'Dogs fall on late touchdown to Nevada

Saturday, November 23

Fresno, CA

7:30 PM PT

Fresno State

4-7 , 2-5

Nevada

7-4 , 4-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Nevada

Fresno State

Photo by: Keith Kountz/Fresno St

'Dogs fall on late touchdown to Nevada

11/23/2019 11:59:00 PM | Football

Box Score Jeff Tedford Postgame Press Conference Fresno State-Nevada Postgame Notes Fresno State - Nevada Postgame Quotes Photo Gallery (Keith Kountz)Photo Gallery (Kiel Maddox)

By: Fresno State Athletic Communications

FRESNO, Calif. – In a game that featured three multi-score runs, Nevada's Toa Taua scored with 12 seconds remaining in the game capping a streak of 21 straight points to give the Wolf Pack a 35-28 win on Saturday night at Bulldog Stadium.

Nevada scored the game's first 14 points, Fresno State followed with 28-straight points of its own, taking a 28-14 lead with 10:20 remaining in the third quarter. That would be the Bulldogs' final points before Nevada mounted its comeback.

The Wolf Pack outgained the Bulldogs 408-331 in total yards. Nevada did most of its damage on the ground, running for 254 yards on 34 carries while the Bulldogs totaled just 53 rushing yards on 25 carries.

The Bulldogs did their damage in the air as Jorge Reyna finished the game 27-of-37 passing for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Ronnie Rivers led all receivers with seven receptions for 88 yards and a score. Justin Rice paced the defense with 12 stops while Mykal Walker added 11 and forced a fumble. Along with nine tackles, eight solo, Evan Williams had a hand in both of the Bulldogs takeaways, recovering a fumble and forcing a fumble.

How It Happened
Nevada opened the scoring with its first possession. The Wolf Pack used three minutes to score as Carson Strong hit Elijah Cooks for a 29-yard catch-and-run to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive. After the Bulldogs failed to convert on fourth-and-3 from the Nevada 37-yard line on their first drive, the Wolf Pack proceeded to move the ball 63 yards in nine plays to double its lead, 14-0, with 2:14 on the clock in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs had a quick answer to cut the deficit in half. Reyna started with an 18-yard pass to Keric Wheatfall. Two plays later, the quarterback used his legs to scamper up field for 19 yards. Reyna then found Ronnie Rivers over the top of the defense for a 34-yard touchdown pass with 41 seconds remaining in the quarter. The score started a string of four-straight possessions with a touchdown for the Bulldogs.

On the ensuing Nevada drive, Mykal Walker jarred a ball loose and Williams pounced on it at the Fresno State 44-yard line. Reyna converted a crucial third-and-8 to set up first-and-goal with his legs, but was temporarily knocked out of the game taking a violent hit along the sideline. The Bulldogs were set back due to a penalty, but that didn't deter Ben Wooldridge from stepping under center and tossing a 17-yard touchdown to Keric Wheatfall in the corner of the end zone to level the game, 14-14, with 7:27 remaining in the half. A Wolf Pack fumble on the following kickoff return turned into a short field for Fresno State, putting them in position to take the lead. Renya returned to the game, and on the fifth play of the drive, connected with Emoryie Edwards for a 12-yard score to give Fresno State a 21-14 lead going into the half.

Like Nevada did to open the first half, the Bulldogs did the same to open the second, marching down the field with the aid of three plays over 20 yards. On the ninth play of the drive, Reyna tossed a three-yard touchdown to Derrion Grim to double the Bulldogs' advantage, 28-14. The Wolf Pack would respond, set up by a 51-yard run by Devonte Lee that ended with a five-yard pitch-and-catch from Strong to Romeo Doubs.

Following a pair of three-and-outs, Reyna was picked off by Lawson Hall, setting the Wolf Pack up at the Bulldogs' 34-yard line. On third-and-1 from the 25-yard line, Lee broke loose through the middle for a touchdown to tie the game, 28-28, with 1:49 left in the third.

With 56 points scored through three quarters, neither team could find the end zone until the final seconds. Following a three-and-out from the Bulldogs after starting at their own 3-yard line, Fresno State's punt was returned by Nevada's Ben Putman to the Bulldogs' 25-yard line. Four plays later, the Wolf Pack scored its go-ahead touchdown with 12 seconds left in regulation to complete the comeback win.

Notable

Fresno State was eliminated from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. The Bulldogs went to six bowl games from 2010-19.
Fresno State entered the game having started seven true freshmen, which ranked tied for the third-most in all of the FBS this year. Freshman wide receiver Josh Kelly made his first start, marking the eighth Bulldog freshman to start in 2019.
For the first time since 1999, the team that lost the turnover battle won the game between Fresno State and Nevada.
For the eighth time in 39 full seasons of football at Bulldog Stadium, Fresno State finished the season below .500.
Fresno State was held under 100 yards rushing for the second consecutive game. It was the fourth time this season the Bulldogs were held under 100 yards rushing (0-4).
Reyna was 16-of-19 for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the first half; he finished the game 27-of-37 for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Rivers recorded a 34-yard touchdown reception. It matched his career-high for a long reception set last season versus Wyoming. It was his third receiving touchdown of the season and seventh career.
Rivers has found the endzone in seven-straight games, which is every Mountain West contest this season.
Wooldridge, appearing in the absence of Reyna being injured, tossed a touchdown pass on his first career attempt – a 17-yard pass to Wheatfall – Wheatfall's first career touchdown score. It was the only snap in the game Reyna missed.
Wooldridge and Reyna share the same story. Both quarterbacks, on their first career pass attempts, tossed a touchdown pass. Reyna threw a 33-yard touchdown to Grim in the 2018 season opener against Idaho.
Ja. Rice became the all-time leader in program history in receiving yards for a tight end, surpassing Bear Pascoe. Rice is up to 1,317 yards. Pascoe's record was 1,294.
Ju. Rice recorded double-digit tackles for the eighth time in 11 games this season.

Quotable
Jeff Tedford, Fresno State head coach
On Senior Night…
"It's like I told those guys, I feel bad that we weren't able to come away with the victory on Senior Night. They have been a part of a lot of great times in that stadium and those are the things they should remember. We had a lot of close games this year, but we haven't found a way to win. The class and integrity that our team plays with and is all about every day is something that I am really proud of. We weren't able to pull things out on certain games this year. But, you can't look at one game and say that it wasn't competitive. Our kids competed every down. It is unfortunate that we go away from here with a loss tonight, but these kids have meant a lot to this program. They have invested a lot of time and energy. They have had a lot of success over the last few years. They have a lot of great memories. Tonight isn't one of them obviously, but they can hang their heads on some positive things."

On bowl eligibility being off the table and having one last conference game…
"We will take a look at it tomorrow. I think it is still really important to try to end the season with a victory. It isn't about experimenting. Now, it's about sending these guys off with a positive memory of winning the last game against a rival."

On the Red Wave…
"Everyone is disappointed. Everyone wants to be champions. Sometimes there are transition periods that go into programs, but I appreciate all of their support. It seemed like there was a good crowd tonight to honor the seniors. We want to make everyone proud – our fans, our students, our university, and our alumni. That's part of what we try to get done. I think there is one thing that nobody can ever say and that is that our kids don't play hard. There were a lot of close games this year that didn't go our way, so there are some growing pains there. This program will not go away. There is a lot of very young and talented kids here and we will continue to work hard to bring the pride and tradition back. It doesn't always go our way, but it seemed like every game was tight down to the end. Those are good lessons for us."

Up Next
Fresno State will close out the season on the road next Saturday versus San Jose State at Spartan Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT and will broadcast on ESPN2.

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