RENO - Wolf Pack running back Robert Hubbard had his breakout game of the season.
The 5-foot-11 senior from Emeryville, Calif., rushed for a career-high 156 yards on 32 carries. He scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, one on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Jeff Rowe and the other on a 3-yard run in Nevada's 31-21 win.
His 100-yard game marked the fourth time in the last six games Hubbard has rushed for more than 100 yards.
Hubbard said he felt "great" after the game.
"I feel all right. I'm a little sore, but we won," he said.
But Hubbard said his yardage would not have been possible without the offensive line's blocking.
"Our line was blocking great. We had a great scheme (done) by the coaches," Hubbard said.
Hubbard's rushing and the Pack's defense have given Nevada seven straight home wins dating back to 2005.
HINES' BIG PLAYS
Noseguard Matt Hines forced a fumble in the first half and blocked a field goal attempt with 5:57 left in the third quarter.
"We found a way to dig down deep and make the big plays," Hines said.
Nevada's defense impressed Northwestern's freshman quarterback Mike Kafka.
"I thought they were a great defense. We turned the ball over too much," the Wildcats' leading rusher said.
BOOMING THE PUNTS
Nevada's punting game also had a banner night. Zacary Whited booted four punts for an average of 43.8 yards. His longest punt of the night, a 67-yard spiral in the third quarter, took a favorable bounce and was downed at the Northwestern 6.
The Wildcats were not pinned deep in their territory for long. Northwestern marched 94 yards in 11 plays and scored on Kafka's 13-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Northwestern trailed 24-21 with 13:49 remaining in the game.
THE REPLAY
Nevada coach Chris Ault, when asked if he now favors the replay, laughed.
"Obviously, now I do," he quipped. "The officials are human, and they are going to miss some."
The Nevada coaches and most of the 16,000 fans remained intensely quiet in the fourth quarter while officials reviewed a play involving Rowe.
Rowe was forced out of bounds in front of the Nevada bench, but as he tried to stop, the ball popped loose and rolled onto the field. Northwestern recovered the ball.
After five minutes of review, the head linesman said Rowe was out of bounds, and the ball was returned to Nevada.
MEETING THE BIG 10
In 110 years of football at the University of Nevada, the Wolf Pack have faced only two Big Ten opponents.
Wisconsin swatted the Pack 35-17 in 1993, and Nevada outscored Northwestern 31-21 Friday night. The series is a home-and-home with the Wildcats, and the Pack travel to Evanston, Ill., for next year's game on Sept. 8.
Northwestern has played one other WAC team, defeating Hawai'i in 1998 but losing to the Rainbow Warriors in 2004. Both games were played in Honolulu.
NOTABLES
Although they may be playing college football thousands of miles apart, Northwestern backup quarterback C.J. Bacher attended Jesuit High School in Carmichael, Calif., with Nevada's Dominc Green and Alonzo Durham ... Instead of having a neutral officiating crew at the game, the Big Ten sent officials to Reno ... The Northwestern Alumni Association had a small tailgate party for about 200 Wildcats' fans. Many of the Northwestern fans traveled to Reno from Sacramento and the Bay Area. A sea of purple and white, Northwestern's colors, rode the benches in the southeaster part of Mackay Stadium in sections eight and nine ... Going into Friday's game, the team that scored first won. Northwestern scored first in its wins against Miami of Ohio and Eastern Michigan. Nevada scored first against Colorado State. When the opposing team scored first, both Northwestern and Nevada lost ... Something, though, had to give in the Pack's second home game of the year. The Wildcats scored first on a 10-play, 80-yard drive, but Nevada broke the trend with the 10-point win ... Northwestern's sophomore running back, Tyrell Sutton of Akron, Ohio, has been named to several major award preseason watch lists including Maxwell Award (top players), Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year and Doak Walker award (top running back).