RENO, Nev. - Fresno State defeated Nevada 24-21 at Mackay Stadium on Friday night, allowing zero points to the Wolf Pack in the second half. It was the Bulldogs' first win when trailing at the half since defeating the Pack's Silver State rival last October.
The Bulldogs saw another game with a heavy workload for Elijah Gilliam as the senior finished the night with 140 yards from scrimmage (74 receiving and 66 rushing) and two touchdowns. Quarterback Mikey Keene went 13-of-20 for 190 yards in the win.
Defensively, senior linebacker Malachi Langley had the game of his career with 13 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.
Special teams played a significant role with the Bulldogs twice stopping Nevada's punt unit from getting punts off. Punter Clay Lawrence also pinned the Wolf Pack inside its own 10 three times.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Fresno State surrendered a touchdown to Nevada on the opening drive. Getting Nevada to a third-and-11, the Bulldogs gave up a 55-yard pass to set the Pack up at the Fresno State 9-yard line. Nevada punched it in three plays later to take a 7-0 lead.
Fresno State used 10 plays to move 49 yards, but settled for a 44-yard field goal by the leg of Dylan Lynch to get on the board.
Getting Nevada pushed back to a first-and-15 situation, Fresno State had back-to-back pass breakups by Al'zillion Hamilton and Julian Neal to force the Wolf Pack to punt for the first time on the night. The Bulldogs went 86 yards on 12 plays, capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by Elijah Gilliam. The Bulldog running backs accounted for 53 yards gained on the scoring drive.
After just crossing midfield, Nevada regained the lead with a 46-yard touchdown pass over the top.
Fresno State was forced to punt on its next possession but followed with a three-and-out. Nearly blocking Nevada's previous punt, Dean Clark forced Guy Gillispe to pull back his attempt. Kosi Agina tackled the punter at the 28-yard line. Three plays later, Gilliam was back in the end zone after a 4-yard run up the middle to give the 'Dogs a 17-14 lead with 5:46 on the clock..
The Wolf Pack used up all but 10 seconds of the remaining time with a 14-play, 83-yard drive. A 2-yard touchdown run gave Nevada a 21-17 lead at the half.
After both sides were forced to punt on their first possessions out of the half, the Pack pinned Fresno State at its own 5-yard line. On third-and-3, Mikey Keene dumped a screen off to Gilliam who found a gash through the middle of the field and ran for 71 yards down to the Nevada 17-yard line. Following a 10-yard pass from Keene to Raylen Sharpe on second down, Joshua Wood entered the game and got to the outside and into the end zone along the sideline.
Fresno State forced a three-and-out and got the ball back near midfield, but on the first play Keene was picked off. The Bulldogs' defense came up with another stop. Again, the special teams unit got to Gillispe. This time Agina forced the punter to pull back his attempt while RL Miller made the tackle at the 27-yard line.
Fresno State moved the ball to the 6-yard line but turned the ball over on downs after back-to-back incompletions. Nevada managed one first down after the stop, but a sack by Malachi Langley on first-and-10 from the 17-yard line put the Pack behind the sticks.
The Bulldogs were held to three-and-out on back-to-back possessions in the final minutes, but Clay Lawrence and Cam Lockridge twice pinned the Wolf Pack inside its own six.
UP NEXT
Fresno State returns home on Oct. 26 to host San Jose State on Homecoming. Kickoff at Valley Children's Stadium is set for 5 p.m. PT and will air on truTV/Max. At halftime, Bulldog great Ron Cox will be officially inducted into the Ring of Honor. Next Saturday's game is also a blackout game as the Bulldogs will debut new black uniforms, and fans are encouraged to wear black. Tickets are available here.