Nevada News Group
A look at the key moments, players and plays from the Nevada Wolf Pack's 22-19 loss to the Air Force Falcons on Saturday at Mackay Stadium:
KEY PACK MISTAKE
The Wolf Pack, down 15-12 with just over four minutes to play, faced a 3rd-and-7 at the Air Force 47. Quarterback Brendon Lewis, though, inadvertently picked exactly that moment to toss his first interception in five games. Air Force linebacker Osaro Aihie grabbed the first interception of his three-year, 32-game career and returned it 39 yards to the Pack 25 with 4:21 to play. Air Force then scored eight plays later on a 1-yard run by Quentin Hayes for a 22-12 lead and what would turn out to be the game-winning score.
KEY HIDDEN PACK MISTAKES
It certainly wasn't so hidden at the time. But Wolf Pack wide receiver Cortez Braham was called for being illegally downfield on what should have been his 34-yard touchdown catch three-plus minutes into the game on a pass from Brendon Lewis. The penalty wiped six crucial Wolf Pack points off the scoreboard board in what would turn out to be a three-point loss. The second crucial Pack mistake took place late in the second quarter with the Pack trailing just 7-6. Wolf Pack defensive lineman Dylan Labarbera recovered a fumble by Air Force's Quentin Hayes, giving the Pack the ball at the Falcons' 33-yard line with about 10 seconds left in the half. Labarbera's fumble recovery, though, was canceled by a holding penalty on the Pack's Kitan Crawford.
KEY HIDDEN LOST POINTS
The Wolf Pack not only gave away 6-10 possible points on the penalties to Braham and Crawford, it also let Air Force off the hook because of an untimely lack of execution and creativity on offense. The Wolf Pack had to settle for two short field goals in the second quarter (27 and 26 yards), cutting Air Force's lead to 7-6 instead of taking a lead at halftime. The Pack had a first-and-goal at the 6-yard line before its 27-yard field goal and first down at the 10 before the 26-yarder. A 3-yard loss on a Savion Red run (and two Brendon Lewis incomplete passes) forced the Pack to settle for the 27-yarder and a 3-yard sack of Lewis on 3rd-and-5 from the 5 forced the 26-yard try.
KEY PACK NEWCOMER
The Wolf Pack gave the ball to running back Deston Hawkins for the first time all season against Air Force. The 6-foot transfer from Syracuse, carried the ball six times for 32 yards and also caught seven passes for 33 yards. The carries and catches are the first for Hawkins in the last two seasons (at Syracuse and Nevada) when he only played on special teams. Hawkins caught five passes for 24 yards in the fourth quarter and had a 22-yard run in the second quarter.
KEY HIDDEN FACTOR TO LOSING STREAK
The Wolf Pack, now riding a five-game losing streak, clearly has not been able to overcome the loss of running backs Savion Red and Patrick Garwo the last four games. Red and Garwo had a combined 152 carries for 886 yards and 13 touchdowns through the first eight games this season as the Pack went 3-5. The last four games, though, Garwo and Red have battled injuries and have carried the ball just a combined 19 times for 43 yards and no touchdowns as the Pack has gone winless. Red had four carries for seven yards against Fresno State while Garwo did not play. Wolf Pack running backs Sean Dollars, Caleb Ramseur, Ky Woods and Deston Hawkins with Red and Garwo limited or unavailable the last four games have been solid with a combined 48 carries for an even 200 yards (4.2 average per carry) but none of them have found the end zone on a run (Ramseur caught a 44-yard touchdown pass against Boise State).
KEY COACHING MOVE
Air Force completely abandoned the forward pass despite trailing 12-7 late in the third quarter. Falcons' quarterback Quentin Hayes only attempted three passes to that point, with the third being intercepted by Nevada's Kitan Crawford with 1:06 left in the third quarter (he also had a fourth pass, also incomplete, wiped out by a Pack penalty). So you can understand why the Falcons, a team that has attempted just an average of 12 passes a game this year, would shy away from throwing the ball with the game on the line. Air Force ran the ball on its final 23 plays, gaining 108 yards and scoring two touchdowns to pull out the victory.
KEY MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The Wolf Pack had all of the momentum, the lead and the football late in the third quarter. The Pack was up 12-7 when Kitan Crawford picked off an Air Force pass at the Wolf Pack 16-yard line. Crawford returned the ball 39 yards to the Air Force 45-yard line, giving the Pack a legitimate chance to add to its lead. But that's when the Pack's good fortune took a turn for the worse. The officials called Nevada linebacker Tongiaki Mateiolona for a personal foul back at the Wolf Pack 31-yard line on Crawford's return, forcing the Pack to start its drive at its own 16. The Pack offense then sputtered, punting the ball back to Air Force after just four plays. Air Force would score touchdowns on its next two drives (sandwiched around an interception thrown by the Pack's Brendon Lewis), completely changing the game.
KEY HIDDEN STAT
The Wolf Pack lost the game despite holding Air Force's offense to just 4.54 yards on each of its 70 plays (318 yards). It is the fewest yards per play by a Nevada opponent in a Wolf Pack loss since San Jose State averaged just 3.93 yards on its 71 plays (279 yards) in a 14-10 win over Nevada in 2016. The only other time (before Air Force on Saturday) since the San Jose State game in 2016 that an opponent beat the Pack while averaging under five yards per play was Hawaii (4.64 yards on 73 plays) in a 27-14 win over Nevada last season.
KEY HISTORICAL NOTE
The Wolf Pack's frustration in close games continued Saturday. The three-point loss to Air Force was the sixth Nevada loss this season, extending its school record in one season of losses by seven points or less. The previous Pack record for losses by seven points or less in one season was four, set eight times (1968, 1979, 1982, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2014). The close losses this year have been to SMU (29-24), Georgia Southern (20-17), San Jose State (35-31), Fresno State (24-21), Boise State (28-21) and Air Force (22-19).
“You have to lose small before you can win small," said Nevada coach Jeff Choate on Saturday on nevadawolfpack.com.
UP NEXT
The Wolf Pack (3-9, 0-6) will take on the UNLV Rebels (9-2, 5-1) on Saturday in Las Vegas in the 50th game of the Battle for the Fremont Cannon. Nevada leads the rivalry, 49-40, but UNLV has won the last two games and four of the last six.