Nevada makes strong adjustments to push past Troy on the road 28-26

It felt like Deja Vu in the final seconds of Nevada’s 28-26 win over Troy. The Trojans marched downfield to score a TD with 21 seconds left, bringing the game to a 28-26 score. Troy lined up for the 2-point conversion, but pressure led QB Goose Crowder to escape to pocket and end in an incompletion.

Unlike Week 0, Nevada was able to prevent the complete late-quarter comeback. It was an uphill battle from the beginning for Nevada, but the Pack started a 28-3 run which led head coach Jeff Choate to his first victory with Nevada.

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

3:59- Damien Taylor 25-yard TD run (Scott Taylor Renfroe PAT)

Nevada 0 – Troy 7

2nd Quarter

3:08- Gerald Green 16-yard TD run (Scott Taylor Renfroe PAT)

Nevada 0 – Troy 14

0:25- Jace Henry 17-yard TD pass from Brendon Lewis (Matthew Killam PAT no good)

Nevada 7 – Troy 14

3rd Quarter

13:55- Patrick Garwo III 1-yard TD run (Jaden Smith 2 pt conversion good)

Nevada 14 – Troy 14

7:24- Scott Taylor Renfroe 30-yard FG

Nevada 14 – Troy 17

3:20- Patrick Garwo III 22-yard TD run (Matthew Killam PAT)

Nevada 21 – Troy 17

4th Quarter

12:56- Marcus Bellon 7-yard TD run (Matthew Killam PAT)

Nevada 28 – Troy 17

6:12- Scott Taylor Renfroe 19-yard FG

Nevada 28 – Troy 20

0:21- Devonte Ross 16-yard TD pass from Goose Crowder (Crowder 2pt conversion attempt no good)

Nevada 28 – Troy 26

Final: Nevada 28, Troy 26

Offense

It was another 20+ point performance by Nevada, but it took a while for the offense to wake up. Nevada’s first three drives of the game resulted in no points. On its fourth drive, kicker Matthew Killam lined up for a 48-yard field goal. Killam missed the attempt, keeping scoreless through the second quarter.

The Wolf Pack cracked the scoreboard with 3:08 left in the first half. Brendon Lewis threw a 17-yard pass to tight end Jace Henry to cut the lead to 14-6. Killam once again missed a kick, this time it being the PAT.

Despite the missed extra point, that touchdown began a 28-3 run for Nevada’s offense. Adjustments were made at the half, and the offense came out swinging.

Nevada received the ball in the second half, and it only took three plays for Nevada to find the endzone in its opening drive of the second half. It began with running back Savion Red breaking through for a 69-yard rush, taking Nevada inside the red zone at the 6-yard line.

Nevada’s rushing attack couldn’t get it going against SMU, but Red had no issue running around Troy. He finished with 135 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 rush attempts.

Nevada ran two more times, leading to running back Patrick Garwo III collecting a 1-yard TD run to tie it at 14.

The Pack’s next two drives resulted in touchdowns, once on the ground and second from the air. Garwo III picked up his second rushing touchdown, followed by a 7-yard TD pass to Nevada receiver Marcus Bellon.

Lewis had himself another solid game, throwing 17-20 with 158 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 34 yards on eight attempts. Lewis has now surpassed his TD total from last year, only two games into the 2024 season.

It took a while, but there was more explosiveness from Nevada’s offense. The Pack collected 17 first downs and converted seven of 12 third-down attempts. The rushing game is Nevada’s MVP, as the team collected 214 total rushing yards compared to Troy’s 193.

Nevada was once again perfect from the red zone, going 4-4.

Defense

Nevada’s defense was the highlight in the loss to SMU. This time, it took some adjustments for Nevada’s defense to shut it down. It held Troy’s first offensive possession to a three-and-out.

Troy put up two touchdowns before the first half expired. It was an early back-and-forth into the third quarter until Nevada’s offense was able to pull away. Nevada took a 28-17 lead to the 13-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

A Troy field goal made it an eight-point game with six minutes left. Crowder and the Trojans offense got the ball back with 2:17 left to go, leading to a huge march downfield to score a late TD with 21 seconds left.

Similar to Week 0, Nevada’s defense slipped up within the final minutes. Crowder and Troy’s offense lined up for the potential tying 2-point conversion, but this time, Nevada’s defense was able to close it off.

Crowder snapped the ball for the 2-point attempt, but edge rusher Kristopher Ross quickly pressured the Trojan’s QB, leading to the ball being stripped. Troy recovered the ball, but an incompletion led to the tight 28-26 lead being held.

Crowder went 20-30 with 201 passing yards and a TD pass. Troy running back Damien Taylor led Troy’s rushing attack, rushing for 103 yards on 11 attempts and a touchdown run.

Nevada linebacker Drue Watts led the team with 12 tackles, and Ross/Henry Ikahihifo combined for a sack in the game.

What’s Next

Nevada will take its 1-1 record back home to face another Sun Belt team in Georgia Southern. The Eagles fought hard against Boise State in their Week 1 matchup, losing 56-45 to the Broncos.

It’ll be another tough matchup for Nevada, especially after seeing Georgia Southern put up 45. This Wolf Pack team under Choate has shown plenty of fight in its first two games, so it should lead to an exciting and hopefully winning game against Georgia Southern.