard scoring pass to Jamison to cut Nevada's halftime lead to 24-16.
Rowe led Nevada on a 97-yard drive for it's first touchdown. He hooked up with Sammons on a 52-yard pass play and threw 16 yards to Hubbard before running 10 yards around the right end himself, diving for the pylon for a 10-0 lead at 3:58 in the first quarter.
