Nevada vs. Boise State
Nov. 22, 2008
Nevada Post-Game Notes
Nevada is now 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Nevada coach Chris Ault is now 197-90-1 all-time in his career.
Senior Jerome Johnson recorded his first career interception and first career touchdown with a 28-yard pick and return for a score in the third quarter.
Senior Joshua Mauga had his fourth career interception and first career touchdown with a 46-yard “pick six” in the third quarter.
Senior kicker Brett Jaekle connected on a 25-yard field goal in the second quarter and is now 12-of-15 on FGs this season.
Sophomore quarterback Colin Kaepernick went over the 2,000-yard mark in passing for the season and became just the fifth player in history to run for 1,000 yards and throw for 2,000 yards in a single season. The others: Woodrow Dantzler, Clemson, 2001; Brad Smith, Missouri, 2002 and 2005; Vince Young, Texas, 2005, Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan, 2007.
Et Cetera: Marko Mitchell has now caught a pass in 25 straight games and in 36 of 37 games in his career ... The Wolf Pack did not score in the first quarter, ending it’s nation-leading streak of consecutive quarters scored in at 28 in a row ... Nevada will conclude the regular season next week at Louisiana Tech.
Nevada Post-Game Quotes
Nevada head coach Chris Ault
On the game: “Our defense kept us in the game without question, but I am disappointed in our offense. We knew we had to throw the ball. We had people open and didn’t get it to them.”
On Nevada’s passing: “When you get the opportunity you have to do it. We had ours and didn’t do it.”
On Nevada’s defense: “I am proud of them. They didn’t back down. They kept coming back and fighting and played with their hearts.”
On the second half: “We had better execution. Yet our offense didn’t do anything consistently.”
On Boise State: “Passing is their M.O. They moved the ball and our defense didn’t back off. They had their safeties highly involved. We knew we had to throw the football.”
Nevada place kicker Brett Jaekle
On punting: “I think kicking field goals is a little more nerve racking than punting. Once I got the first one out of the way I was fine.”
On never beating Boise: “I’ll always remember the wins against UNLV and especially Boise the last two years. A few unlucky bounces and it goes the other way. We have wonderful fans, I’ll never forget the little kids reaching out as far as they can to get high-fives.
Nevada linebacker Jerome Johnson
On his interception: “I just stepped in front of it, jumped as high as I could, and took off.”
On the loss: “It is real tough, my last game at Mackay (Stadium). Losing to the number 9 team in the country. They were scared out of their mind, they thought they were going to lose. It’s very frustrating losing a dog-fight last year, and this year again. But we’re still bowl eligible. We’ve got to beat Louisiana Tech next week.”
Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick
On the game: “The defense played great tonight and kept our hopes alive. Offensively, they did great up front. I didn’t make passes when I needed to. That was the difference in the game. “
On passing for over 2,000 and rushing for over 1,000: “It’s a good accomplishment, but having it come during a loss where we had opportunities to win, it’s not too much on my mind right now.”
On the next game: It’s definitely a must win, and one we have to win for our seniors. We don’t want to send them away with a bad taste in their mouth.
Boise State Quotes
Boise State head coach Chris Peterson
On quarterback Kellen Moore: “We hurt him. We put him in a bad situation where he has to throw it that much. Nevada’s got a very good defense. We can’t do anything more than that and it makes it hard on us. I’m just proud how tough he is. He does what he needs to do to win.”
On the rivalry with Nevada: “They got a great program here. Coach [Chris] Ault does a tremendous job with these guys. They are getting better every year. We are just fortunate to come here and get a win.”
On the Nevada defense: “I’ll tell you what, tremendous credit to Justin Wilcox and the Nevada defense staff. They changed things up. They schemed it up and they made it very, very difficult for those guys to move the ball. The credit also goes to our players for playing that hard.”
On the first onside kick in the fourth quarter: “I knew they would make a run. As we turned the ball over, I knew it would be a tight game. We had our hands team in but [Nevada] executed better than we did.”
Boise State quarterback Drew Hawkins
On the game: “I think it was that defense that was able to keep us in the game. I kept making plays through the third quarter. I was stuck for a little bit and I gave them a couple easy points.”
On the three interceptions: “I get the ball down a little bit more where they can get it.”
