LAS VEGAS " Colin Kaepernick's first appearance in the UNLV-Nevada series was a smashing success.
The Wolf Pack quarterback ran for 240 yards and three touchdowns and went 11-for-16 passing for 176 yards and two more scores in Nevada's 49-27 win over in-state rival UNLV.
Kaepernick became the first Nevada quarterback to gain more than 200 yards on the ground.
"It's great the first game against them," Kaepernick said. "I made some stupid mistakes (early), but I made up for them."
Kaepernick had tremendous success on the zone read. It seemed like he was able to turn upfield and get big yards whenever he wanted. UNLV never seemed to make a defensive adjustment.
"I was a little surprised that they didn't adjust to it," Kaepernick said. "We'll take whatever a defense is going to give us."
Kaepernick made the plays that got Nevada the lead. He scored on a 4-yard run to slice the lead to 17-14, and then he came back less than a minute later with a 40-yard TD pass to Virgil Green that put the Pack ahead for good, 21-17.
"It was good to get those scores and get the offense back on track," Kaepernick said.
A NIGHT OF FIRSTS
Two Nevada freshmen " wide receiver Chris Wellington and tight end Virgil Green " scored their first career touchdowns.
Wellington's 70-yard reception in the first quarter cut UNLV's lead to 10-7, and Green's 40-yard score came early in the second quarter.
Wolf Pack wide receiver Brian Fludd returned kickoffs for the first time this season. He returned two kicks for a 23-yard average through three quarters.
Mo Harvey intercepted his first career pass with about 10 minutes left in the game. He returned it 20 yards.
STIRRING UP TROUBLE?
Before Nevada left the field to finish its pre-game warmup, the players huddled in the middle of the field, jumping up and down on the UNLV insignia in the process.
UNLV players suddenly rushed the field and just a few yards separated the squads. The officials stayed between the teams and there was no physical contact.
LIPPINCOTT SURGERY
Nevada running back Luke Lippincott attended the game and said that his knee surgery is scheduled for Thursday.
"It feels good," Lippincott said. "I've been riding a bike already. It (the surgery) is going to set me back a little."
ETC...
Nevada kicker Brett Jaekle is in second place for career PATs. With his two PATs against Missouri, he passed Damon Shea for second place. Marty Zendejas, who kicked from 1984-87, has 169 career PATs. Jaekle is third in all-time scoring for kickers with 286 points. He trails Marty Zendejas (367) and Tony Zendejas (300) ... Kick returns haven't been Nevada's strength over the years. Nevada has gone 84 games without returning a punt for a score, which is the seventh-longest streak in the country. Nevada has gone 103 games without returning a kickoff for a score, which is the 10th-longest streak in the country... Nevada won the toss, but deferred to the second half ... James -Michael Johnson made his first career start in place of Jerome Johnson, while Greg Coulson started at defensive end and Doyle Miller in place of Mike Evans at cornerback ... Brad Lampley uncorked a 77-yard punt, the longest of his brief Nevada career ... UNLV kicker Ben Jaekle had a nice first half with field goals of 47 and 52 yards... The crowd of 33,078 was the eighth-largest in school history.
- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1281