Reno, NV (Sports Network) - A 24-yard touchdown pass from Devin Combs to Aaron
Bradley in overtime proved to be the difference as the Nevada Wolf Pack
slipped by Wyoming, 35-28, in Mountain West Conference action at Mackay
Stadium.
Combs, who stepped in for Cody Fajardo after the latter went to the bench with
back spasms, completed 11-of-19 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns as the
Wolf Pack (5-1, 2-0 MWC) won for the fourth time in as many games. Bradley
finished with eight catches for 111 yards and Richy Turner accounted for seven
receptions for a game-high 150 yards.
Fajardo, who went to the sidelines with just over five minutes remaining in
regulation, converted 19-of-26 passes for 221 yards and two scores of his own.
Brett Smith paced the Cowboys (1-4, 0-1) with 197 yards and three passing
scores, but he failed to finish the game as well after being ejected following
a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the fourth quarter. Before exiting
Smith also gained a team-best 60 yards and scored once on 15 rushing attempts.
His substitute, Jason Thompson, completed only one of his six pass attempts
for 10 yards.
Wyoming jumped on top in the first quarter when Smith hit Robert Herron with a
16-yard touchdown pass at the 5:34 mark.
However, Nevada responded by putting up three straight touchdowns beginning
with a three-yard scoring run by Nick Hale late in the frame. In the second
quarter Fajardo tossed TD passes of 13 and 20 yards to Zach Sudfeld and
Kendall Brock, respectively, to give the hosts a 21-7 advantage.
Before the first half could close, Smith managed to guide the Pokes on an 11-
play, 51-yard drive that finished with a six-yard TD pass to Herron to cut the
deficit to 21-14 at the break.
Wyoming took the lead in the second half, thanks to a 42-yard touchdown pass
from Smith to Jalen Claiborne in the third quarter and an eight-yard scoring
run by Smith early in the fourth before leaving the game.
Trailing by a touchdown at 28-21, Combs answered the call for Nevada and hit
Turner with a 44-yard TD strike with just 1:18 remaining in regulation to knot
the score at 28-28.
In overtime Combs was again the hero for Nevada as he combined with Bradley to
give the hosts the thrilling win.
The Pack, which entered the week ranked fourth in the nation in rushing with
308.8 ypg, was held to just 127 net yards. Running back Stefphon Jefferson,
tops in the country with 175.4 ypg on the ground, saw his run of consecutive
games with at least 100 yards snapped at five games as he was limited to a
mere 78 yards on 23 attempts.
GAME NOTES:
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