Arizona Wildcats vs Nevada Wolf Pack Match Player Stats On Sep 12, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 12, 2015

Arizona sophomore running back Nick Wilson ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns as the 22nd-ranked Wildcats beat Nevada 44-20 on Saturday at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nev.

Wilson, who also caught two passes for 30 yards, finished with 21 carries, his last coming on the first play of the fourth quarter as Arizona (2-0) began to empty its bench.

Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon was efficient, completing 24 of 33 passes for 264 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, but Wilson did the bulk of the work as the Wildcats built their lead.

Arizona led 21-13 at halftime and then pulled away in the second half. Wilson's 6-yard scoring run gave Arizona a 34-13 lead with 3:56 to go in the third quarter.

Nevada (1-1) hurt itself with nine penalties for 105 yards, including one that negated a touchdown in the first half. Wolf Pack quarterback Tyler Stewart didn't hit much big in the passing game, completing 18 of 32 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He had one pass intercepted.

Arizona backup quarterback Jarrard Randall took over for Solomon early in the fourth quarter, and he ran 57 yards up the middle for a touchdown and a 41-13 lead with 13:34 to go.

The Wildcats rushed for 301 yards.

Arizona took advantage of a bad Nevada punt snap after the first possession of the game, taking over at the Wolf Pack 16. Two plays later, Solomon hit receiver Johnny Jackson with a 9-yard touchdown pass.

The Wildcats also scored on their second possession, a 77-yard drive capped by a 3-yard rush by Wilson.

From there, Nevada gained momentum. The Wolf Pack, often feeding running back Don Jackson in the Pistol offense, had scoring drives of 11 and 14 plays, the latter ending on a 5-yard pass from Stewart to receiver Jerico Richardson to make it 14-10 with 9:14 left in the second quarter.

Nevada twice stopped Arizona on fourth-and-1 in the first half -- at the Wolf Pack 33 and then the 7 -- but the Wildcats eventually punched through for a 3-yard by Wilson to go up 21-10 with 3:56 left before halftime.

Nevada, after recovering a Wilson fumble at the Arizona 49 with 59 seconds left, closed the half with a 41-yard field goal from Brent Zuzo on the final play to make it 21-13.

NOTES: Arizona senior LB Haden Gregory, the replacement for injured All-American Scooby Wright, suffered an apparent knee injury in the first quarter. He was replaced by redshirt freshman walk-on Tre Tyler, who also left in the first half with an injury. ... Wright stayed in Tucson to rehab after surgery on a meniscus injury that is expected to keep him out another two to three weeks. ... This was the third meeting between Arizona and Nevada in the past four seasons, including in the 2012 New Mexico Bowl. The Wildcats won the previous two meetings by a total of eight points. ... Nevada held a "White-out" at Mackay Stadium, and the Wolf Pack wore its white uniforms at home.