The University of Nevada Reno’s Wolf Pack came out with a big victory on Saturday when they defeated the Boise State Broncos, 41-31.
Nevada, coming off a bye week, was looking to get back into the win column after having a crushing defeat, 38-17, in their last game against Kansas State. The matchup against the Broncos marked the beginning of conference play for the Wolf Pack.
Quarterback Carson Strong and running back Toa Taua led the way for Nevada. Strong finished the game with 263 passing yards and one touchdown, while Taua had 188 total yards and two touchdowns. Taua had 12 carries for 124 yards on the ground and seven catches for 44 yards through the air.
Despite putting up 20 points, Nevada trailed on the scoreboard, 21-20, going into halftime. However, the Wolf Pack were able to pull ahead due to sloppy play by the BSU offense in the second half. The Nevada defense forced three second-half turnovers by the BSU offense, including a fumble on the first play of the third quarter. These turnovers led to 10 points by the Nevada offense.
The Wolf Pack was able to outscore the Broncos, 21-10, in the second half thanks to two rushing touchdowns by Taua, including what would turn out to be the game-winning score near the end of the third quarter.
The Broncos were led by their junior quarterback, Hank Backmeier. Backmeier finished the day with 388 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Wide receiver Stefan Cobbs led the Broncos in receiving with 10 catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
UNR’s next game will be on Saturday, Oct. 9, when they host the New Mexico State Aggies. The Aggies will be coming into the game with a 1-5 record on the season after losing two straight games.
New Mexico State, who is considered an independent school and doesn’t have any conference alignment, is 0-4 against the Mountain West Conference this year. This will be the first game between these two teams since the 2011 season, which UNR won 48-34.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.