Keys to the Game: Eagles take game Pack ‘should win’

A look back at some key moments, players and plays from the Nevada Wolf Pack's 20-17 loss to the Georgia Southern Eagles on Saturday at Mackay Stadium.

KEY DRIVE

Georgia Southern took over the ball at its own 20 yard-line with just 1:51 to play in the first half and still trailing the Wolf Pack, 14-10. The Eagles then methodically marched 80 yards for a touchdown and a 17-14 halftime lead, overcoming a couple of their own penalties and benefiting from a few call against the Pack. The Eagles were still on their own 22 with just 1:17 to play in the half after a holding penalty on their offensive line. Georgia Southern was still near midfield (their own 46) with just 14 seconds to play after an unsportsmanlike penalty. But that's when the Wolf Pack mistakes kicked in to save the Eagles. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Henry Ikahihifo and a personal foul on Kristopher Ross gave the Eagles the ball at the Nevada 24 with a handful of seconds to go before the half. Georgia Southern then bypassed a possible field goal and chose to go for the lead as quarterback J.C. French found Dalen Cobb for a 24-yard score as Nevada suddenly found itself trailing for the first time in the game.

KEY PLAY

The Wolf Pack, trailing 20-17 with just 34 seconds left in the third quarter then began to put together what might turn into an epic game-winning drive. A 15-yard run and a targeting penalty on Georgia Southern's Cam Williams put the ball on the Georgia Southern 43-yard line. Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis then found tight end Jace Henry for a huge 23-yard pickup but a hold on offensive lineman Spencer Lovell gave the Pack a 1st-and-20 at the Eagles' 47. Lewis then went back to work, finding wide receiver Cortez Braham for gains of 13 and four yards. Lewis' runs of five and six yards put the Pack firmly in field goal range at the Georgia Southern 25-yard line on 2nd-and-four. Running back Savion Red then exploded for a 25-yard gain and appeared to give the Pack the lead. Red, though, actually fumbled the ball into the end zone (forced by Marques Watson-Trent) where it was recovered by Georgia Southern's Chance Gamble. The lost fumble was the first for Red in a Wolf Pack uniform and the first for Nevada this year.

KEY PLAYER

Brendon Lewis is playing mistake-free football for the Pack. The Nevada quarterback is certainly doing his part to turn the Pack into a winner this season but his teammates simply kept making mistakes around him on Saturday. Lewis was 23-of-35 for 271 yards and a touchdown and did not throw an interception. He also ran the ball a team-high 18 times for 97 yards and another touchdown. Lewis nearly engineered a miracle victory but his 62-yard pass to Jaden Smith left the Pack five yards short of the end zone on the game's final play. Lewis is so far executing the Pack offense the way the coaches want him to, playing conservatively, taking what the defense is giving him and not making mistakes.

KEY NUMBERS

The one number that won't soon be forgotten by the Pack is the 14 penalties they committed for 134 yards. A pass interference set up Georgia Southern's first touchdown. Another pass interference set up Georgia Southern's first field goal. A false start and a hold forced a Pack punt late in the second quarter. The Pack penalties just never stopped. Two silly defensive penalties set up Georgia Southern's go-ahead score just before the half. Penalties (11 for 81 yards) also played a big part in the 29-24 season-opening loss to SMU.

KEY CALL

The Pack, still trailing 20-17, had a 4th-and-1 at the Georgia Southern 41-yard line with just under three minutes to play. The Pack then gave the ball to running back Patrick Garwo instead of punting and trying to pin the Eagles' backs against their own end zone. It was Garwo who caught a 13 yard pass from Lewis on 3rd-and-14 to set up the pivotal 4th-and-1 decision. Garwo also picked up two yards on a 4th-and-two earlier in the same drive. The veteran running back, a transfer from Boston College, was then stopped for no gain on fourth down (perhaps exhausted by his 13-yard catch only moments before), handing the ball back to the Eagles with 2:35 to play.

KEY COACHING DECISION

Nobody would have blamed the Wolf Pack if it went into Saturday's game thinking it could simply run the ball down the Eagles' throats all night long. George Southern, after all, gave up an alarming 371 yards on the ground the previous week at home to Boise State. The Pack also ran the ball for 214 yards the previous week against Troy. But the Wolf Pack (namely offensive coordinator Matt Lubick) called an intelligent game against Georgia Southern with 35 passes and 42 runs. Make no mistake, the Pack still shredded the porous Eagles' run defense with 227 yards on the ground. But Nevada's 271 passing yards were the biggest reason why the Pack was able to deal with its 134 yards lost via penalties and stay in the game to the very end.

KEY HIDDEN STATS

The Wolf Pack basically dominated the Eagles and still found a way to lose at home. The Pack controlled the ball the entire game, keeping it for 37:21. Nevada also had far more yards, 498-285. The Pack also stuffed Georgia Southern on third down, allowing them to get just two first downs on 10 third-down plays. The Pack, meanwhile, was an efficient 10-of-17 on third down.

KEY DEFENDERS

The Wolf Pack defense stepped up and played well the entire game, holding Georgia Southern to just a field goal after halftime. The performance by the defense was a bit hidden simply because they did much of their standout work with the Wolf Pack trailing the entire second half. But the Pack defense gave the team a chance to win, holding Georgia Southern to five punts and a field goal, just a week after the Eagles scored 45 points against Boise State. A few familiar names once again led the Pack defense. Drue Watts had a team-high eight tackles, Tongiaki Mateialona had seven, Kitan Crawford had six and Ikahihifo had three and a sack.

KEY LINEUP SWITCH

It actually happened last week at Troy midway through the first half when the Pack turning the running back position over to Savion Red and Patrick Garwo. Sean Dollars, who led the Pack in rushing last year with 527 yards and six touchdowns, opened the season against SMU as the starter and had 11 carries for 39 yards. He also started against Troy but was given just four carries (for two yards). He did not carry the ball at all against Georgia Southern. Red was solid against the Eagles with 89 yards on 11 carries while Garwo had 28 on nine carries and also caught four passes for 12 yards.

KEY HISTORICAL NOTE

Coach Jeff Choate has now started his Nevada career with losses in his first two games at Mackay Stadium. The last rookie Pack coach to do that is Jay Norvell in 2017. Norvell lost his first two at Mackay Stadium (to Toledo and Idaho State) but then won three of his next four at home to finish 3-9 overall. Choate's next home game is Sept. 21 against Eastern Washington. The Pack also plays Oregon State (Oct. 12), Fresno State (Oct. 18), Colorado State (Nov. 2) and Air Force (Nov. 23) at Mackay this year.

KEY CHOATE QUOTES

Wolf Pack coach Jeff Choate on YouTube.com, courtesy of Nevada's "Wolf Pack Athletics' channel:

"We played pretty well in a lot of areas. But when you have 14 penalties for 134 yards, you have a critical red zone turnover, we're not a team right now that has a huge margin (of error). Those are mistakes we cannot make."

"We'll become a more and more disciplined team as we go. But I want our guys to play with an edge. I want tour guys to play with swagger. I don't want our guys to back down."

"It's a very disappointing loss because that's a game we should win."

UP NEXT FOR NEVADA

The Wolf Pack will travel to Minnesota to play the Gophers of the Big 10 this Saturday. Minnesota whipped Rhode Island, 48-0, last week at home after losing to North Carolina at home, 19-17, in its season opener on Aug. 29. The Gophers were 6-7 last year overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten, beating Bowling Green, 30-24, in the Quick Lane Bowl.