Nevada football: UNLV stuns Wolf Pack in overtime to keep the cannon red

Duke Ritenhouse | Reno Gazette-Journal

The underdog won again. As a result, the Fremont Cannon will remain red for another year.

UNLV, a touchdown underdog, stunned Nevada, 33-30 in overtime, on Saturday afternoon, using a number of big plays to win the 45th edition of the Silver State’s biggest annual game.

The Rebels, in head coach Tony Sanchez’s final game, finished their season at 4-8 (2-6 Mountain West) by winning their final two games. Nevada dropped to 7-5 overall and 4-4 in Mountain West games, missing out on a chance to claim a share of the West Division title. The Wolf Pack will now await its postseason bowl fate.

The game ended on a 19-yard pass from UNLV quarterback Kenyon Oblad to Steve Jenkins in the first overtime. As the Rebels poured onto the field and began celebrating, a brawl broke out between the teams. Some Nevada fans in the south end zone also appeared to be involved.

Nevada had earlier opened the overtime with a 42-yard field goal from Brandon Talton.

Regulation play ended at 27-27 after the Wolf Pack rallied to score twice in the final half of the fourth quarter. Talton’s field goal in overtime was Nevada’s first lead of the game.

The overtime was the first in the 45 games of the Nevada-UNLV series.

UNLV scored on one-play drives in the first and second quarters to take a 23-14 lead into halftime. The Rebels’ first touchdown came on an 80-yard run straight up the middle by Charles Williams in the first quarter. Late in the first half, Oblad connected with a wide-open Jenkins for a 75-yard score that gave UNLV a 24-13 lead.

The underdog has now won five straight games in the series, and six of the last seven.

Next up

Nevada will await its postseason fate, which will be determined after next week’s Mountain West championship game in Boise.

UNLV’s season ended with Saturday’s win.

For more coverage from Saturday's game, visit RGJ.com

For more on the Wolf Pack, college sports, and Reno's baseball and soccer teams, follow the author at @RGJduke. Digital subscriptions to the Reno Gazette Journal begin at as little as $1 a month; click here for details.